Articles of Confederation Perpetual Union nationalists Philadelphia Convention United States Constitution ratified federation three branches checks and balances Continental Army President Bill of Rights personal freedoms state decentralized legislative Philadelphia George Washington judicial established Revolutionary War Union executive
In 1781, the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union established a decentralized government that operated until 1789. As it became increasingly apparent that the Confederation was insufficient to govern the new country, nationalists advocated for and led the Philadelphia Convention of 1787, where the United States Constitution was authored and ratified in state conventions in 1788. The U.S. Constitution is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force today. Going into force in 1789, it reorganized the government into a federation administered by three branches (executive, judicial, and legislative), on the principle of creating salutary checks and balances. George Washington, who led the Continental Army to victory in the Revolutionary War and then willingly relinquished power, was elected the new nation's first President under the new constitution. The Bill of Rights, forbidding federal restriction of personal freedoms and guaranteeing a range of legal protections, was adopted in 1791.
