Jonah Patel
The US Constitution is the foundation of the Federal Government and is often called the supreme law of the land. It is a living document, organised into three parts: the Preamble, the seven Articles, and the Amendments. The Preamble describes the purpose of the document and the Federal Government, which is to 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. The seven Articles establish how the Government is structured and how the Constitution can be changed, while the Amendments list changes to the Constitution, with the first 10 known as the Bill of Rights. The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, and ratified on June 21, 1788, and there have been 27 amendments to date.
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What You'll Learn
The US Constitution is a federal document
The Preamble describes the purpose of the document and the Federal Government, which is to "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." The seven Articles outline the structure of the government and how the Constitution can be amended. The first three Articles focus on the structure of the federal government, with Article I addressing the legislative branch, Article II addressing the executive branch, and Article III addressing the judicial branch.
The Amendments list the changes made to the Constitution, with the first 10 known as the Bill of Rights. These amendments include essential protections for civil liberties and due process, such as freedom of speech, religion, and assembly, as well as the right to bear arms and the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. The Constitution also addresses the issue of slavery, with compromises made to protect the slave trade for 20 years and to allow states to count three-fifths of their slave population for representation in the federal government.
The US Constitution was heavily influenced by the Magna Carta and other ancient and modern federations. The Due Process Clause, for example, was based on common law and the Magna Carta, which has long been a cornerstone of English liberty against the arbitrary authority of rulers. The concept of the Separation of Powers in the Constitution was also influenced by Enlightenment philosophers such as Montesquieu and John Locke.
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It was influenced by the Magna Carta
The US Constitution was influenced by the Magna Carta, a 13th-century pact that inspired America's Founding Fathers as they wrote the documents that would shape the nation. In 1215, a group of rebellious barons forced King John of England to agree to a list of concessions, later called the Great Charter, or Magna Carta, in Latin.
Centuries later, the Founding Fathers took great inspiration from this pact as they forged the nation's founding documents, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. For 18th-century political thinkers like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, the Magna Carta was a powerful symbol of liberty and the natural rights of man against an oppressive or unjust government. The Founding Fathers' reverence for the Magna Carta had less to do with the actual text of the document, which is rooted in medieval law and outdated customs, and more to do with what it represented: an ancient pact safeguarding individual liberty.
The legacy of the Magna Carta is reflected most clearly in the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the Constitution ratified by the states in 1791. Amendments five through seven set ground rules for a speedy and fair jury trial, and the Eighth Amendment prohibits excessive bail and fines. That last prohibition can be traced directly back to the 20th clause of the Magna Carta, which states that "for a trivial offence, a free man shall be fined only in proportion to the degree of his offence, and for a serious offence correspondingly, but not so heavily as to deprive him of his livelihood."
The Magna Carta also influenced broader American constitutional principles, such as the theory of representative government, the idea of a supreme law, and judicial review. The colonists sought the preservation of their self-government, freedom from taxation without representation, the right to a trial by a jury of their countrymen, and the enjoyment of "life, liberty, and property" free from arbitrary interference from the crown. The amendments to the Constitution that Congress proposed in 1791 were strongly influenced by state declarations of rights, particularly the Virginia Declaration of Rights of 1776, which incorporated several protections of the 1689 English Bill of Rights and the Magna Carta.
The US Constitution was also influenced by the study of other federations, both ancient and extant, and the ideas of 18th-century Enlightenment philosophers such as Montesquieu, John Locke, Edward Coke, and William Blackstone. The final draft, presented to the convention on September 12, contained seven articles, a preamble, and a closing endorsement. Several of the delegates were disappointed in the result, a makeshift series of unfortunate compromises. Of the thirty-nine signers, Benjamin Franklin summed up, addressing the convention:
> "There are several parts of this Constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them. [I would accept the Constitution,] because I expect no better and because I am not sure that it is not the best."
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The document has three parts
The US Constitution is a federal document that serves as the foundation of the Federal Government. It is often referred to as the "supreme law of the land", and no law may contradict its principles. The Constitution is organised into three parts: the Preamble, the Articles, and the Amendments.
The first part, the Preamble, outlines the purpose of the document and the Federal Government. It begins with the famous words, "We the People", and goes on to describe the government's role in establishing justice, ensuring domestic tranquility, providing for the common defence, promoting the general welfare, and securing liberty for all.
The second part, the Articles, consists of seven articles that establish the structure of the government and how the Constitution can be amended. Article II, for example, describes the office, qualifications, and duties of the President and Vice President of the United States. The President is the head of the executive branch of the federal government, as well as the nation's head of state and head of government.
The third part, the Amendments, lists the changes made to the Constitution. There have been 27 amendments to date, beginning with the Bill of Rights, which consists of the first 10 amendments. These amendments are essential to the flexibility of the Constitution, allowing for changes in the government over time.
The Constitution was heavily influenced by the study of the Magna Carta and other ancient and extant federations. The Due Process Clause, for instance, was based on common law and the Magna Carta, which has long been a foundation of English liberty against arbitrary power. The idea of the Separation of Powers was also inspired by Enlightenment philosophers such as Montesquieu and John Locke.
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It was signed on September 17, 1787
The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, and ratified on June 21, 1788. The final document was engrossed by Jacob Shallus and was taken up on the 17th of September at the convention's final session. The US Constitution is the foundation of the Federal Government and is often referred to as the supreme law of the land. It is a "living" document, allowing for changes and amendments, although in over 200 years, there have only been 27 amendments. The first 10 amendments are known as the Bill of Rights.
The Constitution is divided into three main parts: the Preamble, the seven Articles, and the Amendments. The Preamble outlines the purpose of the document and the Federal Government, which is to "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." The seven Articles establish how the government is structured and how the Constitution can be changed. The Amendments list the changes to the Constitution.
The Constitution was heavily influenced by the study of the Magna Carta and other federations, as well as the ideas of eighteenth-century Enlightenment philosophers such as Montesquieu, Locke, Edward Coke, and William Blackstone. The concept of the Separation of Powers in the Constitution was inspired by these philosophers. The Constitution also protected the slave trade, allowing the importation of slaves for 20 years and requiring the return of escaped slaves to their owners.
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The first 10 amendments are the Bill of Rights
The United States Constitution was a federal constitution influenced by the study of the Magna Carta and other federations, both ancient and modern. The Due Process Clause of the Constitution was partly based on common law and the Magna Carta, which had become a foundation of English liberty against arbitrary power. The idea of the Separation of Powers inherent in the Constitution was inspired by eighteenth-century Enlightenment philosophers such as Montesquieu and John Locke.
The Constitution was drafted by a convention of state delegates in Philadelphia in 1787, called by the Confederation Congress to propose revisions to the Articles of Confederation. The final draft, presented on September 12, contained seven articles, a preamble, and a closing endorsement. The final document was taken up on September 17 at the convention's final session. Several delegates were disappointed in the result, a series of compromises. Some left before the ceremony, and three refused to sign.
The first ten amendments to the Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. James Madison wrote the amendments as a solution to limit government power and protect individual liberties through the Constitution. The Bill of Rights became law on December 15, 1791. The Fifth Amendment provides several protections for people accused of crimes. It states that serious criminal charges must be started by a grand jury, and a person cannot be tried twice for the same offence (double jeopardy) or have property taken away without just compensation. People have the right against self-incrimination and cannot be imprisoned without due process of law (fair procedures and trials). The Sixth Amendment provides additional protections to people accused of crimes, such as the right to a speedy and public trial, trial by an impartial jury in criminal cases, and to be informed of criminal charges. The Seventh Amendment extends the right to a jury trial in Federal civil cases. The Eighth Amendment bars excessive bail and fines and cruel and unusual punishment. The Ninth Amendment states that listing specific rights in the Constitution does not mean that people do not have other rights that have not been spelled out. The Tenth Amendment says that the Federal Government only has those powers delegated in the Constitution.
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Frequently asked questions
The U.S. Constitution is the foundation of the Federal Government and is often called the supreme law of the land. It is a "living" document that can be amended and is organised into three parts: the Preamble, the seven Articles, and the Amendments.
The first part, the Preamble, describes the purpose of the document and the Federal Government. The second part, the seven Articles, establishes how the Government is structured and how the Constitution can be changed. The third part, the Amendments, lists 27 changes to the Constitution, with the first 10 being called the Bill of Rights.
The purpose of the U.S. Constitution, as found in its Preamble, is to "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."
