The U.S. Constitution

1. The U.S. Constitution January 27, 2014

2. What is a constitution? • A ___________ is a document that embodies the fundamental principles of a government of a nation. • It outlines its ______, institutions, and customs. • A constitution can often be labeled as “________” or “living” because it can be _________ by an act of congress (_____________). • Most countries in the world have a _________ constitution, often based on the U.S., British, or French constitutions.

3. Writing the U.S. Constitution • The U.S. Constitution was written at the ________________________ in Philadelphia in 1787. • It was written to fix the weaknesses that were present in the ___________________________ • All states except Rhode Island sent ___________ to the convention to help decide the content of the constitution • However, many arguments ensued, and some delegates were so angry that they ______ before the document was finished

4. Disagreements at the Convention • The fundamental questions that needed to be decided were how much ________ the __________ government should have and how the ________ would be a part of the federal government • It turned into a battle between _______ states and _______ states • Large states wanted representation based on population; small states wanted equal representation from all states • Eventually, a _____________ was reached where the legislature would be ___________ (two houses) with the House of Representatives decided based on population and the Senate being equal among the states • This is called the ________________________

5. The Question of Slavery • With population size being a deciding factor in the House of Representatives, the question of whether __________ counted or not was raised • It was decided that ______________ of the slave population should count towards the total population of a state (this is called The Three-Fifths Compromise) • Other delegates wanted to _________ slavery altogether. • Another compromise was reached that stated that the _______________ of slaves would be abolished, but not before ________. Slavery itself was still legal.

6. Putting the Constitution into Effect • When the document was signed in September 1787, it was sent to the states for _____________ • ______ states were required to ratify • Some states seriously ___________ 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 _______________

7. Structure of the Constitution • There is a ___________, 7 _________, and 27 _______________ • The first ______ amendments are collectively known as the _____________ • The Preamble states the __________ of the document • Each article lays out the ___________ of each branch of government, as well as requirements for each job and the oath of office that they must take • Each amendment __________ the document in some way

8. The Preamble • Outlines the purpose of the document • “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect ________, establish _________, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common _________, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of _________ to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

9. The Articles • Article One: outlines the functions of the _______________ branch (Congress) • Article Two: outlines the functions of the ____________ branch (President and Vice President) • Article Three: outlines the functions of the ___________ Branch (Supreme Court) • Article Four: discusses the _________ and how they should work together and not discriminate against citizens of other states • Article Five: provides instructions on how to _________ the Constitution • Article Six: provides the ________ of office for members of the government • Article Seven: declares the Constitution will go into effect when __________ by nine states

10. The Bill of Rights • The first _____ amendments • These were added within _____ years of the ratification of the Constitution • They guarantee certain ____________ and _________ to the citizens of the U.S. • (See attachment)

11. Other Amendments • In addition to the Bill of Rights, there are ____ more amendments to the U.S. Constitution • Some were brought on by __________________ decisions, others by changing _________ 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 __________________ of the states to ratify before the amendment can go into effect • (See attachment)

12. Questions • 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?

13. More Questions • 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?