In 1787, the United States was a new country. Its leaders knew they needed a strong government.
Without a good plan, people might not know who was in charge. They might not know how decisions should be made. So, some leaders came together to make a plan. They wrote the Constitution to explain how our democracy works.
In a democracy, people can choose their leaders. This makes the United States a republic. A republic is a government that gets its power from the people. The Constitution starts with “We the people. . . .” The rights of the people are written in the Constitution. People have rights, but they also have duties to the country.
