1. Unit 6: The Constitution
Lesson 4: How the Constitution is Organized

2. The Constitution’s main purpose was…
To provide a framework for the U.S. gov’t
However, as the highest authority of our country, it also has legal & political force

3. Legal & Political Force?
Yup
The power of all the branches of gov’t and all elected officials, including the President, comes from the Constitution

4. So how does the Constitution start?
The first part is called the…
Preamble
It identifies ideas that the gov’t stands for and…
states the purpose of the Constitution

5. The middle of the Preamble lists 6 goals for the U.S. gov’t
1. To form a more perfect union, MEANING:
To let the states operate as a single country, for the benefit of all

6. Goals 2. To establish justice, MEANING:
To make sure everyone is treated fairly & equally

7. Goals To keep peace among the people
3. To Insure domestic Tranquility, MEANING:
To keep peace among the people

8. Goals 4. To provide for the common defense, MEANING:
To have armed forces to protect the country from attack

9. Goals 5. To promote general Welfare, MEANING:
To make sure, as much as possible, that people are free from poverty, hunger, & disease

10. Goals
6. To secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves & our Posterity, MEANING:
To guarantee that no one’s basic rights will be taken away, now or in the future

11. The Articles
Following the Preamble, the Constitution is broken into 7 sections, called Articles
The first 3 describe the powers & responsibilities of the 3 branches of gov’t

12. Article 1 Describes the function, organization of, & powers of…
Congress

13. Article 2 Describes the function, organization of, & powers of the…
Executive Branch

14. Article 3 Describes the function, organization of, & powers of the…
Judicial Branch

15. Article 4
Explains the relationship between the states & the national gov’t

16. Article 5
Specifies how the Constitution can be changed

17. Article 6
States that the national gov’t is supreme over state gov’ts, and that no religious test
can be required for holding public office

18. Article 7 9 states ratify it
States that the Constitution will go into effect after
9 states ratify it

19. So, now that we have this Constitution…
what type of gov’t does that give us?

20. We’re a democratic republic and a constitutional democracy
In a democratic republic,
citizens elect representatives to make the rules of gov’t for them

21. The fact that citizens elect these leaders by following written laws (the Constitution) means that we’re also a
constitutional democracy