September 1788, in which the delegates picked George Washington as their president, the convention drew up the Constitution of the United States of America (Encarta: Washington, George, 1999). Much conflict took place during the convention and immediately afterward, thus important compromises had to be worked out among the parties in attendance before the Constitution was finally adopted by the convention. In general, the Constitution laid the foundations for an efficient national union by making the people, not the states, the parties to the agreement (American History [Vol. 1] pg. 195-197). Largely the work of Madison, James Wilson, Roger Sherman, and many other nationalist delegates, the Constitution substituted a fully articulated government of three branches, which were the executive, legislative, and judicial branches (Grolier: Constitution, 1993). The Constitution became the law of the land in 1788, after the required nine states had ratified it. Shortly thereafter twelve states had ratified the document by the end of 1788. On March 4, 1789, the first Congress of the United States of America elected under the Constitution assembled in New York City, then the national capital (American History [Vol. 1] pg.201-203). On April 13, 1789, George Washington, who had been unanimously elected the first president of the United States, was inaugurated in New York City (Grolier: Constitution, 1993)....
