1 / 18

The United States Constitution

The United States Constitution. “Supreme Law of the Land” (written plan of govt. for the entire nation). Chapter 3-3 and Chapter 3-4. Structure of the Constitution How is it organized?. Three parts:. We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union,

Download Presentation

The United States Constitution

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. The United States Constitution “Supreme Law of the Land” (written plan of govt. for the entire nation) Chapter 3-3 and Chapter 3-4

  2. Structure of the ConstitutionHow is it organized?

  3. Three parts:

  4. We the People of the United States, • in Order to form a more perfect Union, • establish Justice, • insure domestic Tranquility, • provide for the common defence, • 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.

  5. Translation • To unite the states so they can operate as a single nation, for the good of all • To make certain that all citizens are treated equally • To maintain peace and order, keeping citizens and their property safe from harm • To be ready militarily to protect the country and its citizens from attack • To help people live healthy, happy, and prosperous lives • To guarantee the basic rights of all Americans, including future generations (posterity)

  6. The 7 Articles • Article I – describe the Legislative Branch (Congress) • Article II – describes the Executive Branch (President) • Article III – describes the Judicial Branch (Courts & Judges) • Article IV – describes the relationship b/t the states & national govt. • Article V – describes amending (changing) the Constitution • Article VI – describes how the Constitution is the Supreme (most important) law of the land • Article VII – describes the process of ratifying the Constitution

  7. Also known as The Bill of Rights * Protecting many of our personal freedoms • Amendment 1- • Amendment 2 - • Amendment 3 - • Amendment 4 - • Amendment 5 - • Amendment 6 - • Amendment 7 - • Amendment 8 - • Amendment 9 - • Amendment 10 -

  8. Amendment 11 - • Amendment 12 - • Amendment 13 - • Amendment 14 - • Amendment 15 - • Amendment 16 - • Amendment 17 - • Amendment 18 - • Amendment 19 - • Amendment 20 - • Amendment 21 - • Amendment 22 - • Amendment 23 - • Amendment 24 - • Amendment 25 - • Amendment 26 - • Amendment 27 - various changes that needed to be made

  9. Federal Republic Popular Sovereignty Rule of Law Separation of Powers Checks & Balances Federalism Supremacy Principles (ideas) of the Constitution

  10. Federal RepublicPopular Sovereignty * principle 1 * principle 2 * having a govt. run by an * power of the govt. lies elected leader w/ the people * having a representative democracy * the will of the ppl. is demonstrated by having elections & ppl. voting Rule of Law *principle 3 *limited govt. (things govt. can & can’t do) *law applies to EVERYONE

  11. Separation of Powers principle 4 • to protect against abuse of power or govt. having too much power  divide govt. into 3 branches • borrowed this idea from _______________ • each branch of govt. has its own duties & responsibilities • L • E • J

  12. Checks & Balances principle 5 (chart p.88) • each branch “checks” the other to make sure its job gets done (like siblings “check” to see if each other’s chores have been done) • Each branch will “balance” each other out (have equal power)

  13. Examples:

  14. Federalism(principle 6 -chart p. 89) power is divided: one national govt. & state govts.

  15. Supremacy Clause(principle 7) • If a state law & a national law conflict w/ one another, the national law PREVAILS • States may not violate national law • National law may not violate the Constitution

  16. Amending the Constitution(chart p.83) • Two steps • 1. Proposal • congress makes a proposal to amend • or state delegates meet at national convention to amend • 2. Ratification (3/4 of states needed) • by state delegates • or state convention

  17. Interpreting the Constitution • Necessary & Proper Clause: • congress having powers that aren’t specifically listed in Constitution (implied powers) • “Loose interpretation” • congress might have to make other laws when necessary • “Strict interpretation” • give congress only the powerslistedin Constitution • “Elastic” Clause: • give congress the ability to “stretch” its powers

  18. Court Decisions: • U.S. Supreme Court (highest court in the U.S.) reviews any interpretations of the Constitution • Legislative Actions: • impeaching the president & putting him on trial • Presidential Actions • the duties of the vice-president • Customs: • creating political parties

More Related