The U.S. Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787 at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The document stands as the highest law of our nation and lays out America’s basic government structure. Delegates came from all 13 colonies to discuss and debate the contents on the Constitution. The Founding Fathers realized that the previous ruling document, the Articles of Confederation, was too weak and that a new document needed to be drafted. The Constitution established a strong central government for the nation, but some feared this would not give enough freedom to individuals. As a result, ten amendments called the Bill of Rights that secured individual freedoms were added to the Constitution after it was signed.