PHILADELPHIA - The United States Constitution was ratified on December 7, 1787, by five states: Pennsylvania, Georgia, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.Other states opposed the document because it did not safeguard their basic political rights.All fifty states eventually ratified the Constitution,except for the District of Columbia.It was drafted by James Madison,who subsequently served as President of the United States from 1789 to 1794.


PHILADELPHIA - In 1776, 56 delegates from 12 colonies met in Philadelphia to address the Coercive or Intolerable Acts. These acts were designed to punish the colonies for the Boston Tea Party.John Adams and Samuel Adams were delegated to the meeting.Peyton Randolph,a prominent Virginia leader and George Washington's close friend was elected as the first president of the Continental Congress. The group agreed to meet again on May 10, 1776, to discuss the Coercive Acts.