''For the full text of the U.S. Constitution, see [[Full Text of the United States Constitution]].''
''For the full text of the U.S. Constitution, see [[Full Text of the United States Constitution]].''
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The United States Constitution is the supreme legal text that formed the framework of the current [[United States]] government. It superseded the [[Articles of Confederation]]. The Constitution was developed at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787 and proposed to the states on September 17, 1787.<ref>http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/constpap.htm</ref> It became law when nine out of thirteen states ratified it. It took effect on March 4, 1789. It is the oldest constitution of its type still in effect.
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The United States Constitution is the supreme legal text that formed the framework of the current [[United States]] government. It superseded the [[Articles of Confederation]]. The Constitution was developed at the [[Constitutional Convention]] in [[Philadelphia]] during the summer of 1787 and proposed to the states on September 17, 1787.<ref>http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/constpap.htm</ref> It became law when nine out of thirteen states ratified it. It took effect on March 4, 1789. It is the oldest constitution of its type still in effect.
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==Constitutional Principles==
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The Constitution established several principles for the American government, among these are limited government with a separation of powers, a system of checks and balances, and a list of powers denied to the government. It also established a republican form of government, with the consent of the governed.