On September 17, 1787, thirty-nine delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution. The signing was the culmination of months of effort to unify the states and come up with a document that would serve as the supreme law of the land.

The Constitution was preceded by the Articles of Confederation. While the Articles of Confederation established a "league of friendship" between the states and allowed for a central Congress which could declare war and settle disputes between the states, the Congress had no ability to raise money. It also required that any decision made receive a unanimous vote from the states, which made it difficult to get anything done.

The Continental Congress decided to hold a Constitutional Convention to make revisions to the Articles of Confederation. What came out of that was the Constitution of the United States.

Watch the video below to learn more about how the Constitution was formed and the laws it contains.