66. When was the Constitution written?
1787 The Constitution, written in 1787, created a new system of U.S. government—the same system we have today. James Madison was the main writer of the Constitution. He became the fourth president of the United States. The U.S. Constitution is short, but it defines the principles of government and the rights of citizens in the […]
65. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
The Constitution was written. The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution. The Constitutional Convention was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May to September 1787. Fifty-five delegates from 12 of the original 13 states (except for Rhode Island) met to write amendments to the Articles of Confederation. The delegates met because many American leaders did not like […]
41. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?
to print money to declare war to create an army to make treaties The powers of government are divided between the federal government and the state governments. The federal government is known as a limited government. Its powers are restricted to those described in the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution gives the federal government the power […]
13. Name one branch or part of the government
Congress legislative President executive the courts judicial The Constitution establishes three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial. Article I of the Constitution establishes the legislative branch. Article I explains that Congress makes laws. Congress (the Senate and the House of Representatives) is the legislative branch of the U.S. government. Article II of the Constitution […]
7. How many amendments does the Constitution have?
twenty-seven (27) The first 10 amendments to the Constitution are called the Bill of Rights. They were added in 1791. Since then, 17 more amendments have been added. The Constitution currently has 27 amendments. The 27th Amendment was added in 1992. It explains how senators and representatives are paid. Interestingly, Congress first discussed this amendment […]
6. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?
speech religion assembly press petition the government The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights protects a person’s right to freedom of expression. Freedom of expression allows open discussion and debate on public issues. Open discussion and debate are important to democracy. The First Amendment also protects freedom of religion and free speech. This amendment […]
5. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
The Bill of Rights The Bill of Rights is the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. When the Framers wrote the Constitution, they did not focus on individual rights. They focused on creating the system and structure of government. Many Americans believed that the Constitution should guarantee the rights of the people, and they wanted […]
4. What is an amendment?
a change (to the Constitution) an addition (to the Constitution) An amendment is a change or addition to the Constitution. The Framers of the Constitution knew that laws can change as a country grows. They did not want to make it too easy to modify the Constitution, the supreme law of the land. The Framers […]
3. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
We the People The Constitution says: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United […]
2. What does the Constitution do?
Sets up the government Defines the government Protects basic rights of Americans The Constitution of the United States divides government power between the national government and state governments. The name for this division of power is “federalism.” Federalism is an important idea in the Constitution. We call the Founding Fathers who wrote the Constitution the […]