What events led up to the U.S. Constitution?

Asked by: Toni Moen  |  Last update: January 29, 2026
Score: 5/5 (50 votes)

Our Constitution: A Timeline of Events

  • 12/16/1773 – Boston Tea Party. ...
  • 09/05/1774 – 10/26/1774 - First Continental Congress. ...
  • 04/19/1775 - American Revolution Begins. ...
  • 05/10/1775 – 12/12/1776 - Second Continental Congress. ...
  • 07/21/1775 - Ben Franklin Presents a Plan for Confederation.

What was the main reason for the creation of the U.S. Constitution?

The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia met between May and September of 1787 to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation.

What are 6 reasons for establishing the U.S. Constitution?

The Preamble of this document states its six main goals: to form a more perfect union, to establish justice, to ensure domestic tranquility, to provide for the common defense, to promote the general welfare, and to secure the blessings of liberty.

What influenced the U.S. Constitution?

The framers of the Constitution took inspiration from Britain's Magna Carta, a charter of rights signed by King John of England in 1215. Their Bill of Rights was inspired in part by the English Bill of Rights of 1689.

What meeting led to the Constitution?

The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May of 1787. The delegates shuttered the windows of the State House and swore secrecy so they could speak freely. Although they had gathered to revise the Articles of Confederation, by mid-June they had decided to completely redesign the government.

Landmark Events Leading to the Constitution

24 related questions found

What events led to the U.S. Constitution?

Our Constitution: A Timeline of Events

  • 12/16/1773 – Boston Tea Party. ...
  • 09/05/1774 – 10/26/1774 - First Continental Congress. ...
  • 04/19/1775 - American Revolution Begins. ...
  • 05/10/1775 – 12/12/1776 - Second Continental Congress. ...
  • 07/21/1775 - Ben Franklin Presents a Plan for Confederation.

What events happened on March 4, 1789?

At New York City's Federal Hall (pictured), on March 4, 1789, the Senate convened for the first time. From 1789 until 1933, when the Constitution's Twentieth Amendment changed the convening time to 12 noon on January 3, the date of March 4 would rank among the most important on the congressional calendar.

What is the background of the U.S. Constitution?

The United States Constitution was constructed on September 17, 1787 after months of conflicting views, heated debates and clashing ideas finally yielded to compromise and thoughtful reconsiderations. The founders of the Constitution were delegates appointed by the state legislatures to represent each state's welfare.

What are the five documents that influenced the Constitution?

The graphic organizers will help the students understand the influence of five documents: the Magna Carta, the Charters of the Virginia Company of London, the Virginia Declaration of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.

Was the Constitution based off the Bible?

In fact, the Bible itself was also a very strong, direct influence on founding-era Americans who drafted and ratified the Constitution.

How does the Constitution begin?

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of ...

What were three of the reasons that the Constitution was needed?

The Constitution not only designed a government but also placed limits on it to prevent arbitrary rule. Particularly through its amendments, the Constitution guarantees every American fundamental rights and protection of life, liberty, and property.

What are the six main ideas of the US Constitution?

The Six Big Ideas are:

  • limited government.
  • republicanism.
  • checks and balances.
  • federalism.
  • separation of powers.
  • popular sovereignty.

Why did we start creating laws?

The Origin of Law in the World: A Brief History

The legal challenges we face today are some of the same confronted by the earliest civilizations: ensuring fairness, resolving disputes and maintaining order. As small communities grew into vast empires, the need for formalized rules became paramount.

Why did the U.S. Constitution start with We the People?

It has also been construed to mean something like "all under the sovereign jurisdiction and authority of the United States." The phrase has been construed as affirming that the national government created by the Constitution derives its sovereignty from the people, (whereas "United Colonies" had identified external ...

What are the three main purposes of our Constitution?

First it creates a national government consisting of a legislative, an executive, and a judicial branch, with a system of checks and balances among the three branches. Second, it divides power between the federal government and the states. And third, it protects various individual liberties of American citizens.

What led to the Constitution being created?

Why was the Constitution written? In 1787, Congress authorized delegates to gather in Philadelphia and recommend changes to the existing charter of government for the 13 states, the Articles of Confederation, which many Americans believed had created a weak, ineffective central government.

What is the U.S. Constitution inspired by?

Despite their differences, the architects of the Constitution embraced a common intellectual tradition: wisdom from the classical world of the Greeks and Romans; from the Jewish and Christian traditions; from the early European Enlightenment; and from more than a century of English political debates about natural ...

What documents should I keep forever?

Keep Forever

  • Birth certificate or adoption papers.
  • Social Security cards.
  • Valid passports and citizenship or residency papers.
  • Marriage licenses and divorce decrees.
  • Military records.
  • Wills, living wills, powers of attorney, and retirement and pension plans.
  • Death certificates of family members.

What influenced the United States Constitution?

Influenced by English common law and the Enlightenment liberalism of philosophers like John Locke and Montesquieu, the Constitution's first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, in which the federal government is divided into the legislative, bicameral Congress; the executive, led by the ...

What was the main reason the Constitution was made?

The Framers of the Constitution wanted to make sure that each branch of government was balanced so that no one part of government could dominate the other. To achieve this goal, the Constitution provides “checks and balances” among the three branches.

Did the original Constitution say anything about slavery?

The Constitution of the United States as it was drafted and sent for ratification in 1787 did not contain the word “slave”, but slavery had been a fiercely debated topic during the Constitutional Convention and the document contained references and protections for enslavement across its parchment pages.

Did the founding fathers put God in the Constitution?

After the Constitutional Convention in 1787, when Alexander Hamilton was asked why God had not been mentioned in the Constitution, he reportedly quipped, "We forgot." True! The story of Hamilton's famous quip may be apocryphal, but the Founders really didn't mention God in our country's charter.

What major event took place in 1789?

1789 is one of the most significant dates in history – famous for the revolution in France with its cries of 'Liberté! Egalité! Fraternité! ' that led to the removal of the French upper classes.

Why is March 4th special?

Inauguration Day. Until the ratification of the Twentieth Amendment in 1933, the official day for presidential inaugurations was March 4. When the fourth fell on a Sunday, as it did in 1821, 1849, 1877, and 1917, the ceremonies were held on March 5.