Continuity in State and Federal Constitution-Making, 1775-1787

With independence in 1776, the American states began to draft their first constitutions. In 1787, the federal constitution was written in Philadelphia. One thing that almost all the first state constitutions had in common was that they attempted to preserve the colonial governments as much as possible, and the drafters were greatly influenced by the colonial charters and the British constitution. The framers of the federal constitution in 1787 were influenced by them and also by the state constitutions. The framing of the state and the federal constitutions was characterized by continuity as well as change.