Celebrate Freedom Week

Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence announced the colonies’ freedom from British rule and set forth the founding principles of the United States of America including: “all men are created equal”; unalienable rights; government derives its power from the consent of the governed.

U.S. Constitution – the Constitution of the United States of America defines a framework for the country's law and order. The Constitution is the supreme law enforcer of the United States.

Framework of the federal government of the United States The U.S. Constitution provides the government with the framework for the organization of the government. The draft clearly defines the responsibilities of: The bicameral Congress governance within the legislative branch of the government The President as head of the government's executive branch The Supreme Court as head of the judicial branch of the government

Bill of Rights – many opposed the Constitution in 1787 because they believed it did not offer adequate protection of individual rights. The Bill of Rights, ratified in 1791, was created to correct this. The individual rights protected in the Bill of Rights include economic rights related to property, political rights related to freedom of speech and press, and personal rights related to bearing arms and maintaining private property. The Bill of Rights exists as the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution.