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The United States Constitution is a four-page document that was signed on September 17, 1787, establishing the government of the United States. It is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world. The Constitution is composed of the Preamble, seven articles, and 27 amendments, with the first 10 amendments known as the Bill of Rights. The Constitution's main provisions include seven articles that define the basic framework of the federal government, with the first three articles embodying the doctrine of the separation of powers.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Date signed | September 17, 1787 |
| Date ratified | June 21, 1788 |
| Number of articles | 7 |
| Number of amendments | 27 |
| First 10 amendments | The Bill of Rights |
| First amendment | Limits on the power of the Judiciary |
| Second amendment | Describes the process for choosing the President and Vice-President |
| Third amendment | Abolished slavery in the United States |
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What You'll Learn
The US Constitution's seven articles
The US Constitution, written over 200 years ago, is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world. It consists of a preamble, seven articles, and a set of amendments. The seven articles outline the basic framework of the federal government, embodying the doctrine of the separation of powers. Here is an overview of the seven articles:
Article I: The Legislative Branch
This article establishes the form and function of the United States Congress, which consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives. It is the longest article of the Constitution and has been amended the most. The legislative branch is responsible for making laws and holds powers such as drafting and passing legislation, borrowing money for the nation, declaring war, and raising a military.
Article II: The Executive Branch
The Executive Branch is headed by the President of the United States. This article describes the duties of the president and vice president, with the former being the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The executive branch manages the day-to-day operations of the government through various federal departments and agencies, such as the Department of the Treasury. It also has powers such as making treaties, appointing federal judges, and determining how to run the country and military operations.
Article III: The Judicial Branch
Article III outlines the powers of the federal court system, with the US Supreme Court as the court of last resort. The US Congress has the power to determine the size and scope of the lower courts. All judges are appointed for life and are tried by a jury of their peers if charged with bad behavior.
Article IV: The States
This article defines the relationship between the states and the federal government. It also describes the rights and responsibilities of state governments.
Article V: Amendment
Article V establishes the process for amending the Constitution. Both the states and Congress have the power to initiate amendments, which must then be ratified by three-fourths of the states. Amendments can add to or change the Constitution, but they do not overwrite the original text. Instead, amendments that are no longer applicable are usually bracketed or italicized.
Article VI: Debts, Supremacy, Oaths
Article VI declares that the US Constitution and the laws made from it are the "supreme Law of the Land." It also requires all officials, including members of state legislatures, Congress, the judiciary, and the executive branch, to swear an oath to the Constitution.
Article VII: Ratification
This final article details the procedure used by the original 13 states to ratify the Constitution and includes a list of the signatories.
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The Bill of Rights
The US Constitution is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world. It originally included seven articles that define the basic framework of the federal government. The first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, dividing the federal government into three branches: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial.
The First Amendment prohibits Congress from making laws that establish a religion or abridge the freedom of speech. The Second Amendment grants the right to bear arms. The Third Amendment prevents the government from forcing homeowners to allow soldiers to use their homes. The Fourth Amendment bars the government from unreasonable search and seizure of an individual or their private property without a warrant. The Fifth Amendment provides several protections for people accused of crimes, including the right to a grand jury, protection against double jeopardy, and the right to just compensation for taken property. It also grants the right against self-incrimination and guarantees that people cannot be imprisoned without due process of law. The Sixth Amendment provides additional protections to people accused of crimes, such as the right to a speedy and public trial and trial by an impartial jury.
The Eleventh Amendment establishes limits on the power of the Judiciary, while the Twelfth describes the process for choosing the President and Vice-President.
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Amendments
The US Constitution has 27 amendments, the first 10 of which are collectively known as the Bill of Rights. The first 10 amendments were ratified on December 15, 1791. The process of amending the Constitution involves two steps. Firstly, the language of the proposed amendment must be adopted either by Congress, with a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, or by a national convention (which can be called by two-thirds of state legislatures). Secondly, the proposed amendment must be ratified, which requires the approval of three-fourths of the states (38 out of 50).
Other amendments establish limits on the powers of the judiciary (11th Amendment), describe the process for choosing the President and Vice-President (12th Amendment), and set up the presidential line of succession (25th Amendment).
Some amendments also grant Congress certain powers, such as the right to establish an income tax (16th Amendment) and the ability to delay the effect of changes to congressional pay (27th Amendment).
Finally, several amendments address voting rights and the election process. The 17th Amendment declares that senators shall be elected by popular vote, the 19th Amendment extends the right to vote to women, and the 26th Amendment sets the voting age at 18 years.
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The ratification process
The United States Constitution is a document that outlines the country's fundamental laws and governing principles. It is the world's oldest written constitution still in use, and it has served as a model for many other nations' constitutions. The process of ratifying the Constitution was a crucial step in its adoption and the formation of the United States of America.
The procedure for ratification was outlined in the Constitution itself, in Article VII. It stated that the new framework would become binding on the states once it was approved by nine of the thirteen states. This process was designed to ensure that a sufficient number of states agreed to the terms before it became the law of the land. Each state convened a ratification convention to debate and decide whether to ratify the document. These conventions were composed of delegates chosen by the people of each state, and they played a crucial role in scrutinizing and ultimately endorsing or rejecting the proposed Constitution.
The fight over ratification was intense, with Federalists and Anti-Federalists clashing in public debates and through written pamphlets. Federalists, who supported ratification, argued that the Constitution provided a much-needed strong central government and a framework to unite the states effectively. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay authored the Federalist Papers, a series of essays, to make their case for ratification and explain the reasoning behind the document's provisions. On the other hand, Anti-Federalists had concerns about the potential for a powerful central government to infringe on individual liberties and states' rights. They advocated for a Bill of Rights to be added to the Constitution to guarantee certain fundamental freedoms.
The first state to ratify was Delaware, on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. These states were generally supportive of a stronger central government. However, the process was more contentious in other states, such as Massachusetts, which ratified in February 1788 after a close vote. By the end of June 1788, nine states had ratified, ensuring that the new framework would go into effect. The final state to ratify was Rhode Island, in May 1790, bringing the total number of ratifying states to thirteen.
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The Constitution's history
The US Constitution is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in the world. It was signed on September 17, 1787, by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.
The Constitution of the United States established America's national government and fundamental laws and guaranteed its citizens certain basic rights. The document's opening words, "We the People", represented a new thought: the idea that the people, and not the states, were the source of the government's legitimacy. The phrase is attributed to Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania, who chaired the convention's Committee of Style.
The Constitution's first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, dividing the federal government into three branches: the legislative, consisting of the bicameral Congress (Article I); the executive, consisting of the President and subordinate officers (Article II); and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts (Article III).
The Constitution has been amended twenty-seven times. The first ten amendments, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, guarantee basic individual protections such as freedom of speech and religion. Other amendments include the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States, the 19th Amendment, which extended the right to vote to women, and the 26th Amendment, which set the voting age to 18 years.
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Frequently asked questions
The US Constitution is a four-page document.
The US Constitution includes a preamble, seven articles, and 27 amendments.
The first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, dividing the federal government into the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The remaining articles describe the rights and responsibilities of state governments, the states' relationship to the federal government, and the shared process of constitutional amendment.
The first 10 amendments are known as the Bill of Rights. The remaining amendments include the 11th Amendment, which establishes limits on the power of the judiciary, and the 12th Amendment, which describes the process for choosing the President and Vice-President.
