1. Our Constitution

2. In 1787 our country consisted of 13 states.

3. At that time, a group of men from 12 of the 13 states went to a special meeting called a Constitutional Convention.

4. They met in a building called Independence Hall, which is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvani a.

5. In this room, they wrote a constitution for our new government.

6. A constitution is a list of rules and laws that explain what our government can and cannot do.

7. George Washington was chosen as the leader of the Constitutional Convention.

8. James Madison paid close attention to everything that was said and took careful notes.

9. The oldest man to attend the Constitutional Convention was Benjamin Franklin. He was 81-years-old.

10. The meetings were held in secret, so all 55 men could talk freely about their ideas.

11. The men didn’t always agree, but they worked together to make many important decisions.

12. After 4 months, the Constitution was finally completed.

13. Thirty-nine men signed the Constitution on September 17, 1787. John Langdon Nicholas Gilman Nathaniel Gorham Rufus King William Samuel Johnson Roger Sherman Alexander Hamilton William Livingston David Brearly William Paterson Jonathan Dayton Benjamin Franklin Thomas Mifflin Robert Morris George Clymer Thomas Fitzsimons Jared Ingersoll James Wilson Gouverneur Morris George Read Gunning Bedford, Jr. John Dickinson Richard Bassett Jacob Broom James McHenry Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Daniel Carroll John Blair James Madison, Jr. William Blount Richard Dobbs Spaight Hugh Williamson John Rutledge Charles Cotesworth Pinckney Charles Pinckney Pierce Butler William Few Abraham Baldwin George Washington

14. The states were then asked toThe states were then asked to vote for or against the Constitution. Several states would not vote for the Constitution unless a bill of rights was added.Several states would not vote for the Constitution unless a bill of rights was added.

15. A bill of rights lists the rights or freedoms people have such as: the freedom to say what they want to say the freedom to worship as they please the right to a fair trial

16. Those who were in favor of the Constitution promised that the Bill of Rights would be added after the Constitution was accepted. The Bill of Rights was added, as promised, in 1791.

17. Our Constitution is now over 200 years old. You can see the Constitution of the United States in the National Archives in Washington, D.C.