The Constitution is organized like this: 1.The Preamble 2.The Articles articles: the numbered sections of the Constitution There are 7 articles The rules of our government are explained in the articles 3.The Amendments There are 27 total amendments (additions) to the Constitution Bill of Rights: the first 10 amendments to the Constitution Remember – amendments are still part of the Constitution, even though they were added later on. They are just as important as the Preamble and articles! Objs. 6-7: Structure of the Constitution

Part I: The Preamble Preamble: short introduction to the Constitution WE THE PEOPLE: emphasizes concept of popular sovereignty “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 Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

We the People: People, not a higher power A more perfect union: cooperation between states Justice: Fair laws and fair trade Domestic Tranquility: Peace among citizens; no more rebellions Defence: protection from other countries Welfare, security, and blessings: Access for all to liberty and freedom Preamble: What does it mean?

7 Articles (sections) – Article I: Legislative Branch (Congress) – Article II: Executive Branch – Article III: Judicial Branch – Article IV: States – their relationships with the national govt and with each other – Article V: How to add amendments to the Const. – Article VI: Declares the Constitution the supreme law of the land – Article VII: Explains how to ratify the Constitution Part II: The Articles

Article I: The Legislative Branch – Article I establishes: Congress has law-making power Congress is bicameral (H.O.R. and Senate) Qualifications for members of Congress Rules, powers, and guidelines for Congress Article I: The Legislative Branch

Article II: The Executive Branch Article II: The Executive Branch – Enforces the laws – Includes: Pres and Vice Pres Pres. Cabinet Executive Agencies (ex. Dept of State, Dept of Health) Independent Executive Agencies (ex. NASA)

Current Executives

Article III: The Judicial Branch – Supreme Court: Decides constitutionality of laws – Inferior Courts District Appeals – Special Courts Tax Military Federal Claims Etc…. Article 3: The Judicial Branch

Section 1: Each State must honor the records and laws of all other States Section 2: States must treat residents of other States equally to its own residents Section 3: Rules for admitting new States in to the Union Section 4: Guarantee of a Republican form of government in each State – NOT Republican as in the political party – But republican, meaning we have a representative government that respects the power of the people to make decisions in government Article IV: The States

Article V: Amendments Amendments – additions to the Constitution – Once added, they are legally part of the Constitution, and are just as important as the original document. Deal with issues that have arisen through US history Bill of Rights: 1 st 10 amendments to the Const. 27 total amendments

Method + # of amendments that have been approved by this method Amendment Proposed byAmendment ratified (approved) by Method 1 (26) Congress – needs 2/3 vote in both House and Senate State legislatures – ¾ vote to pass (38 out of 50 states) Method 2 (1) Congress – needs 2/3 vote in both House and Senate State ratifying convention called specifically for the amendment – ¾ to pass Method 3 (0) National Convention-2/3 of States (34) request that Congress form the convention for a specific amendment State Legislatures – ¾ to pass Method 4 (0) Same as method #3Same as Method #2 Formal Changes (Amendments)

Constitution IS and IS NOT the same document it was in 1787 Our basic government structure is the same But, we have added/removed things over the years The Constitution can change in many ways – Amendments are formal changes – changes that become part of the written language of the Constitution – But most of the changes in our Constitution are informal changes – changes in the interpretation of the words of the Constitution (these changes aren’t actually written down, but they have the biggest impact on how our government operates) The Constitution: A Living Document

Constitution is short, broad, and open to interpretation Most changes to Constitution DO NOT involve formal amendments Informal changes occur in 5 ways…. 1.Legislation by Congress Congress passes laws that answer questions not addressed in the Constitution Ex. Presidential succession – Constitution doesn’t say who takes office if Prez and VP die, so Congress passes a law Informal Changes

2.Executive Action – the ways different Presidents have used their power – Ex: treaties have to be approved by Congress, but an executive agreement does not 3.Court Decisions – The Supreme Court decides how the words of the Constitution work in practice 4.Political Party Practices – The Constitution says nothing about political parties – Yet, many govt actions are influenced by them 5.Customs – Ex. : Presidents never ran for 3 rd terms until FDR, who served 4 terms. We added the 22 nd amendment as a result Informal changes