UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION
Our Constitution:
The Constitution is the supreme law of the land. It is a set of basic laws organizing, granting and limiting the powers of our government. It is something that we all share.
Basic facts:
&Mac183; It was created in Philadelphia
&Mac183; During the summer of 1787
&Mac183; In secret
&Mac183; In 87 days
&Mac183; It has 39 signers
&Mac183; And is made up of a preamble, seven articles, and 27 amendments added later.
The Constitution is handwritten on four parchment pages. Each page is about 29 inches high and 24 inches wide.
The Constitution is on display at the National Archives building in Washington, D.C. An archive is a place where important documents are preserved.
The Constitution has:
&Mac183; A preamble (an introduction)
&Mac183; Seven articles (sections) covering
- Article I: The Congress (legislative branch)
- Article II: The president (executive branch)
- Article III: The judges and national courts (judicial branch)
- Article IV: How states relate to each other and the national government
- Article V: How the Constitution can be amended or changed.
- Article VI: The Constitution is the supreme law of the land.
- Article VII: Ratification or approval.
&Mac183; The signatures of 39 delegates
Big Ideas:
&Mac183; Separation of powers: The delegates feared that giving too much power to any person or group could be dangerous. So they created three branches, or parts, of government: executive, legislative and judicial.
&Mac183; Checks and balances: This limits the power of each government branch. No single branch can overpower the others. Often, each branch needs the help of the others to do its job.
&Mac183; Enumerated powers: the listed power of the government
&Mac183; Implied powers: the powers that are not listed but suggested.
&Mac183; Federalism: the idea that our government divided powers between the national government and the state governments.
Amendments to the Constitution:
Our Constitution is not perfect. It has been amended, or changed. Twenty-seven amendments have been added. The first 10 are called the Bill of Rights (1791).
1st: freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and petition.
2nd: right to bear arms.
3rd: quartering of soldiers limited.
4th: searches and seizures regulated.
5th: rights to due process of law, including protection against self-incrimination.
6th: rights of a person accused of a crime, including the right to be represented by a lawyer.
7th: right to a trial by jury.
8th: unfair bail, fines and punishment forbidden.
9th: citizens entitled to rights not listed in the Constitution.
10th: powers not listed reserved to the states or the people.
11th: rules for lawsuits against states (1795).
12th: new way of selecting the president and vice president (1804).
13th: slavery abolished (1865).
14th: rights of citizenship, due process and equal protection under the law (1868).
15th: voting rights for former slaves (1870).
16th: federal income taxes authorized (1913).
17th: U.S. senators to be elected by the people (1913).
18th: sale of alcohol banned (1919).
19th: women gained right to vote (1920).
20th: dates of the presidential and congressional terms set (1933).
21st: 18th Amendment repealed (1933).
22nd: president limited to two terms (1951).
23rd: people in District of Columbia given right to vote for president (1961).
24th: no poll taxes in federal elections (1964).
25th: presidential succession and disability (1967).
26th: voting age lowered to 18 (1971).
27th: congressional salaries regulated (1992).