Luncheon Case

LuncheonThe members of the Constitutional Convention signed the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Constitutional Convention convened in response to dissatisfaction with the Articles of Confederation and the need for a strong centralized government. After four months of secret debate and many compromises, the proposed Constitution was submitted to the states for approval. Although the vote was close in some states, the Constitution was eventually ratified and the new Federal government came into existence in 1789. The Constitution established the U.S. government as it exists today.

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American Memory Historical Collections

A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation

Elliot's Debates is a five-volume collection compiled by Jonathan Elliot in the mid-nineteenth century. The volumes remain the best source for materials about the national government's transitional period between the closing of the Constitutional Convention in September 1787 and the opening of the First Federal Congress in March 1789.

Farrand's Records

An American Time Capsule: Three Centuries of Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera

This collection contains a broadside announcing that Virginia had ratified the Constitution on June 25, 1787. It also presents a copy of the Constitution that includes Rhode Island's ratification statement from May 29, 1790.

Search this collection to locate additional printed ephemera related to the Constitution.

Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789

Presents an early printed version of the Constitution from 1787. This collection also contains an additional twenty documents from the Constitutional Convention Broadside Collection, including documents relating to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, extracts of proceedings of state assemblies and conventions relating to the ratification of the Constitution, and several essays on ratification. Search on the word "Constitution" to find these broadsides.

This collection contains an essay titled To Form a More Perfect Union that examines American history from 1774 to 1789, including the work of the Constitutional Convention.

George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress

This collection contains a printed copy of the Constitution with marginal notes by George Washington from September 12, 1787. It also includes Washington's copies of the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan.

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An American Time Capsule: Three Centuries of Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera

This collection contains a broadside announcing that Virginia had ratified the Constitution on June 25, 1787. It also presents a copy of the Constitution that includes Rhode Island's ratification statement from May 29, 1790.

Search this collection to locate additional printed ephemera related to the Constitution.

Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789

Presents an early printed version