The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. The Constitution, originally comprising seven articles, is the national frame of government. Its first three articles entrench the doctrine of the separation of powers, whereby the federal government is divided into three branches: the legislative, consisting of the bicameral Congress; the executive, consisting of the President; and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts. Articles Four, Five and Six entrench concepts of federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments and of the states in relationship to the federal government. Article Seven establishes the procedure subsequently used by the thirteen States to ratify it.

Since the Constitution came into force in 1789, it has been amended twenty-seven times. In general, the first ten amendments, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, offer specific protections of individual liberty and justice and place restrictions on the powers of government. The majority of the seventeen later amendments expand individual civil rights. It is the shortest written constitution in force.

The Constitutional Convention of May 1787 was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, The state of Rhode Island refused to send a delegate because it was afraid of losing its states’ rights.

In Philadelphia, more than fifty delegates from twelve of the original thirteen colonies met to begin writing the Constitution of the United States.This group is sometimes called the “Founding Fathers.” There were no women or minorities.

They didn’t want the wishes of the people to be denied by any part of government or by the power of any single leader. But they also knew the government must be stronger than the one based on the Articles of Confederation.

As president of the Constitutional Convention, George Washington’s job was to keep the meetings orderly and effective.


 

Delegates to the Constitutional Convention came from different backgrounds and held different political views. For example, they argued about how many representatives each state should be allowed. The larger states favored the Virginia Plan where number of representatives based on the state’s population. The smaller states favored the New Jersey Plan number of representatives would be the same for each state.

a two-house legislature, consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Senate would have an equal number of representatives from each state. This would satisfy the states with smaller populations. The House of Representatives would include one representative for each 30,000 individuals in a state. This pleased states with larger populations.

This two-house legislature plan worked for all states and became known as the Great Compromise.

The people who supported the new Constitution, the Federalists, began to publish articles supporting ratification.

it included a bill of rights listing the individual rights of every citizen. They are also the first ten amendments to the Constitution.

. The Founding Fathers knew they had to leave enough powers with the states when they were writing the Constitution. If they didn't, they knew the state legislatures would never ratify the Constitution. All states were granted the right to control certain things within their borders. They could do so as long as they did not interfere with the rights of other states or the nation.

By creating three branches of government, the delegates built a “check and balance” system into the Constitution. This system was built so that no one branch of our government could become too powerful.

Each branch is restrained by the other two in several ways. For example, the president may veto a law passed by Congress. Congress can override that veto with a vote of two-thirds of both houses. Another example is that the Supreme Court may check Congress by declaring a law unconstitutional. The power is balanced by the fact that members of the Supreme Court are appointed by the president. Those appointments have to be approved by Congress.

Bill of Rights

The United States Constitution has 27 Amendments. The first 10 Amendments to the Constitution are called the Bill of Rights.

The Bill of Rights was ratified, or approved, in 1791. It outlines the basic rights and freedoms of American citizens.

Amendment 1
the freedoms of religion, speech, and press. Most Americans believe that the First Amendment guarantees their most important rights.

Amendment 2
the right to bear arms, or own guns.

Amendment 3
prevents the government from forcing citizens to shelter soldiers in their homes.

Amendment 4
It prohibits, or prevents, unnecessary or unreasonable searches of a person’s property.

Amendment 5
right to a fair and legal trial.also protects someone from testifying against himself under oath.

Amendment 6
A right to a speedy trial is guaranteed in the Sixth Amendment.

Amendment 7
The Seventh Amendment guarantees the right to a trial by jury in civil, or private, legal cases where damages are more than $20. Civil cases solve disputes between citizens.

Amendment 8
Unreasonable bail or fines and cruel and unusual punishment are prohibited in the Eighth Amendment.

Amendment 9
The Ninth Amendment recognizes that Americans have rights that are not listed in the Constitution.

Amendment 10
The Tenth Amendment says that the powers not given to the United States government by the Constitution belong to the states or to the people