The United States Constitution was written in 1787 and took effect in 1789. It was created by prominent Founding Fathers including John Dickinson, Gouverneur Morris, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Thomas Paine, Edmund Randolph, James Madison, Roger Sherman, James Wilson, and George Wythe. The Constitution aimed to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure liberties in response to weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. It solved issues like giving Congress the power to tax and regulate commerce between states.