Our Constitution The Rules We Live By

EQ: What is the constitution? 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.

The Constitution says how the government works. It creates the President. It creates the Congress. It creates the Supreme Court.

Our Rights The Constitution lists some of the most important rights. Rights are things that all people have just because they are alive. By listing the rights as part of the Constitution they are made special.

Bill of Rights The Bill of Rights is a part of the Constitution. The Bill of Rights lists many rights of the people.

Rights You have the right to be treated equally. You have the right to think for yourself

Rights It lets you go to the church that you wish. It lets you gather with your friends to talk.

Rights It makes sure you can read newspapers. It keeps the laws from being too hard.

Rights It gives rules for the police. It also protects your home.

History of the Constitution The Constitution was written in It is over 200 years old. We actually have copies of what was created.

The Framers In 1787, a group of men met to write the Constitution. They did not like the way the country was going. They fixed it by creating the Constitution. We call these men The Framers.

Framers Some of the framers were famous. George Washington was a Framer. Ben Franklin was a Framer.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Framers met during a hot summer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They had a lot of arguments. But in the end, they agreed to the words in the Constitution.

States Voted It took some time but all of the states voted to approve the Constitution. Some people didn’t like it because they felt it didn’t protect the rights of the people. So the Bill of Rights was added then. The Bill of Rights was the first 10 changes to the Constitution.

Finally So, finally after declaring their independence in 1776, the new country had its Constitution, the law of the land.

200 Years Later Our Constitution is still followed today. It is thought of as one of the greatest documents ever written.