US Constitution

What is the US Constitution?

• The supreme law of the United States.

• It is the foundation and source of the

legal authority underlying the
existence of the United States of
America and the Federal Government
of the United States.

• It provides the framework for the

organization of the United States
Government.
What are the basic principles of the
Constitution?
• Popular Sovereignty
- Government power resides in the
people
• Limited government
- Government is not all powerful, can
only do what the people let it.
• Separation of Powers
- Helps prevent one branch from
becoming too powerful
Checks and Balances
• Federalism
- Division of power among national
and state governments
What are the Checks and Balances?

The Constitution of the United

States divides the federal
government into three branches:
legislative, executive, and judicial.
This ensures that no individual or
group will have too much power.
Who Wrote It?
James Madison Jr. was an American statesman,
diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the
fourth president of the United States from 1809 to
1817.
Some facts :
• took day-by-day notes of debates at the
Constitutional Convention
• To promote ratification he collaborated with
Alexander Hamilton and John Jay
• was popularly acclaimed the "Father of the
Constitution"
• drafted the Bill of Rights, The Virginia Plan and
Separation of Powers
 Why was it written?
• After the Revolutionary War, the Articles of
Confederation set up the structure of the US
Government.
• The federal government was extremely weak and this
created many problems such as:
1. No separation of powers – only unicameral legislature.
2. Weak central government – states had most power.
3. Congress did not have the power to tax – this means
they could not get their finances in order.
• More problems with the Articles of Confederation:
4. In order to change the Articles, all thirteen states had to
approve of the changes. This made it essentially
impossible to make any changes.
5. For any major laws to pass they had to be approved by 9
or the 13 states which was difficult.
6. Congress did not have the power to regulate commerce
which caused competition between states. It also caused
diplomatic issues when states refused to pay for goods
their received from other nations.
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Continental Congress on
November 15, 1777. This document served as the United States' first
constitution.

The Articles of Confederation created a national government

composed of a Congress, which had the power to:
• declare war
• appoint military officers
• sign treaties
• make alliances
• appoint foreign ambassadors
• manage relations with Indians
Why was it written?
• Shays’ Rebellion:
- An uprising of farmers in
Massachusetts – led by
Daniel Shays.
- Helped convince leaders
that a strong central
government was needed.
When was it written?
• May 25th to September 17th,
1787
• Philadelphia
• Intention was to revise
Articles of Confederation
• Ended up replacing the
Articles and creating a new
government
• Called the “Constitutional
Convention.”
 What were the important outcomes of the
Constitutional Convention
The Virginia Plan The New Jersey Plan
The Virginia Plan was a proposal for the new government of the
Was an alternative plan for the drafting of the
United States. The Virginia Plan favored a strong central
government made up of three branches: the legislative, executive, constitution. It was also known as “The Small State Plan”
and judicial branches. The Virginia Plan advocated for a system of or “The Paterson Plan.”
checks and balances within these three branches in order to prevent The New Jersey Plan proposed a unicameral (single
the same type of tyranny the colonies faced under the British. The chamber) legislature with equal representation, and would
Virginia Plan recommended a bicameral legislature based on have revised the Articles of Confederation to keep more
proportional representation, meaning the seats would be filled on
power in the hands of the states instead of a centralized
the basis of a state’s population.
government.
 Ratification Debate
• Needed 9 of 13 states to ratify or official approve of the Constitution
before it went into effect.
• A huge debate emerged between two sides:
Federalists: - Federalists
Anti-Federalists:
• Supported the Constitution - Anti-Federalists
• Supported a weaker central
and a strong central
government – felt too much power
government
was taken away from the states
• Alexander Hamilton, James
• Opposed the Constitution
Madison, John Jay
• Wanted a Bill of Rights included
• Federalist Papers – series of
Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry
articles written in defense of
the Constitution
 Structure of the Constitution
• Preamble:
Statement of purpose
• Articles:
I: Legislative Branch
II: Executive Branch
III: Judicial Branch
IV: Relations Among the States
V: Amendment Process
VI: Federal Power
VII: Ratification
• Amendments:
27 Total
1st ten are the Bill of Rights
 Article I: Legislative
Branch
The principal mission of the legislative body is to make
laws. It is split
into two different chambers – the House of
Representatives and the Senate. Congress is a legislative
body that holds the power to draft and pass legislation,
borrow money for the nation, declare war and
raise a military. It also has the power to check and
balance the other two federal branches.
 Article II: Executive
This branch of the government
Branch Powers of the president:
manages the day-to-day operations of • making treaties with other
government through various federal nations
departments and agencies, such as the
• appointing federal judges,
Department of Treasury. At
the head of this branch is the department heads and
nationally elected President of the Ambassadors
United States. • run military operations.
 Article III: Judicial Branch
Article III outlines the powers of the federal court system. Determines
that the court of last resort is the US Supreme Court and that the US Congress has the
power to
determine the size and scope of those courts below it. All judges are appointed for life
unless they resign
due to bad behavior.
Article IV : The States
Article V : Amendment
Defines the relationship between the states and
the federal
government. The federal government Future generations can amend the
guarantees a republican form of government in Constitution if the society so requires
each state, it.
protects the nation and the people from foreign
or domestic violence, and determines how new
Both the states and Congress have the
states power to initiate the amendment
can join the Union. It also suggests that all the process.
states are equal to each other
Article VI : Debts, Supremacy,
Oaths Determines that the US Constitution, and all laws made
from it are the ‘supreme Law of the Land’, and all
officials, whether members of the state legislatures,
Congress, judiciary or the Executive have to swear an
oath to the Constitution.

Article VII: Ratification

This article details all those people who
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original 13 states.
Please keep this slide as attribution
 Important Amendments:
Bill of Rights
1. Freedom of religion, of speech, to assemble,
and to petition
2. Right to bear arms
3. No quartering of soldiers
4. No unreasonable search and seizure
5. Right to a fair and speedy public trial
6. Right to trial by jury in civil cases
7. All rights not given to Federal Government
belong to states and people.
 Other Important Amendments:
Reconstruction Amendments
• 13th Amendment
abolished slavery
• 14th Amendment
Due process and equal protection under the law
All persons born in US are citizens
• 15th Amendment
Right to vote regardless of race, color, or previous
servitude
Thank you for
your attention!