Video: The Framers' Coup: The Making of the United States Constitution
A look at the story behind the Constitution and the framers who wrote it.
When representatives from thirteen British colonies in North America came together to plan a revolution, they faced several major challenges. First, they would need to defeat the immensely powerful British Empire. But beyond that, a bigger question. How could thirteen separate colonies, essentially small countries, remain together? The future of the USA was far from guaranteed, and indeed, the nation faced a Civil War less than a century later. What system could unite Georgia and Rhode Island, and keep both populations happy?
The framers of the Constitution needed to answer these questions, and they had few historical examples to turn to. The USA’s first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, served between 1781 and 1789. But this initial agreement soon proved too limiting to the federal government. And so, in 1787, representatives began negotiating a new document, the present Constitution of the United States. After ratification in 1789, the Constitution was followed two years later by its first 10 amendments, the Bill of Rights.
This lecture from the Library of Congress features historian Michael J. Klarman as he explores the human stories behind the framing of the Constitution. You may understand how the Constitution works and the rights it protects, but where did lawmakers agree, and where did they compromise? And how do their decisions affect us today? Watch to find out more.
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