Which document begins with “We the People” and established the U.S. federal government, a founding text honored by America250?

The United States Constitution begins with “We the People” and established the U.S. federal government, a founding text honored by America250.

Delegates to the Constitutional Convention drafted the Constitution in Philadelphia in 1787. Its opening words identify the people as the source of governmental authority and introduce a framework designed to create a stronger union than the Articles of Confederation had provided.

The document established three branches of the federal government: Congress, the presidency, and the federal judiciary. It also distributed powers between the national government and the states, created checks and balances, and included a process for amendments. The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, and took effect after ratification by the required states in 1788.

The Articles of Confederation had been the first national governing framework, but it created a weak central government with no independent power to tax or regulate interstate commerce. The Constitution replaced that system in 1789. The Bill of Rights, consisting of the first ten amendments, was added in 1791.