Understanding the Why of the US Constitution Some people might have taken the US Constitution lightly or perhaps didn't mind to dig up more information about it. Sometimes we just get too busy with our lives and our own personal cares that we no longer pay that much attention to historically significant documents. If you're not a lawyer or a statesman then you might not want to dabble extensively in that subject even if it was about the constitution of your country. Constitution Tidbits Here are a few tidbits of information about the highest law on US soil without really going into much of the details. One of the first questions that usually come up in a class is when was the constitution written. Before answering that question, it should be pointed out that formulating this very important law required quite a process. You can't really point to a single date or time when the constitution was actually committed to paper since each injunction had to be thought about and formulated carefully. Unless you're some sort of super genius, you just can't write it all down in one day. So, to be safe, we can say that the constitution was written in 1787. Now that was just the writing process. Getting it signed into a law that would be binding on an entire nation will take a longer process than actually having to write the whole document. To cut to the chase, the records show that it took a couple more years after the constitution was written before the document was adopted as a binding law for the people of the United States of America. Another important question that pops up every so often is the question of why was the constitution created. Some people can come up with the most obvious reason right off the top of their heads – to create a new nation. Of course, that is one of the major reasons for formulating the highest law in the land. There were other reasons of course. One of the reasons that may not be as obvious as the first one is to have a balance of power within government. The previous law that governed the various states was known as the Articles of Confederation. This set of laws gave too much power to each state and left the US Congress almost powerless. The constitution was written in order to empower congress and institute a balance within government. Another reason why the US Constitution was written is to guarantee the freedom of all citizens. Of course, it took a costly Civil War before people began to realize just how important are the rights of each individual. When the US Constitution was written, it was big news for people of their day. It was a document that changed their lives then and it ensures the freedom that we as a people enjoy today. References: http://www.whenguide.com/when-was-the-constitution-written.html http://www.whyguides.com/why-was-the-constitution-created.html