The Constitution of the United States

The law is the set of rules that we live by. The Constitution is the highest law. It belongs to the United States. It belongs to all Americans.

This is the Preamble (or introduction) of the Constitution.

The Constitution was written in 1787 by 55 men we call the Framers of the Constitution. These men included George Washington and Ben Franklin.

The Constitution sets up the government. The government is split into three parts or branches. One branch is the Congress. The Congress makes laws. The people elect the members of Congress. The next branch is the President. The President enforces the laws. The last branch is the Courts. The courts decide what the law means when there are questions. All of the parts have to work together. Just like the Framers agreed on the Constitution, the parts have to agree on the laws. No part has too much power. The power is shared. This helps protect the people.

How it all works

The Constitution gives us rights and freedoms as citizens of the United States. Watch the next four slides and think about what freedoms these pictures show.

The Anatomy of the Constitution

Federalism The power of government is also split between the states and the federal government. This is called Federalism. If the Constitution does not have a law, the states can do what they want. State law cannot contradict federal law.

Dual Sovereignty Dual Sovereignty means that whatever the federal government does not make a law about, the states can act however they choose. That is why there is different state laws regarding the age of drinking alcohol, driving, the death penalty, and many more.

Preamble The introduction to the Constitution is called the Preamble. The Preamble begins with the phrase “We the people…” This means that the government is based on the consent of the people.

Amendment A change in the Constitution There have been 27 amendments to the Constitution. The first 10 amendments are called the Bill of Rights.

The Branches of Government There are three branches of government: 1. The legislative - which makes the laws 2. The executive - which enforces the laws or make sure the laws are carried out 3. The judicial - which interprets the laws or explains the laws and makes sure they are fair

Legislative Branch The legislative branch is called Congress and is made up of two Houses (parts): The House of Representatives and the Senate.

The House of Representatives The Senate The Senate is the other part of the Congress There are two senators for each state, which means of course there are 100 Senators. Senators must be at least 30 years old. Senators are elected to a six year term. States with the largest populations have the most representatives in the House. House members must be at least 25 years old or older to serve. House members are elected to a two year term. There are 435 members in the House of Representatives.

The Executive Branch The executive branch is headed by the president. The president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The president is elected to a four year term. The president can only serve two terms. The president must be a citizen by birth The president must be at least 35 years old

The Judicial Branch The Judicial Branch of the federal government is headed by the Supreme Court. Supreme Court justices are nominated by the president and approved by the Senate. There are 9 Supreme Court justices, who are appointed for life.

Constitution Scavenger Hunt

Understanding & Remembering the Constitution School House Rocks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHp7sMqPL0g&feature=related Born Yesterday Clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0BMTIErN8U