Omar Bennett
The US Constitution is composed of several parts, including a preamble, seven articles, and 27 amendments. The first 10 amendments are known as the Bill of Rights. The Constitution delineates the framework of the federal government, with the first three articles embodying the doctrine of the separation of powers. This separation divides the federal government into three branches: the legislative, consisting of the bicameral Congress; the executive, consisting of the President and subordinate officers; and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts. The Constitution also addresses the rights and responsibilities of state governments and their relationship to the federal government. It includes specific limits on congressional power, such as the right to free speech and the right to bear arms.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Articles | 7 |
| Date signed | September 17, 1787 |
| Date ratified | June 21, 1788 |
| Number of Amendments | 27 |
| First 10 Amendments known as | Bill of Rights |
| First 3 Articles embody | Separation of Powers |
| Legislative branch | Bicameral Congress (Article I) |
| Executive branch | President and subordinate officers (Article II) |
| Judicial branch | Supreme Court and other federal courts (Article III) |
| Remaining Articles embody | Concepts of Federalism |
| Influenced by | Montesquieu, Locke, Edward Coke, William Blackstone, Hume, Blackstone, Schneider, Greene, Magna Carta |
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What You'll Learn
The US Constitution is the supreme law
The seven articles make up the structural constitution. The 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).
Article IV, Article V, and Article VI embody concepts of federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments, the states in relation to the federal government, and the shared process for admitting new states into the Union. Article V outlines the process for proposing and ratifying amendments to the Constitution, requiring a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress or a national convention requested by two-thirds of state legislatures.
The US Constitution has been interpreted and applied to various cases over the years, with Court decisions changing how certain clauses are interpreted without amending the text. The Supreme Court has played a significant role in interpreting the Constitution, sometimes broadly interpreting clauses to allow Congress to enact legislation not expressly allowed or denied in the enumerated powers.
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It superseded the Articles of Confederation
The US Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the first US constitution, on March 4, 1789.
The Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, and served as the United States' first constitution. It was in force from March 1, 1781, until 1789 when the present-day US Constitution went into effect. The Articles of Confederation established a "league of friendship" for the 13 sovereign and independent states. Each state retained "every Power... which is not by this confederation expressly delegated to the United States". The Articles of Confederation also outlined a Congress with representation not based on population – each state held one vote.
The Articles of Confederation gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it had no enforcement powers, couldn't regulate commerce, or print money. The states retained considerable power, and the central government had insufficient power to regulate commerce. It could not tax and was generally impotent in setting commercial policy. Nor could it effectively support a war effort. Congress was attempting to function with a depleted treasury, and paper money was flooding the country, creating extraordinary inflation. The states were on the brink of economic disaster, and the central government had little power to settle quarrels between states. Disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the country apart.
In May 1787, the Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. The delegates quickly agreed that the defects of the frame of the government could not be remedied by altering the Articles, and so they went beyond their mandate by authoring a new constitution. The new form of government gave much more power to the central government. The US Constitution's first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, in which the federal government is divided 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).
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It consists of seven articles
The Constitution of the United States is made up of seven articles, a preamble, and 27 amendments. The first 10 amendments are known as the Bill of Rights. The seven articles make up the structural constitution, which was signed on September 17, 1787, and ratified on June 21, 1788. The final draft, presented to the convention on September 12, was the work of primary author Morris. The document was engrossed by Jacob Shallus.
The first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, dividing the federal government into three branches. The legislative branch (Article I) consists of a bicameral Congress. The executive branch (Article II) is made up of the president and subordinate officers. The judicial branch (Article III) is comprised of the Supreme Court and other federal courts.
Article IV, Article V, and Article VI embody the principles of federalism, outlining the rights and responsibilities of state governments, their relationship to the federal government, and the shared processes between them. These articles played a crucial role in holding the Union together during the ratification process.
The Necessary and Proper Clause, also known as the Elastic Clause, is part of Article I. It grants Congress incidental powers without requiring express delegation for each power. This clause has been broadly interpreted by the Supreme Court, allowing Congress to enact legislation beyond the enumerated powers and not expressly denied in the limitations set on Congress.
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There have been 27 amendments
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. The Constitution has been amended 27 times since it came into operation.
The process of amending the Constitution involves proposing and ratifying changes to its existing provisions. Amendments can be proposed by Congress or by a national convention called by Congress upon the request of two-thirds of the state legislatures. To become part of the Constitution, an amendment must be ratified by three-fourths of the states, either through their legislatures or state ratifying conventions.
The first ten amendments to the Constitution, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified simultaneously on December 15, 1791. These amendments protect various individual liberties, such as freedom of speech, religion, and the right to bear arms. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, known as the Reconstruction Amendments, were adopted following the Civil War to abolish slavery, grant citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and prevent states from denying male citizens the right to vote based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude."
Other notable amendments include the 18th Amendment, which established the prohibition of alcohol, and the 21st Amendment, which repealed it. The 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote, and the 26th Amendment lowered the voting age to 18 years old. The most recent amendment, the 27th Amendment, was ratified in 1992 and pertains to congressional compensation laws.
Since 1789, approximately 11,848 proposals to amend the Constitution have been introduced in Congress. While many of these proposals have not become part of the Constitution, the amendment process provides a mechanism for changing and adapting the nation's laws to meet the evolving needs and values of the American people.
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The first 10 amendments are the Bill of Rights
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. The Constitution originally included seven articles, a preamble, and a closing endorsement. 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 ten amendments to the Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. James Madison wrote the amendments to limit government power and protect individual liberties. The first amendment protects freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and the right to petition the government. The second amendment concerns the right to bear arms, and the third amendment states that no soldier shall be quartered in a house in a time of peace without the owner's consent. The fourth amendment safeguards citizens' right to be free from unreasonable government intrusion in their homes. The fifth amendment provides several protections for people accused of crimes, including the right to a trial by a grand jury, protection against double jeopardy, and the right to just compensation for taken property. The sixth amendment provides additional protections for people accused of crimes, such as the right to a speedy and public trial and the right to an impartial jury. The seventh amendment extends the right to a jury trial in federal civil cases, while the eighth amendment bars excessive bail and fines and cruel and unusual punishment. The ninth amendment states that the listing of specific rights in the Constitution does not mean that people do not have other rights that are not explicitly mentioned. Finally, the tenth amendment states that the Federal Government only has the powers delegated to it in the Constitution.
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Frequently asked questions
The US Constitution is made up of a preamble, seven articles, and 27 amendments.
The seven articles of the US Constitution outline the frame of the federal government, which is divided 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). Article IV, Article V, and Article VI outline concepts of federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments, the states in relation to the federal government, and the shared process.
The first 10 amendments to the US Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights. There have been 17 additional amendments since.
