Thirty-nine delegates signed the United States Constitution in 1787, a founding document associated with America250.
The signing took place on September 17, 1787, at the Pennsylvania State House, now called Independence Hall, in Philadelphia. The Constitutional Convention had begun in May with delegates from the states meeting to address problems in the Articles of Confederation.
Fifty-five delegates attended the convention at some point, but not all remained until the final signing. Three delegates present on September 17—George Mason, Edmund Randolph, and Elbridge Gerry—refused to sign. The final document therefore carried 39 delegate signatures.
George Washington, who presided over the convention, signed along with Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and other delegates. The Constitution then went to the states for ratification. It became operative in 1789 after the required number of states approved it. The signing date is distinct from the date the Constitution was ratified or the date the new federal government began operating.