Constitution

An Overview of theU.S. Constitution

A PowerPoint presentation for Teacher Doug’s advanced U.S.

History course

October 26, 2005

Contrast:The Articles of Confederation (1781)

and the U.S. Constitution (1789)

• Structure?• Legislature?• Other branches?• Taxation?• Currency?• Trade?• Power?

Contrast: Structure

Articles of Confederation

• Loose alliance of independent states

U.S. Constitution

• National government representing all Americans

Contrast: Legislature


• Unicameral (one-house) law-making body: Congress

U.S. Constitution

• Bicameral (two-house) law-making body: Congress– Senate (Upper House)– House of Represent-

atives (Lower House)

Contrast: Other Branches


• No executive or judicial branches

U.S. Constitution

• Executive branch– President– Cabinet

• Judicial branch– Supreme Court– Appellate courts

Contrast: Taxation


• Only states can tax

U.S. Constitution

• Congress also has the power to tax

Contrast: Currency


• Only states can coin money

U.S. Constitution

• Only national government can coin money

Contrast: Trade


• No effective regulation of trade between states

U.S. Constitution

• National government regulates trade between states

Contrast: Power


• Most power held by the individual states

U.S. Constitution

• Most power held by the national government in conjunction with the state governments

• Federalism: states subordinate power to central government

The Constitution in Brief

• Article I: Legislative Branch

• Article II: Executive Branch

• Article III: Judicial Branch

• Article IV: State Powers

• Article V: Amendments

• Article VI: Power of Law

• Article VII: Ratification

• Amendments (Bill of Rights plus 11-27)

Article I: Legislative Branch

• Senate and the House of Representatives– Representatives: elected for two-year terms

• Must be 25 yrs. old, citizen 7 yrs., and live in state• Numbers based on pop.; census every 10 yrs.

– Senators: elected for six-year terms• Only 2 senators per state; staggered elections• Must be 30 yrs. old, citizen 9 yrs., and live in state• Vice President = President of the Senate

Article I: Legislative Branch

• Some Notable Powers of Congress– Pay off national debt– Borrow money– Punish counterfeiting– Create laws– Declare war– Raise an army– Maintain national roads

Article II: Executive Branch

• President: Commander in Chief– Must be born in the U.S. or to U.S. parents

• At least 35 years old; 14 years resident of the U.S.

– Elected to a four-year term• Chosen by the Electoral College

– Electors = total number of a state’s representatives plus senators

– Most votes = President; Second-most votes = V.P.» Process changed by the 12th Amendment

Article II: Executive Branch

• Powers of the President– Oath: “preserve, protect, and defend the

Constitution of the United States”– Grant pardons for offenses against U.S.– Appoint ambassadors– Appoint nominees for the Supreme Court– Appoint temporary Senate vacancies– Deliver annual State of the Union address

Article III: Judicial Branch

• United States Supreme Court– One Chief Justice– How many Associate Justices?

• Judicial power extends to all cases– Authority over all government officials– Can declare any act unconstitutional

• Trial by jury in all cases - except impeachment - in the state of the crime

Article IV: State Powers

• An attempt to balance federal power with state authority– State records shall be given full faith + credit– State citizens are entitled to certain privileges– Extradition for crimes state to state– Admission of new states– U.S. guarantees a republican form of govt.

and protection from invasion and rebellion

Article V: Amendments

• In order to propose an amendment,– 2/3 approval of both Houses of Congress OR– 2/3 approval of state governments is needed

• In order to ratify an amendment,– 3/4 approval of both Houses of Congress OR– 3/4 approval of state governments is needed

• When was the last time that an amend-ment was ratified? (Hint: #27)

Article VI: Power of Law

• Constitution is the supreme law of the land– Contracts and debts before the Constitution

shall be valid under the Constitution– All government officials are bound by an oath

of office to support the Constitution– No religious test shall ever be required as a

qualification for any office

Article VII: Ratification

• In order to ratify the Constitution, the consent of how many state conventions was necessary?

• When the Constitution was ratified on September 17, 1787, how many of the states present supported the idea?– Which state was admitted into the Union first?– What did this signify?

Amendments

• Bill of Rights (1-10)– Why were these ten amendments added to

the Constitution in 1791?– Which one of the first ten amendments do you

think is the most important? Explain why.

• Amendments 11-27– Which one of these amendments do you think

is the most important? Explain why.

Be prepared for a 25-point quiz in the not-too-distant future about

the Constitution.

Constitution

Documents

Transcript of Constitution