Omar Bennett
The Constitution of the United States 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 Constitution delineates the framework 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). The US Constitution acted as a merger, uniting a group of states with different interests, laws, and cultures.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Articles | 7 |
| First 3 Articles | Embodies the doctrine of the separation of powers |
| Legislative Branch | Bicameral Congress (consisting of a Senate and House of Representatives) |
| Executive Branch | President and subordinate officers |
| Judicial Branch | Supreme Court and other federal courts |
| Number of Amendments | 27 |
| First 10 Amendments | Known as the Bill of Rights |
| Eighth Amendment | Protects people from excessive bail or fines and cruel and unusual punishment |
| Ninth Amendment | Declares that individuals have other fundamental rights in addition to those stated in the Constitution |
| Sixteenth Amendment | Removed constraints limiting Congress's power to tax income |
| Eighteenth Amendment | Prohibited the making, transporting, and selling of alcoholic beverages |
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What You'll Learn
The US Constitution is the supreme law
Article I describes the Congress, the legislative branch of the federal government. It establishes the manner of election and the qualifications of members of each body. For instance, representatives must be at least 25 years old, be a citizen of the United States for seven years, and live in the state they represent. 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 processes between them.
The Constitution acts as a colossal merger, uniting a group of states with different interests, laws, and cultures. It vests the power of the union in the people, uniting its citizens as members of a whole. The Constitution can change only by an extraordinary legislative process of national proposal, then state ratification. The powers of all departments are limited to the enumerated grants found in the Constitution.
Courts established by the Constitution can regulate the government under it. First, they have jurisdiction over actions by a government officer and state law. Second, federal courts may rule on whether coordinate branches of the national government conform to the Constitution.
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The Constitution has seven articles
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is composed of a preamble, seven articles, and 27 amendments. The first 10 amendments are known as the Bill of Rights. The Constitution's seven articles define the basic framework of the federal government.
Article I describes the Congress, the legislative branch of the federal government. It establishes the manner of election and the qualifications of members of each body. For example, representatives must be at least 25 years old, be a citizen of the United States for seven years, and live in the state they represent.
Article II embodies the doctrine of the separation of powers and establishes the executive branch of the federal government, consisting of the President and subordinate officers.
Article III establishes the judicial branch of the federal government, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts.
Articles IV, V, and VI embody concepts of federalism and describe the rights and responsibilities of state governments, the relationship between the states and the federal government, and the process for amending the Constitution.
Article VII, the final article, establishes the process for ratifying the Constitution. It outlines the requirements for the document to take effect, including the number of states that must ratify it.
The Constitution has been amended 27 times since its ratification, with the first 10 amendments constituting the Bill of Rights. Amendments can expand the powers of the federal government, such as the Sixteenth Amendment, which removed constraints on Congress's power to lay and collect income taxes. They can also protect the rights of individuals, such as the Eighth Amendment, which protects people from excessive bail or cruel and unusual punishment, and the Ninth Amendment, which declares that individuals have fundamental rights beyond those stated in the Constitution.
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Amendments to the Constitution
The US Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. It comprises a preamble, seven articles, and 27 amendments. The first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791.
The first ten amendments, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, were adopted and ratified simultaneously. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments are known as the Reconstruction Amendments. The 21st Amendment, ratified in 1933, is the only amendment that explicitly repeals an earlier one, the 18th Amendment, which established the prohibition of alcohol.
The Eighth Amendment (1791) protects people from excessive bail or fines and from cruel and unusual punishment. The Ninth Amendment (1791) states that individuals have fundamental rights beyond those stated in the Constitution. The Sixteenth Amendment (1913) expanded the power of Congress to lay and collect taxes on income, overturning previous constitutional and Supreme Court constraints. The Eighteenth Amendment (1919) prohibited the production, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages, though this was later repealed by the 21st Amendment.
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The Bill of Rights
The US Constitution is the supreme law of the land, superseding the nation's first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, in 1789. It is composed of a preamble, seven articles, and 27 amendments. The first ten amendments, proposed in 1789, are known as the Bill of Rights.
The amendments of the Bill of Rights add to the Constitution specific guarantees of personal freedoms, such as freedom of speech, the right to publish, practice religion, possess firearms, and assemble. They also include explicit declarations that all powers not specifically granted to the federal government by the Constitution are reserved to the states or the people.
The first amendment of the Bill of Rights states:
> Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The second amendment states:
> A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
The third amendment states:
> No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
The fourth amendment safeguards citizens' right to be free from unreasonable government intrusion in their homes through the requirement of a warrant.
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The Constitution unites the states
The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the U.S., acting as the cornerstone of the U.S. political system by outlining the powers and responsibilities of the federal government and
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Frequently asked questions
The US has a federal and written constitution.
The Constitution is composed of a preamble, seven articles, and 27 amendments. 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 seven articles outline the basic framework of the federal government. Article I describes 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. Articles IV, V, and VI embody concepts of federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments, their relationship to the federal government, and the shared process.
The first 10 amendments are known as the Bill of Rights. The Eighth Amendment (1791) protects people from excessive bail or fines and cruel and unusual punishment. The Ninth Amendment (1791) declares that individuals have other fundamental rights beyond those stated in the Constitution. The Sixteenth Amendment (1913) removed constraints on Congress's power to tax income. The Eighteenth Amendment (1919) prohibited the production, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages.
