THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

What is the Constitution? The Constitution is a written document that establishes the government of the United States.

When was the Constitution written? Where was the Constitution written? The Constitution was written in 1787, and signed on September 17, It was written in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Constitutional Convention at Independence Hall.

Who was at the Constitutional Convention? 55 delegates from the 13 original states were present, including: Alexander Hamilton (NY) Benjamin Franklin (PA) George Washington (VA) William Few, Abraham Baldwin, (GA) These are the “framers” of the Constitution Many are our “Founding Fathers.”

Constitutional Convention By May 25, 1787 all states except Rhode Island had sent representatives to the convention. They posted guards at the doors and nailed the windows shut in the middle of summer for secrecy. Many intended to revise the Articles of Confederation, but they actually designed a new government. The new government was changed, but remained a democratic republic.

The Great Compromise Problem: How can the states get equal representation when some states have larger populations than others? Solution: A bicameral Congress. (bi = two, camer = chamber) 1.House of Representatives – based on population 2.Senate – two representatives from each state.

The Question of Slavery Could slaves count toward figuring the number of representatives based on population in each state? Every five slaves would count as three people in figuring population to determine representation Should slaves count for taxation? Every five slaves would count as three people in figuring taxes. Should slavery be legal? The northern states wanted it banned. The southern states did not. They compromised by agreeing not to ban the slave trade until 1808.

Georgia’s Role Two Georgians took part in the Constitutional Convention of William Few and Abraham Baldwin signed the Constitution. Georgia was the 4 th state to ratify the Constitution.

What does the Constitution say? The Constitution says: –W–We have to pay taxes –W–We have freedoms –S–Slavery is illegal –A–A president has to be 35 years old –W–Who can vote –H–How to impeach an elected official –H–How to change the Constitution

The Constitution… Has 3 main parts: –T–The Preamble: describes the purpose of the government –T–The Articles: establish how the government is structured (7) –T–The Amendments: make changes to the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights (27)

Checks and Balances NO BRANCH HAS ALL OF THE POWER EACH BRANCH CAN CHECK AND CONTROL THE ACTIONS OF THE OTHER BRANCES Provides for a national government with three branches: EXECUTIVE: Provides leadership & enforces laws LEGISLATIVE: makes the laws JUDICIAL: explains & interprets laws

Bill of Rights The first ten amendments to the Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights Ratified in 1791 Guarantees individual rights: 1. Religious and Political Freedom (speech, press, assembly, etc 2. Right to bear arms 3. Quartering troops (housing troops) 4. Search and Seizure (no unreasonable searches, need warrant) 5. Rights of the Accused (trial by jury, double jeopardy) 6. Right to a speedy and public trial 7. Trial by jury in civil cases 8. Limits of fines and punishment (no excessive fines, cruel punishment 9. Rights of people 10. Powers of state and people

Fascinating Facts: The Constitution has 4400 words, making it the oldest and shortest written constitution in the world. The oldest person to sign the Constitution was Benjamin Franklin (81). The youngest was Jonathon Dayton (26). When the Constitution was signed, the U.S. population was 4 million. Today it is over 280 million.

Fascinating Facts… The only U.S. presidents to sign the Constitution were George Washington and James Madison. Of the almost 10,000 amendments to the Constitution proposed since 1789, only 27 have been passed. That is a success rate of less than 1%. The word “democracy” does not appear once in the Constitution.

Today the Constitution is housed in the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C. During the daytime, pages 1-4 of the document are displayed in a bullet-proof case. The case contains helium and Water vapor to the preserve the paper’s quality. At night, the pages are lowered into a vault behind 5 ton doors designed to withstand a nuclear explosion. The entire Constitution is displayed only one day a year, Sept. 17, the anniversary of the day it was signed.

VOCABULARY REVIEW Constitution A written document that establishes the government of the United States. Framers of the Constitution The delegates who met at the Constitutional Convention, debated, wrote, and signed the Constitution. Founding Fathers The group of influential men who made the greatest contributions to the founding of the USA Constitutional Convention The meeting held in 1787 to consider changes to the AOC; resulted in the drafting of our Constitution.

VOCABULARY REVIEW Bicameral two chambers; House of Representatives and Senate Ratify to confirm with consent or approval; the states had to approve the Constitution by vote Democratic Republic a government based on the will of the people, to vote and choose representatives to govern Checks and Balances the ability of the three branches of government to exercise controls over each other