Jonah Patel
The United States Constitution is the highest law of the land and the framework for the federal government of the United States. It is a set of rules that guides how the country works and is organized into seven articles. The Constitution was written to replace the Articles of Confederation, which did not give the central government enough power. The writers of the Constitution wanted to create a government that was powerful enough to run the country but would not impose on people's or state's rights. The Constitution establishes a system of checks and balances, with three equal branches of government – legislative, executive, and judicial – each with some power over the others.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| A set of rules that guides how a country, state, or other political organization works | |
| Tells what the branches of the government are | Legislative, Executive, and Judicial |
| Tells what powers the branches have | Equal power |
| Tells how the branches work | System of checks and balances |
| States the rights of citizens | |
| Highest form of law in the country | |
| Can be amended or changed | 27 times since 1789 |
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What You'll Learn
What is a constitution?
A constitution is a set of rules that guides how a country, state, or other political organization works. It outlines the different branches of the government, their powers, and how they work together. The first people to think about constitutions were the ancient Greeks, who established a form of democracy where some people had a say in how the government was run. This was a big change from the hundreds of years that followed, where most people were ruled by kings or queens without any rights or say in how they were governed.
The United States Constitution, for example, is the highest form of law in the country. It outlines the framework for the federal government, creating the three branches of government: the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Each branch has some power over the others, which is called a system of checks and balances. This helps ensure that no one person or group has too much power. The US Constitution also protects the rights of citizens and guarantees their basic rights.
The US Constitution was written to replace the Articles of Confederation, which were the first set of rules for the country when it became independent. However, the Articles of Confederation had issues, including not giving enough power to the central government and not providing a way for the government to get money. So, in 1787, a group of people met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for the Constitutional Convention, where they wrote the new Constitution. The Constitution went into effect on March 4, 1789, after nine states had approved it, and it has been amended, or changed, 27 times since then.
The US Constitution starts with a section called the Preamble, which explains the purpose of the document. It was written by Gouverneur Morris and is famous for its powerful introduction. The Constitution is organized into seven articles, and it is the framework for the United States government. It is the most basic law of the United States, and all other laws, including local, state, and national laws, must agree with it.
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Who wrote the constitution?
A constitution is a set of rules that guides how a country, state, or other political organization works. The United States Constitution is the most basic law of the United States. All other laws, including local, state, and U.S. laws, must agree with it.
The writers of the U.S. Constitution wanted government leaders to share power with each other. So they separated the government into three equal branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. Each branch has some power over the others. This is called a system of checks and balances. For example, the leader of the executive branch (the president) gets to appoint members of the Supreme Court. But part of the legislative branch (the Senate) has the power to reject the president’s choices.
The first Constitution was called the Articles of Confederation, which were written when the United States first became a country. However, there were problems with the Articles. The main issue was that they did not give the central government enough power. So, in 1787, a group of people met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to change them. This meeting was called the Constitutional Convention. The people at the convention soon wrote a completely new document—the Constitution. Alexander Hamilton and others then wrote essays known as the Federalist Papers to explain the new Constitution.
James Madison is often called the "Father of the Constitution" since so much of his work and ideas were incorporated into the final document. Gouverneur Morris wrote the Constitution and is widely credited with authoring the famous preamble. 39 of the 55 delegates at the convention signed the document. Many who refused did so because of the lack of a Bill of Rights.
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Why did the US need a new constitution?
A constitution is a set of rules that guides how a country, state, or other political organization works. The US Constitution is the most basic law of the United States, and all other laws must agree with it.
The US Constitution was a replacement for an older set of rules called the Articles of Confederation, which were written when the United States first became a country. There were several problems with the Articles. Firstly, they did not give the central government enough power. For example, the central government had no power to tax British imports, which negatively impacted American manufacturers' ability to compete. The Articles also did not adequately address the rights of citizens.
In 1787, a group of people met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to address these issues. This meeting was called the Constitutional Convention, and the people in attendance wrote a new document—the Constitution. The Constitution separated the government into three equal branches—legislative, executive, and judicial—to ensure a system of checks and balances. The writers of the Constitution also wanted US government leaders to share power with each other.
The Constitution has been amended, or changed, only 27 times since 1789. Amendments to the Constitution are difficult to make, requiring approval from two-thirds of each house of Congress and three-fourths of the states.
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How does the constitution work?
A constitution is a set of rules that guide how a country or state is run. The United States Constitution is the most basic law of the United States. All other laws, including local, state, and national laws, must agree with it. It is the oldest written constitution still used in the world today.
The US Constitution was written to replace the Articles of Confederation, which were the rules written when the United States first became a country. The Articles of Confederation had some problems. One of the main issues was that they didn't give the central government enough power. So, in 1787, a group of people met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to change them. This meeting was called the Constitutional Convention. The people at the convention wrote a completely new document—the Constitution.
The Constitution has seven articles, and it starts with a section called the Preamble. The Preamble is an introduction to the Constitution and explains why it was written. It says: "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, 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 Constitution also created the different branches of the government and gave them the power to govern. It made sure that the government leaders would share power with each other. So, the government was separated into three equal parts: the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch. This is called a system of checks and balances because each branch has some power over the others. For example, the leader of the executive branch (the president) can choose members of the Supreme Court, but the legislative branch (the Senate) can reject the president's choices.
The Constitution can be changed, but it's not easy. These changes are called amendments. Two-thirds of each house of Congress and three-fourths of the states must approve every amendment. The Constitution has only been amended 27 times since 1789. The first 10 amendments are called the Bill of Rights.
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How can the constitution be changed?
A constitution is a set of rules that guides how a country, state, or other political organization works. It outlines the branches of the government, their powers, and how they work. It also states the rights of citizens. The constitution is the most basic law of the land, and all other laws must agree with it.
The constitution can be changed, but it is harder to change than passing an ordinary law. Changes to the constitution are called amendments. The writers of the United States Constitution wanted government leaders to share power, so they separated the government into three equal branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. This is called a system of checks and balances.
The Constitution has been amended only 27 times since it was drafted in 1787. The first 10 amendments were adopted in 1791, just two years after the Constitution became official, and are called the Bill of Rights. Amendments must be of major importance, affecting all citizens or securing their rights. For example, amendments have given women the right to vote, abolished poll taxes, and lowered the minimum voting age.
Amending the Constitution is a difficult and time-consuming process. An amendment may be proposed by Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Alternatively, it can be proposed by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the state legislatures, although this has never happened. Once an amendment is proposed, it must be ratified by three-fourths of the states (38 out of 50) to become part of the Constitution. The ratification process is administered by the Archivist of the United States, who heads the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The Archivist's certification of the legal sufficiency of ratification documents is final and conclusive.
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Frequently asked questions
The Constitution is the highest law of the land. It is a set of rules that explains how the government works and what citizens can expect from their government.
The Preamble is the introduction to the Constitution. It explains what the writers of the Constitution wanted to achieve, which was to create a fair government and a peaceful, free country.
"We the People" means everyone in the country, including women, children, and non-voters. It means that the country is ruled by the people, not a king or a dictator.
Yes, the Constitution can be changed. Article V explains that two-thirds of both Houses of Congress can propose Amendments, or two-thirds of the states can ask Congress to call a convention to propose Amendments. These changes become part of the Constitution when three-quarters of the states agree to them.
The Constitution sets out the rules for how the country is run, so it affects many aspects of everyday life. For example, it outlines how laws are made and how citizens are protected by those laws.
