Which document begins with the words “We the People” and created the U.S. federal framework?

The United States Constitution begins with “We the People” and created the framework of the federal government.

Delegates at the Constitutional Convention drafted the Constitution in Philadelphia during 1787. Its Preamble announces the document’s purposes, while seven articles establish the legislative, executive, and judicial branches and define relationships between the federal government and the states.

The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, and sent to the states for ratification. New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it on June 21, 1788, satisfying the document’s requirement for adoption. The new government began operating in 1789.

The Constitution is distinct from the Declaration of Independence, which announced separation from Britain, and the Articles of Confederation, which had provided the earlier national framework. The first ten amendments, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, were proposed in 1789 and ratified in 1791.