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The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the United States. It was drafted in secret by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and ratified in 1788. The Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. It is composed of the Preamble, seven articles, and 27 amendments. The first 10 amendments are known as the Bill of Rights. The Constitution defines the framework of the federal government of the United States and the rights of its citizens.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Constitution of the United States |
| Date Established | March 4, 1789 |
| Number of Articles | Seven |
| Number of Amendments | 27 |
| First 10 Amendments | Bill of Rights |
| Amendment Process | Two-step process involving proposal and ratification |
| Proposal Methods | Two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress or national convention requested by two-thirds of state legislatures |
| Ratification Methods | Three-fourths of states' approval (38 of 50) via state legislatures or state ratifying conventions |
| Number of Words in Preamble | 52 |
| Superseded | Articles of Confederation |
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What You'll Learn
The US Constitution is the supreme law of the United States
The Constitution of the United States is the country's supreme law. It was signed on September 17, 1787, and ratified on June 21, 1788. The Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789.
The Constitution is a four-page document that establishes the government of the United States. It includes a preamble, seven articles, and 27 amendments. The first 10 amendments are known as the Bill of Rights, which defines citizens' and states' rights in relation to the government. The Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791, along with the Third and Fourth Amendments. The Third Amendment prohibits the federal government from forcing individuals to provide lodging to soldiers in their homes during peacetime without their consent. The Fourth Amendment protects people against unreasonable searches and seizures of either self or property by government officials.
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).
Articles IV, V, and 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 of constitutional amendment. Article VII establishes the procedure used by the 13 states to ratify the Constitution.
The process of amending the Constitution involves two steps. First, a proposal for an amendment must be adopted by either a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives or by a national convention requested by two-thirds of the state legislatures. Once the proposal is passed, Congress decides on the ratification method, which can be either through the state legislatures or state ratifying conventions. The proposed amendment becomes part of the Constitution when it is ratified by three-fourths of the states.
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It was drafted in 1787 and ratified in 1788
The United States Constitution, which was drafted in 1787 and ratified in 1788, is the supreme law of the United States of America. It established the government of the United States and is considered the nation's second constitution, superseding the Articles of Confederation in 1789. The Constitution's seven articles outline the framework of the federal government and the rights and responsibilities of state governments.
The drafting of the United States Constitution began in the summer of 1787 when delegates to the Constitutional Convention convened in Philadelphia. The Convention's original purpose was to revise the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution. However, it became clear through discussion and debate that a new frame of government was needed, leading to the drafting of the Constitution.
The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, and ratified on June 21, 1788. It consists of a preamble, seven articles, and 27 amendments. The first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791. The Constitution has since been amended 27 times, with the convention method of ratification only being used once, for the Twenty-first Amendment.
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 remaining articles (IV-VII) outline concepts of federalism, including the rights and responsibilities of state governments and the relationship between the states and the federal government.
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It superseded the Articles of Confederation
The Constitution of the United States superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first 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 established a "league of friendship" for the 13 sovereign and independent states, with each state retaining "every Power... which is not by this confederation expressly delegated to the United States."
The Articles of Confederation outlined a Congress with representation not based on population—each state held one vote in Congress. While the Articles of Confederation gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, it lacked enforcement powers, could not regulate commerce, and could not print money. This led to states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, which threatened to tear the young country apart.
The limitations of the Articles of Confederation became increasingly apparent, and in 1786, the Jay-Gardoqui Treaty with Spain further demonstrated the weaknesses of the Articles in foreign policy. The treaty, which was never ratified, would have given up the United States' rights to use the Mississippi River for 25 years, which would have had devastating economic consequences for settlers west of the Appalachian Mountains. Additionally, the Confederation's military weakness meant that they could not compel the British army to leave frontier forts on American soil, despite promises made in the Treaty of Paris in 1783.
As a result of these weaknesses, the Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation. However, it quickly became clear that the defects in the frame of government could not be remedied by simply altering the Articles. The delegates, therefore, went beyond their mandate and authored a new constitution, which became the United States Constitution. This new constitution gave much more power to the central government, establishing a powerful central government that addressed the many difficulties in interstate relationships.
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It outlines the doctrine of the separation of powers
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It was signed on September 17, 1787, and ratified on June 21, 1788. The document outlines the doctrine of the separation of powers, which is one of the most well-known legal and political doctrines in constitutional law.
The doctrine of the separation of powers divides the federal government's powers between three separate branches of government: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. This structure was designed to prevent tyranny by a single branch, promote effective governance, and protect the liberty of US citizens. The Founding Fathers of the United States were influenced by the writings of political theorists such as Baron Charles de Montesquieu, who wrote about the separation of powers concept almost 100 years before the US Constitution was drafted.
The first three articles of the US Constitution embody the doctrine of the separation of powers. Article I covers the legislative branch, consisting of the bicameral Congress. Article II covers the executive branch, consisting of the President and subordinate officers. Article III covers the judicial branch, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts.
Each branch of the US government has separate and unique functions, and the powers of each branch are outlined in the Constitution. The legislative branch is responsible for creating laws, the executive branch for executing laws, and the judicial branch for interpreting laws and resolving disputes. The separation of powers allows each branch to perform its tasks efficiently and effectively, while also providing a system of checks and balances to ensure that no single branch has all the political power or absolute power over the others.
The US Constitution also includes provisions for the amendment process, with two steps required to amend the Constitution: proposal and ratification. Proposals to amend the Constitution can be adopted by a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, or by a national convention requested by two-thirds of the state legislatures. For ratification, three-fourths of the states must approve, either through the consent of state legislatures or state ratifying conventions.
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The first 10 amendments are known as the Bill of Rights
The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. It was drafted in secret by delegates to the Constitutional Convention during the summer of 1787 and signed on September 17, 1787. The Constitution established the government of the United States and delineates the frame of the federal government.
The first 10 amendments to the Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights. These amendments were ratified on December 15, 1791, and form what is known as the "Bill of Rights". The Bill of Rights was proposed by the First Congress of the United States, which proposed 12 amendments to the Constitution. Ten of the proposed 12 amendments were ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures. The ratified Articles (Articles 3–12) constitute the first 10 amendments of the Constitution, or the U.S. Bill of Rights.
The Bill of Rights includes a range of rights and freedoms, including freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the right to peaceably assemble and petition the government. It also includes the right to keep and bear arms, protections against unreasonable searches and seizures, and protections for people accused of crimes, such as the right to a speedy and public trial and the right to an impartial jury.
The Bill of Rights also includes concepts of federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments and their relationship to the federal government. It is an essential part of the United States Constitution, outlining the fundamental rights and freedoms of US citizens.
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Frequently asked questions
The name of the US Constitution is "The Constitution of the United States".
The US Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is composed of the Preamble, seven articles, and 27 amendments. The first 10 amendments are known as the Bill of Rights.
The US Constitution was drafted in secret by delegates to the Constitutional Convention during the summer of 1787. It was signed on September 17, 1787, and ratified on June 21, 1788.
