Creating a Government
After the American Revolution, the colonists quickly came together and formed the Articles of Confederation. But when the Articles weren't working, something had to be done. Could people come together to agree upon a brand new government? Or would the new United States become divided and fall apart? Scroll to learn more about what would happen.
The Convention
George Washington led the Constitutional Convention. He needed to get people to work together to form a new Constitution.
The Convention
Washington's Contributions
George Washington stayed quiet throughout the Convention, letting others hash out arguments while keeping order.
Washington in the Convention
Creating the Constitution
It took a long time to create the Constitution. A More Perfect Union (a 25-minute film) explores how exactly the Constitution was created and the way it was ratified.
Watch A More Perfect UnionThe Constitutonal Convention | |
| Start: | May 14, 1787 |
| President of the Convention: | George Washington |
| Number of delegates who attended: | 55 |
| Number of delegates who signed the Constitution | 39 |
| End: | September 17, 1787 |
The U.S. Constitution
After many months, the Constitution was created and ratified by the states. This Constitution has survived for over 200 years, and governs our country today.
The Bill of Rights
In order to make sure everyone had guaranteed rights, the Bill of Rights was created in 1791 to amend, or add to the Constitution.
The Acts of Congress
Washington received these Acts of Congress and marked where his responsibilities as president were written. The book consists of the Constitution, as well as the first few acts Congress passed.
Available Resources
Interested in learning more about the founding of American government? Explore these sources!
- George Washington in the Convention
- Washington's Constitution
- Washington After the War
- Building the Constitution
- 5 Key Issues at the Constitutional Convention
- 6 Key Players at the Constitutional Convention
- The Acts of Congress (Article)
- A More Perfect Union Video
- The United States Constitution
- The Bill of Rights
- The Acts of Congress
- The Foundations of Democracy
- Religious Freedom Resources
- The Key to the Bastille
Securing Individual Rights
This short video explains why the Constitution and Bill of Rights are important today.
Back to Government Resources
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The Founding of the U.S. Government