Timeline of drafting and ratification of the United States Constitution Timeline of drafting and ratification of the United States Constitution The drafting of the Constitution of the United States began on May 25, 1787, when the Constitutional Convention met for the first time with a quorum at the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to revise the Articles of Confederation, and ended on September 17, 1787, the day the Constitution drafted by the convention's delegates to replace the Articles was adopted and signed. The ratification process for the Constitution began that day, and ended when the final state, Rhode Island, ratified it on May 29, 1790. In
Constitution of the Republic of Texas republic, rather than a federal one as defined in the U.S. Constitution. Presidential terms were established at three years and they could not succeed themselves, modeling after provisions in the Mexican Constitution. The constitution also protected the right to own slaves and prohibited "Indians" and "Africans" from living freely in the country and from becoming Texan citizens. A constitutional convention began following the declaration of independence and an interim government was put into place. The convention adopted a document on March 16, 1836 and adjourned on March 17, 1836. Following the defeat of Santa Anna at San Jacinto on April