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The Constitution starts with a short preamble that explains its purpose. The preamble begins: “We the People of the United States.”
These words stress that the power of the document comes from the people. After the preamble are seven articles. Some are divided into sections. Some of the articles and sections are also divided into clauses.
ARTICLE I
Article I calls for Congress to be made up of a Senate and a House of Representatives. It explains how Congress is elected and organized. It also says what Congress must do, and what it can’t do. The article defines the relationship between Congress and the states. Congress was not allowed to end the slave trade until at least 1808. This was another compromise. The Constitution needed support from proslavery delegates to pass.
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Article I contains an elastic clause. What’s that?
Article I, Section 8, gives the government the power “To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the Foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States….” This is sometimes called the elastic clause. That means it stretches to cover things the framers could not predict.
ARTICLE II
Article II says that the president shall be elected by electors. These are special representatives from each state. How many electors did a state get? The amount is the number of senators plus the number of representatives from that state. All of these representatives make up the Electoral College.
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What else does Article II call for?
It defines the president’s duties and powers. It explains what to do if the president dies or is removed from office. And it says that the president and others can be removed from office for committing certain crimes.
ARTICLE III
Article III says that one Supreme Court will head the judicial branch. Justices serve for life. But they may be removed if they commit a crime. Congress can set up lower courts as needed. The Supreme Court decides how the Constitution should be interpreted, or understood. Article III also defines treason. Treason is the act of betraying your country. Congress has the power to punish treason.
ARTICLE IV
Article IV defines the relationship between the states. It also explains the relationship between each state and the national government. It gives Congress the right to form new states. And it has a rule about slaves who escape to states that outlaw slavery. It says slaves must be taken back if their owners want them.
ARTICLE V
Article V talks about how the Constitution can be changed. That kind of change is called an amendment. There are two ways a change can happen. Both of them need three-fourths of the states to say yes before an amendment can pass.
ARTICLE VI
Article VI has three clauses. The debts of the previous government must still be paid. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land. All federal and state officials must take an oath of loyalty to the Constitution. But public officials cannot be made to follow any religion.
ARTICLE VII
This Constitution will be the law if nine states ratify it.
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Where can you see the Constitution?
You can see the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence in the Rotunda of the National Archives building. It’s at 700 Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C.
CHECKS AND BALANCES
After winning freedom from Great Britain, many Americans were wary of giving power to a strong central government. The Constitution addressed this problem. It set up three branches of government. The legislative branch makes laws. That’s Congress. The executive branch enforces laws. It’s headed by the president. The judicial branch is the courts. It makes sure the laws are carried out fairly. The Constitution also made sure that no branch had too much power. It did this with a system of checks and balances. For example, the president can veto, or say no to, a law passed by Congress. But if two-thirds of Congress votes down the veto, they can ignore it. There are many more examples of checks and balances among the three branches.
