"The Supreme Law of the Land" The US Constitution "The Supreme Law of the Land"

Organization Preamble Article I-Legislative Branch Article II-Executive Branch Article III-Judicial Branch Article IV- States and the Union Article V-Amendments Article VI-Supremacy Clause Article VII-Ratification Process Signatures Amendments (27)

Preamble “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.”

Basic Information The Constitution is the highest law in the land But each state also has a State Constitution…..but the federal Constitution is superior Was written in 1787 Famous framers include James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington

Where is the original Constitution kept? It is stored in the National Archives in Washington DC

At the time of the Constitution… There were only 13 states (the original 13 British colonies)

To ratify the Constitution… 9 of the 13 states need to approve it (2/3) Delaware was 1st New Hampshire was the 9th

Slavery At the time the Constitution was created there was Slavery in the US Therefore African Americans are not considered members of the voting population at the time of ratification They were eventually freed with the 13th Amendment, gained citizenship with the 14th and the right to vote with the 15th

Women Were also not considered citizens Were homemakers expected to take care of the home, kids and family Eventually gained the right to vote in 1920 with the 19th Amendment

Interesting Facts The US Constitution has 4400 words in it, but it is the shortest and oldest written Constitution of any major government in the world today The Constitution was penned by Jacob Shallus, a PA General Assembly clerk, for $30 (today $726) Of the 42 delegates at the Convention, only 39 signed the document. Missing are George Mason, Elbridge Gerry and Edmund Randolph, mainly because of a lack of Bill of Rights

And more….. It took one hundred days to actually “frame” the Constitution. George Washington and James Madison were the only presidents who signed the Constitution The word “democracy” does not appear once in the Constitution. Rhode Island was the only state not to send delegates to Philadelphia in 1787

More Interesting Facts… When the Constitution was signed, the United States’ population was 4 million. It is now more than 309 million. Philadelphia was the nation’s largest city, with 40,000 inhabitants. Since 1952, the Constitution has been on display in the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. Currently, all four pages are displayed behind protective glass framed with titanium. To preserve the parchment’s quality, the cases contain argon gas and are kept at 67 degrees Fahrenheit with a relative humidity of 40 percent.