Happy Constitution Day!

The Basics The Constitution is the highest law in the United States. All other laws come from the Constitution. It says how the government works. Each state also has a constitution. The constitutions of the states are their highest law for that state — but the United States Constitution is higher. The Constitution can be changed. The Constitution is changed by an "amendment." Among the amendments is a list of the rights of the people. By listing these rights, they are made special. It is illegal for the government to violate those rights. There are 27 amendments. Not all of them involve rights, but many do. The first ten amendments are special. They are called the Bill of Rights.

History May-September 1787 the Framers met to talk about what should be in the Constitution The United States was a brand new country and needed a working government. The 13 states all agreed on the Constitution, but it took many revisions.

Amendments Originally, some people did not want to ratify the Constitution. One big reason was that it did not have a bill of rights. A bill of rights is a list of rights that belong to the people. The government is not allowed to break these rights. The original Constitution had no bill of rights. Many of the Framers did not think it was needed. But many people wanted one. So, promises were made to add one, using the amendment process. Congress proposed the Bill of Rights. In 1791, ten changes were agreed to by the states. The ten changes were added to the Constitution. These ten changes are called the "Bill of Rights."

Slavery In 1787, most of the black people in America were slaves. As time went by, people thought that slavery was wrong. Most of the people who wanted to end slavery were from the states in the north. Most of the people who wanted to keep slavery were from the states in the south. The Civil War followed. With the 13th Amendment, slavery was made illegal. The 14th Amendment said that every person born in the United States was a full citizen. Even former slaves were full citizens. The 15th Amendment made sure that black people could vote.

Women For a long time, men held all the positions of power. Women had no role in government. They had no role in politics. They were homemakers. They took care of their husbands or fathers. They took care of kids. Most men did not feel that women should vote. There were actually laws that said women could not vote. Many people decided this was wrong and many women and some men fought against it. Finally, in 1920, the 19th Amendment was passed. It says that women can vote in all elections.

Bill of Rights It was passed because some people were afraid that the government would have too much power. They were afraid that some important things could be made illegal. For example, you can say whatever you want about the President. You can say that you don’t like the war in Afghanistan. We can say what things politicians do that we don’t like. This is only because of the Right of Free Speech. The Bill of Rights protects Free Speech. Imagine if there was no right to free speech. A law could be passed that says if you criticize the President’s hair, you can spend a day in jail. We cannot be put in jail because of our opinions. The Bill of Rights protects a lot of other freedoms, too. You can believe in any religion you want. You cannot be forced to house soldiers in your home. The police cannot come into your home without a good reason. You cannot be given unusual punishments.

Bill of Rights Amendment I: Congress can not make a law that affects the establishment of your religion, or stop you from practicing your religion or restrict you saying or publishing whatever you want (like in a newspaper or a book). Also, Congress can not restrict or stop you from meeting peacefully for a demonstration to ask the government to change something. Amendment II: Congress cannot stop or restrict people from having and carrying weapons for their safety or in situations where they need to defend themselves. Amendment III: Unless there is a war or if Congress has passed a law, soldiers can not live in someone else's house without the owner's permission.

Bill of Rights Amendment IV: Nobody can search your body, your house, or your papers and things or give a warrant unless they can prove to the judge that they have a strong reason to think you are guilty or have committed a crime. Amendment V: You cannot be tried or prosecuted for any crime without a prior Grand Jury meeting, to decide whether there's enough evidence for a trial. If you are proved to be innocent by the jury, the government can not try you a second time with another jury. You need not testify against yourself during the trial and you cannot be killed or put in jail or fined, unless you were declared guilty of a crime by a jury. Also the government can not take your house or your farm or anything that belongs to you, unless the government pays for it.

Bill of Rights Amendment VI: If you are arrested you are allowed to have a speedy and public trial by a jury of ordinary people from your area. You have the right to know what you are accused of, to face the people who are witnesses against you and to have the government help you get witnesses on your side or in your defense. Amendment VII: You have the right to a trial by jury, if it is a civil case i.e. a law case between two people or an issue which is worth more than 20 dollars. Amendment VIII: The government can not ask you to pay more than what is reasonable in bail or in fines. Also cruel and unusual punishments or tortures can't be imposed on you even if you are guilty of a crime. Amendment IX: Details of these rights which are outlined or listed in the Constitution cannot be considered or interpreted in a way to have or deny others their rights. Amendment X: Anything the Constitution doesn't say or other laws that aren't governed or prohibited by the Constitution which Congress can do, should be done by the states or its people.

Constitution Wrap-Up Create a mosaic! – A mosaic is a picture or decoration made of small, usually colored pieces of inlaid stone, glass, etc. – Divide your paper into ten parts. – Draw a picture for each right. – Summarize the right in 5 words or less – Make sure to number the right.