On what date did delegates sign the U.S. Constitution, a document central to America250 history?

Delegates signed the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787, a document central to America250 history.

The signing took place in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania State House, now called Independence Hall. The Constitutional Convention had met there since May to replace the Articles of Confederation with a stronger federal framework.

Thirty-nine delegates signed the completed document. Benjamin Franklin, the convention’s oldest delegate, famously supported the result despite acknowledging that it contained compromises.

The Constitution did not take effect immediately. It required ratification by nine states, which occurred in June 1788. The new federal government began operating in 1789, with George Washington as its first president.