Isabella Carter
The Constitution of the United States is a four-page document on permanent display at the National Archives Museum. It is also available online as a transcription, where the spelling and punctuation reflect the original. The Constitution is a crucial document that acts as a merger, uniting a group of states with different interests, laws, and cultures under one government. It vests the power of the union in the people and outlines the legislative powers of Congress, the roles of the Senate and House of Representatives, and the process of electing the President and Vice President. To learn more about this important document, you can register for a webinar presentation or visit the National Archives website.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Constitution of the United States |
| Format | Available in pocket-size booklet, print copy, and online |
| Contents | Complete text of the Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence |
| Amendments | Around 150 amendments proposed during each two-year term of Congress, with a specific procedure for amending outlined in Article V |
| Ratification | Amendments must be ratified by state legislatures or state ratifying conventions; the convention method of ratification has only been used once, for the Twenty-first Amendment |
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What You'll Learn
- View the US Constitution in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum
- Register for a webinar presentation of The Constitution and Our Community
- Read a transcription of the Constitution online
- View the four pages of the US Constitution document online
- Learn about the history of the Constitution and the ratification process
View the US Constitution in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum
If you want to view the US Constitution in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum, you can do so for free every day of the year except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and is located on Constitution Avenue NW, between 7th and 9th Streets, just north of the National Mall in Washington, DC. The closest Metro stop is Archives – Navy Memorial – Penn Quarter on the Green and Yellow lines.
The Rotunda, designed by architect John Russell Pope, houses the Founding Documents, also known as the Charters of Freedom, which include the US Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights. These documents are considered the three most important in American history, establishing the principles of the United States and inspiring the American people to pursue a more perfect union for almost 250 years.
The US Constitution, along with the Declaration of Independence, was transferred to the National Archives by Congress in 1952. The Rotunda was specifically designed to hold these founding documents, with protective cases and watching eagles, to convey their importance and to provide a place for visitors to contemplate the meaning of being American.
The room is characterized by its purposeful design and symbolism, with a towering domed ceiling and four empty niches in the walls. The murals in the Rotunda also depict the presentation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The Constitution mural shows James Madison presenting the Constitution to George Washington, with a clear sky and the flags of the original 13 states, representing the establishment of the new government in a time of peace and national unity.
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Register for a webinar presentation of The Constitution and Our Community
The National Archives is offering an interactive distance learning program for elementary students to explore the idea of community and connect the US Constitution to their own lives. The 30-minute program is part of Civics for All of US, a national civic education initiative. It will be led by one of the National Archives' educators and will draw upon the vast holdings of the Archives to promote the knowledge, skills, and dispositions students need for civic engagement in the 21st century.
During the webinar, students will have the opportunity to examine government records, honing their primary source analysis skills. They will also discuss the impact of the Constitution on their community and the role of citizens in a democratic society. By understanding the historical context and the importance of civic participation, students will be able to make connections between the past and the present and recognize the relevance of the Constitution in their daily lives.
The Constitution of the United States, on permanent display at the National Archives, is a document that unites citizens as members of a whole. It establishes a more perfect union, vesting the power of the union in the people and ensuring justice, domestic tranquility, common defence, and the promotion of general welfare. By understanding the principles outlined in the Constitution, students can grasp how their community is shaped by these fundamental ideals.
To register your elementary students for this informative and engaging webinar, please visit the National Archives website. For more information, including how to request a program for groups of 10 or more students, check civics.archives.gov.
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Read a transcription of the Constitution online
The National Archives provide a transcription of the Constitution of the United States online. The text is an exact copy of the Constitution as it was inscribed by Jacob Shallus on parchment. The spelling and punctuation of the transcribed version reflect the original document. The document on parchment is on display in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum.
The transcription begins with the famous words: "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
The transcription continues by outlining the legislative powers granted to Congress and the composition of the House of Representatives. It also mentions the roles and responsibilities of each house, including the power to judge the elections, returns, and qualifications of its members, as well as the ability to expel a member with a two-thirds concurrence.
Furthermore, the transcribed Constitution covers various topics, such as the promotion of science and the arts, the establishment of tribunals, the definition and punishment of piracies and felonies, the power to declare war, and the raising of armies. It also includes provisions regarding the migration or importation of persons, the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, and the prohibition of certain types of taxation.
By reading this transcription, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of the foundations of the United States government and the principles upon which the nation was built.
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View the four pages of the US Constitution document online
The US Constitution is a publicly available document. All four pages of the original US Constitution document are on permanent display at the National Archives. The seven articles that make up the structural constitution were signed on September 17, 1787, and ratified on June 21, 1788. There have been 27 amendments to the Constitution since then, beginning with the Bill of Rights, which consists of the first 10 amendments, ratified on December 15, 1791.
The US Constitution can also be viewed online on the National Archives website. The website includes a full transcription of the Constitution, along with details on the ratification process and the biographies of the non-signing delegates to the Constitutional Convention. The website also provides educational resources for students, including webinars on topics such as Voting Rights, the Constitution, and Representative Government.
Additionally, the US Constitution is available in various digital formats for viewing on different devices. For example, it can be viewed on a Palm device or Kindle using the standard Mobile Document (PRC) format. This flexibility ensures that individuals can access and read the Constitution conveniently on their preferred devices.
By making the US Constitution accessible both physically at the National Archives and digitally through online platforms and device-specific formats, it ensures that the foundational document of the United States is readily available for all citizens to read, reference, and learn from.
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Learn about the history of the Constitution and the ratification process
The history of the U.S. Constitution is a fascinating one. It was born out of the fear that the young country was on the brink of collapse just a few years after the Revolutionary War. America's first constitution, 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' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the country apart.
Alexander Hamilton helped convince Congress to organize a Grand Convention of state delegates to work on revising the Articles of Confederation. The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787. The initial purpose of the Convention was for the delegates to amend the Articles of Confederation, but the ultimate outcome was the proposal and creation of a completely new form of government.
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 were familiar with the decade-long constitutional heritage and the challenges of the previous government. They knew that the unanimity requirement of the Articles would doom any hopes of ratification, so they felt it necessary to obtain majorities of both states and people. On August 31, the delegates decided that nine states would be appropriate to implement the Constitution among the ratifying states. This was a two-thirds majority and a more feasible goal than unanimous approval.
The final draft of the Constitution was signed by 38 out of 41 delegates present on September 17, 1787, and within three days, it was submitted to the Congress of the Confederation. Congress then voted unanimously to forward the proposal to the thirteen states for their ratification. The state legislatures were tasked with organizing "Federal Conventions" to ratify the document.
The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify it, making the Constitution the official framework of the government of the United States of America. All 13 states eventually ratified the U.S. Constitution by May 29, 1790.
The ratification of the Constitution was a contentious process, with the Federalists and Anti-Federalists on opposite sides. The Federalists believed that a strong central government was necessary to face the nation's challenges, while the Anti-Federalists fought against the Constitution because it created a powerful central government that reminded them of the one they had just overthrown, and it lacked a bill of rights. The tide turned in Massachusetts, where the “vote now, amend later” compromise helped secure victory, and eventually, the Constitution was ratified.
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Frequently asked questions
The full text of the US Constitution can be found on the website of the National Archives. All four pages of the document are also on permanent display at the National Archives Museum.
The US Constitution is a document that unites citizens of the United States as members of a whole, vesting the power of the union in the people. It acted as a merger, uniting a group of states with different interests, laws, and cultures.
Some key excerpts from the US Constitution include:
- "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
- "The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof."
- "No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years."
