March 4, 1789
The U.S. Constitution took effect and the first session of the U.S. Congress was held in New York City. In September 1787, at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, the new Constitution was signed by 38 of 41 delegates but would not become binding until it was ratified by nine of the 13 states. Five states—Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia and Connecticut—ratified it quickly. Others opposed the document for its lack of constitutional protection for such basic political rights as freedom of speech, religion, and the press, and the right to bear arms. In February 1788, a compromise was reached in which the other states agreed to ratify the document with the assurance that amendments would immediately be adopted. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the document, making it binding. On September 25, 1789 the first Congress of the United States adopted 12 amendments to the U.S. Constitution—the Bill of Rights—and sent them to the states for ratification.
Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City, site of the first two sessions of Congress. The building was demolished in 1812.
