FrontPage: Have your outline on your desk. See the FrontPage question

on the next page.

Last Word: Read/OL Chapter 3, Section 2 for

Thursday

Which of these are specifically written in the US Constitution? (use #’s)

1. The words “Innocent until proven guilty”2. The right to privacy3. The words “Checks and balances” and “separation of

powers”4. The words “separation of church and state”5. The Air Force6. The word "Democracy“ 7. The words “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”8. The words “Of the people, by the people, for the people”9. The phrase “no taxation without representation”10.The Qualifications and # of Supreme Court Justices

The Constitution

Structure and PrinciplesChapter 3, Section 1

Fast Facts About the US Constitution

• Oldest and shortest Constitution still in effect

• The Constitution was written in less than 100 working days

• Thomas Jefferson and John Adams did not sign the Constitution (neither were present)

• The U.S. Constitution was prepared in secret, behind locked doors that were guarded by sentries.

**Little known fact: there is actually a treasure map on the back of it.

What does the Constitution NOT do?• The Constitution does not create

laws, and when new laws are written they are not added to the Constitution.

Actually, all new laws are written in a book called the US Code.

Then, what does the Constitution do?

Then, what does the Constitution do?

• It is like the basic rules of football…– The positions, downs, and most rules for

scoring cannot be changed without changing the fundamental nature of the game

• If we change our government “rulebook” (the Constitution), we change the fundamental nature of our democracy…

The Constitution is the “rulebook” that establishes the basics we need for our government to function: the type of government we have, who will hold the power to make and enforce laws, and the limits on that power as well.

The Structure of the Constitution

• What are the three main parts of the Constitution?

The Preamble“We, the People of theUnited States, in Order to

form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

The Preamble• What does the Preamble do?

• What are these goals and purposes?

The ArticlesEach Article establishes some

fundamental aspect of our government system…

• Article I – (aka ?)• Article II – (aka ?)• Article III – (aka ?)• Article IV – • Article V – • Article VI - • Article VII –

The Amendments

• How many times has the Constitution been amended?

• The first 10 amendments were passed by the first Congress almost immediately (1791) after the Constitution was ratified (1789)– What do we call these first 10

amendments?

Principles (not Principals) of the Constitution

• In addition what is actually specifically established by the Constitution, there are several principles, or fundamental standards or rules, that are not stated but nonetheless established in the Constitution…

Principles found (somewhere) in the Constitution

Popular Sovereignty Federalism• *Why federalism? Checks and Balances• Give an example…

Separation of Powers• How is this different from “checks and balances”, and federalism?

Judicial ReviewLimited GovernmentConstitutional SupremacyRule of Law

FrontPage: Have your Principles wksht. on your desk.

Last Word: Read/OL Chapter 3, Section 2 for tomorrow