(Note: The next paragraph was copied from Wikipedia, with small changes) The Constitution of the United States of America was the supreme law of the United States. It was the foundation and source of the legal authority underlying the existence of the United States of America and the Federal Government of the United States. The United States Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787, by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and later ratified by conventions in each U.S. state in the name of "The People"; it was amended several times, the first ten amendments being known as the Bill of Rights. The Constitution had a central place in United States law and political culture.