Which document, signed in Philadelphia in 1787, created the federal framework that America250 commemorates alongside independence?

The United States Constitution was signed in Philadelphia in 1787 and created the federal framework associated with the nation commemorated by America250.

Delegates signed the Constitution on September 17, 1787, at the Pennsylvania State House, later called Independence Hall. The document replaced the Articles of Confederation with a stronger federal structure containing separate legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

The Constitution did not declare independence. That earlier task belonged to the Declaration of Independence, adopted in 1776. Instead, the Constitution established how the new republic would operate after independence had been won.

Article VII required ratification by nine states for the new system to take effect. New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify on June 21, 1788. The federal government began operating under the Constitution in 1789, linking the revolutionary era to the early national period celebrated in America’s 250-year story.