Thirty-nine delegates signed the U.S. Constitution in 1787, a later founding milestone remembered during America250.
The signing took place on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The Constitutional Convention had selected 74 delegates, but 55 attended at some point and only 39 signed the final document. Three delegates who remained at the convention declined to sign.
The convention represented twelve states; Rhode Island did not send delegates. The 39 signers therefore did not represent every state in the new union at the convention itself. George Washington, who presided over the convention, signed first.
The number 39 is often confused with the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. The two documents were created eleven years apart and had different assemblies, purposes, and signing groups. The Constitution established the framework of the federal government, while the Declaration announced separation from Britain.