Thirty-nine delegates signed the U.S. Constitution in 1787, a landmark in America250’s broader history.
The signing took place on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where the Constitutional Convention had met. The delegates endorsed the document after a four-month convention that created a new federal framework to replace the Articles of Confederation.
The 39 signers represented twelve states at the convention. Rhode Island declined to send delegates, and several convention participants did not sign the final document. The signing group therefore was smaller than the full number of delegates who attended portions of the convention.
This event occurred eleven years after the Declaration of Independence and is part of the constitutional history surrounding the nation’s 250th anniversary. The number 39 should not be confused with the 56 delegates who eventually signed the Declaration or the nine states initially required to ratify the Constitution.