The United States Constitution was signed in 1787, after the 1776 independence declaration.
Delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the document on September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia. The Constitution established the framework of the federal government, including its legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution serve different purposes. The Declaration announced separation from Great Britain and explained the colonies’ justification for independence. The Constitution created a governing system for the new nation. America250 centers on the 1776 independence milestone, but the Constitution is a nearby foundational event.
A common error is assigning the Constitution to 1776 because both documents are associated with the founding era. The Articles of Confederation preceded the Constitution as the first national framework, and the Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791.