mar 4, 1789 - U.S. Constitution in Effect

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After much debate in the Continental Congress meetings, the Constitution of the United States was drafted mainly by James Madison. The Constitution laid out a plan for a government that consisted of three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. Each branch had specific responsivities, and a system of checks and balances was put in place to ensure no branch was too powerful. It was official in 1789, after nine of the eleven states voted for ratification.

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