The Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia in 1787.
Delegates gathered at the Pennsylvania State House, now called Independence Hall, from May 25 to September 17, 1787. The meeting was initially intended to revise the Articles of Confederation, but the delegates instead produced an entirely new governing document: the United States Constitution.
George Washington presided over the convention. James Madison played a major role in preparing the Virginia Plan and recording the proceedings, while delegates debated representation, executive power, taxation, and the relationship between the states and the federal government. The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787.
The convention did not itself put the Constitution into effect. Ratification by conventions in at least nine states was required, and the Constitution became operative in 1789. The 1787 meeting is therefore distinct from the later ratification process and from the First Congress, which met after the new government began.