What significant event occurred at the Constitutional Convention?

The significant event at the Constitutional Convention was that the Constitution was written. This gathering, which took place in Philadelphia in 1787, aimed to address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and resulted in the drafting of the United States Constitution. The delegates debated and negotiated various aspects of the new framework for government, which included the separation of powers, checks and balances, and the federal structure.

While the Bill of Rights and other amendments were crucial developments in American constitutional history, they were not established during the Convention itself; the Bill of Rights was added later as the first ten amendments to the Constitution. The Declaration of Independence, a foundational document declaring independence from British rule, was signed much earlier in 1776 and is not directly associated with the Constitutional Convention. Proposals for amendments did occur during the Convention but did not result in changes until after the Constitution was ratified. Thus, the primary achievement of the Constitutional Convention was indeed the creation and formal writing of the Constitution, which laid the groundwork for the governance of the United States.