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The Constitution of the
United States of America
Why Does the Constitution Matter?
Constitution – body of
fundamental laws which say how
a government is to operate
 It is the supreme law of the land
 It explains how the government
works
 It protects your civil rights
A Brief Outline
The Preamble – lays out the
purpose and introduces the
Constitution
The Articles – the substance of
governmental law
The Amendments
Uncle Sam needs
you to study harder!
The Seven Articles
I. The Legislative Branch
II. The Executive Branch
III. The Judicial Branch
IV. Relations Among States
V. The Amendment Process
VI. National Debts, National
Supremacy, Oaths of Office
VII. Requirements for Ratification
The Six Basic Principles of the
Constitution
1. Popular Sovereignty – supreme power
rests with and only with the people
 Some parts of the Constitution mitigate
popular sovereignty
Electoral College chooses the
president, not popular vote
State Legislatures chose the Senate,
not popular vote
 Later changed to direct popular
election by 17th Amendment
The Six Basic Principles of the
Constitution
2. Limited Government
 Also called constitutionalism, and rule of
law
 Government is not all-powerful
 Powers government has and doesn’t
have are listed
The Six Basic Principles of the
Constitution
3. Separation of Powers
 U.S. uses a presidential
government, where the
executive and legislative
branches are chosen separately
 Each branch has its own
powers and responsibilities
The Six Basic Principles of the
Constitution
4. Checks and
Balances
 Each branch
is not totally
independent
of the others
The Six Basic Principles of the
Constitution
4. Checks and
Balances
 They have
powers to
override each
other when
necessary
The Six Basic Principles of the
Constitution
5. Judicial Review
 Courts may
determine whether
or not what the
President or
Congress does is
Constitutional
The Six Basic Principles of the
Constitution
5. Judicial Review
 If court declares an
act unconstitutional,
the act is not a law,
and the decision
cannot be
overridden
The Six Basic Principles of the
Constitution
6. Federalism
 The national government is
given certain powers by the
Constitution
 Whatever is left is a power for
the states to use
Key Parts of Article I
Section 8
 List of all expressed powers Congress has
 Also includes the “necessary and proper” clause
Gives Congress additional “implied powers”
Section 9
 Prohibits certain actions Congress may take
No ex post facto laws – punishment for doing
something before it was illegal
No suspension of habeas corpus – the right to
challenge one’s own detention in court
Key Parts of Article II –
Executive Branch
Section 2
 President can appoint people to many positions
 Must have “advice and consent” of the Senate
Senate takes a majority vote to confirm
appointments
Section 4
 Can only be removed by impeachment for “high
crimes and misdemeanors”
Key Parts of Article III – Judicial
Branch
Supreme Court is the highest court in the
land


It determines if things are constitutional and if
federal laws need to be made
Supreme Court has 9 judges that are
appointed by the President and confirmed by
the Senate – They serve for life or until
retirement
Article V - Formal Amendment Process
Step 1 – Must Be Proposed (happens at
the national level)
Step 2 – Must Be Ratified (happens at the
state level)
 This is a reflection of federalism
2 Ways to Propose an Amendment
1. 2/3 vote in both houses of
Congress

All 27 Amendments were proposed
this way
2. Constitutional Convention
requested by 2/3 of the states

Has not ever been used
2 Ways to Ratify an Amendment
1. 3/4 of state legislatures
approve it

26 of the 27 Amendments were
ratified this way
2. 3/4 of conventions called by the
states approve it

Only the 21st Amendment was
ratified this way
Article I: Legislative Branch
Qualifications
• Bicameral:
– Senate
2 Senators for each state
Senators serve for 6
year terms
– House of Representatives
• Based on population
• Reps serve for 2 year
terms
• Important Powers:
– Make laws
– Set taxes
– Declare war
– Override Vetoes
– Borrow money
– Regulate
internationaland national
trade
– Print money
Article II: Executive Branch
Qualifications
President and Vice
President are elected to
4 year terms
Qualifications:



At least 35 years old
14 year resident of the
US
Natural born citizen
Elected by the Electoral
College
Important powers:
– Commander-in-Chief
– Grant pardons
– Make treaties
– Appoint federal officers
– Ensure laws are
executed
Article III: Judicial Branch
Rules
Supreme Court judges
serve for life unless
impeached.
Judicial power rests
with US Supreme Court and
other courts created by
Congress
Important Powers

Decides cases of
Constitutional law and federal
law
– Cases involving
ambassadors go straight to
Supreme Court
– Judicial Review comes later
(1803 – Marbury v. Madison)
The First Ten
Amendments…
The Bill of Rights
These are awesome!
And you get to memorize them!
The 1st Amendment
Freedom of Religion


Establishment Clause – government cannot
establish a religion
Free Exercise Clause – government cannot
prohibit you from practicing religion
Freedom of Speech
Freedom of the Press
Right to Assembly
Right to Petition
The 2nd Amendment
The Right to Bear Arms
Not the Right to Bare Arms
The 3rd Amendment
No Quartering of Soldiers in
Times of Peace
The 4th Amendment
Protection
Against
Unreasonable
Search and
Seizure
The 5th Amendment
No Double Jeopardy (Can’t be
charged with the same crime
twice)
Protection against selfincrimination
Guarantee of Due Process of Law
The 6th Amendment
Right to a Criminal Trial by Jury
 Trial must be speedy, public
 Must be in the state where the crime was
committed
 Right to legal counsel
 Right to call witnesses favorable to the
defendant
The 7th Amendment
Right to a Civil Trial by Jury
 Civil – not criminal, typically a
lawsuit for money or to repeal a
government action
The 8th Amendment
Protection
Against Cruel
and Unusual
Punishment
The 9th Amendment
Rights Retained by the People
 In other words, just because a
right isn’t listed here in the
Constitution doesn’t mean that
people don’t have that right
 Truth from your teacher – yes, it
does.
The 10th Amendment
Powers Reserved for the States
 All powers that are not given to
the national government are
reserved for the states
Other Important Amendments
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
Other Important Amendments
18th Amendment – Prohibition of alcohol
• 19th Amendment: – Women’s suffrage
• 21st Amendment: – Repeals prohibition
• 22nd Amendment: – Presidential term limits
• 24th Amendment: – Prohibits poll taxes for voting
• 26th Amendment: – lowers voting age to 18