The U.S. Constitution established America’s national government and fundamental laws, and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens. It was not the first enumerated document that sought to define the role of government in society, but it was one of the strongest. The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The document was created as a response to the dismal state of America’s first government under the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation created a weak national government and states that operated like independent countries. At the 1787 convention, delegates devised a plan for a stronger federal government with three branches–executive, legislative and judicial–along with a system of checks and balances to ensure no single branch would have too much power. The Bill of Rights–10 amendments guaranteeing basic individual protections such as freedom of speech and religion–became part of the Constitution in 1791. The U.S. Constitution remains the longest standing enumerated Constitution in the world.