the u.s. constitution
DESCRIPTION
The U.S. Constitution . January 27, 2014. What is a constitution?. A constitution is a document that embodies the fundamental principles of a government of a nation . It outlines its laws, institutions, and customs. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: The U.S. Constitution](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062410/568161d6550346895dd1dae8/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
The U.S. Constitution
January 27, 2014
![Page 2: The U.S. Constitution](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062410/568161d6550346895dd1dae8/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
A constitution is a document that embodies
the fundamental principles of a government of a nation.
It outlines its laws, institutions, and customs. A constitution can often be labeled as
“flexible” or “living” because it can be changed by an act of congress, or an amendment.
Most countries in the world have a written constitution, often based on the U.S., British, or French constitutions.
What is a constitution?
![Page 3: The U.S. Constitution](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062410/568161d6550346895dd1dae8/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
The U.S. Constitution was written at the
Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. It was written to fix the weaknesses that were
present in the Articles of Confederation All states except Rhode Island sent delegates to
the convention to help decide the content of the constitution
However, many arguments ensued, and some delegates were so angry that they left before the document was finished
Writing the U.S. Constitution
![Page 4: The U.S. Constitution](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062410/568161d6550346895dd1dae8/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
The fundamental questions that needed to be decided were
how much power the federal government should have and how the states would be a part of the federal government
It turned into a battle between large states and small states Large states wanted representation based on population;
small states wanted equal representation from all states Eventually, a compromise was reached where the
legislature would be bicameral (two houses) with the House of Representatives decided based on population and the Senate being equal among the states
The is called the Great Compromise
Disagreements at the Convention
![Page 5: The U.S. Constitution](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062410/568161d6550346895dd1dae8/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
With population size being a deciding factor in the
House of Representatives, the question of whether slaves counted or not was raised
It was decided that three-fifths of the slave population should count towards the total population of a state (this is called The Three-Fifths Compromise)
Other delegates wanted to abolish slavery altogether. Another compromise was reached that stated that the
importation of slaves would be abolished, but not before 1808. Slavery itself was still legal.
The Question of Slavery
![Page 6: The U.S. Constitution](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062410/568161d6550346895dd1dae8/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
When the document was signed in September
1787, it was sent to the states for ratification Nine states were required to ratify Some states seriously struggled with the
decision Rhode Island and North Carolina actually
rejected the Constitution and refused to ratify The ninth state, New Hampshire, finally
ratified in June 1788 It went into effect in March 1789
Putting the Constitution into Effect
![Page 7: The U.S. Constitution](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062410/568161d6550346895dd1dae8/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
There is a preamble, 7 articles, and 27
amendments The first 10 amendments are collectively
known as the Bill of Rights The Preamble states the purpose of the
document Each article lays out the functions of each
branch of government, as well as requirements for each job and the oath of office that they must take
Each amendment changes the document in some way
Structure of the Constitution
![Page 8: The U.S. Constitution](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062410/568161d6550346895dd1dae8/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Outlines the purpose of the document “We the people of the United 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
![Page 9: The U.S. Constitution](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062410/568161d6550346895dd1dae8/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
Article One: outlines the functions of the Legislative branch
(Congress) Article Two: outlines the functions of the Executive branch (President
and Vice President) Article Three: outlines the functions of the Judicial Branch (Supreme
Court) Article Four: discusses the states and how they should work
together and not discriminate against citizens of other states Article Five: provides instructions on how to amend the Constitution Article Six: provides the oath of office for members of the
government Article Seven: declares the Constitution will go into effect when
ratified by nine states
The Articles
![Page 10: The U.S. Constitution](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062410/568161d6550346895dd1dae8/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
The first 10 amendments These were added within two years of the
ratification of the Constitution They guarantee certain liberties and rights to
the citizens of the U.S. (See attachment)
The Bill of Rights
![Page 11: The U.S. Constitution](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062410/568161d6550346895dd1dae8/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
In addition to the Bill of Rights, there are 17 more
amendments to the U.S. Constitution Some were brought on by Supreme Court decisions,
others by changing ideals in the country, and others describe voting and election procedures, tax collection, and inauguration procedures for Presidents, Vice Presidents, and members of Congress
No matter how an amendment is brought about, it takes three-fourths of the states to ratify before the amendment can go into effect
(See attachment)
Other Amendments
![Page 12: The U.S. Constitution](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062410/568161d6550346895dd1dae8/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
1. What is a constitution? 2. What does a constitution outline? 3. Where and when was the U.S. Constitution written? 4. Why was the Constitution written? 5. What fundamental questions needed to be addressed by
the Constitution? 6. How did the delegates end up compromising on these
questions? 7. What is the Three-Fifths Compromise? 8. When did the Constitution go into effect? 9. How many articles does the Constitution have? 10. How many amendments does the Constitution have?
Questions
![Page 13: The U.S. Constitution](https://reader035.vdocuments.mx/reader035/viewer/2022062410/568161d6550346895dd1dae8/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
11. What are the first 10 amendments called? 12. What is the purpose of the preamble? 13. List each article and what it does. 14. What does the Bill of Rights guarantee? 15. How did some of the other amendments
come about? 16. How many states must ratify before a new
amendment can go into effect?
More Questions