Delegates Sign the United States Constitution

On September 17, 1787, delegates gathered in the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia to sign the newly drafted Constitution of the United States. Thirty-nine names went on the document, although thirty-eight men signed in person, because George Read signed for the ailing John Dickinson. Their assembly had commenced in late May, initially authorized by the Confederation Congress for the narrow purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation. Under that initial framework, the national government had functioned as a loose alliance of sovereign republics with a unicameral legislature, lacking both an independent executive and a judiciary. Impeded by an inability to levy taxes, regulate commerce, or enforce treaties, the Confederation faced mounting post-war debts, state trade disputes, and domestic unrest such as Shays' Rebellion.

A coalition of reform-minded delegates, including James Madison of Virginia, sought a fundamentally different design rather than modest adjustments. Even before a working quorum of seven states arrived, Madison prepared a proposal that became known as the Virginia Plan. Introduced by Virginia Governor Edmund Randolph, this outline called for a supreme national authority divided into legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Although delegates had not been sent to create a wholly new system, they voted early in the proceedings to establish a tripartite national government, effectively superseding their original mandate.