Constitution Day

Purpose Purpose of the Day: Constitution Day commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution by thirty-nine brave men on September 17, 1787, recognizing all who, are born in the U.S. or by naturalization, have become citizens.

What is the Constitution? The Constitution was written in 1787, making it 225 years old. The Constitution is the highest law in the United States. All other laws come from the Constitution. It says how the government works. It creates the Presidency. It creates the Congress. It creates the Supreme Court. 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.

What is the Constitution Cont. 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. As of 2006, 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.

Parts of the Constitution: There are three parts to the U.S. Constitution: 1. The Preamble 2. The Articles 3. The Amendments

Preamble The preamble states the fundamental purposes, principles, and goals of the government established by the Constitution. Its purpose is to generally define the reasons behind the Constitution, establish what justifies a government, and explain how its citizens have come to create one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIKhRERqPS4

Articles The main body of the Constitution is made up of seven articles. The Articles explain how the government works. They also carefully describe the rules for electing government officials, like Senators and the President. The Constitution is based on the separation of powers. It divides power between the three separate branches of the government. They are the legislative, judicial, and executive branches.

Break Down of the 7 Articles Article I: The role of the legislative branch (Congress) is discussed in Article I. Article II: Rules for how the President and the Vice President are elected are defined in Article II. It also defines the responsibilities and powers of the President and the executive branch. Article III: The judicial branch includes the Supreme Court and lower courts. Article III states that Supreme Court Judges can hold office for life, unless they are removed, impeached, or convicted of a crime. Article IV: Discusses the relationship between states and the federal government. It also outlines the rules for admitting new states to the Union. Article V: The Founding Fathers realized that over time, the government might need to make changes, called amendments, to the Constitution. Two thirds of both houses of Congress must agree to propose an amendment. It takes a positive vote by three fourths of the states to make an amendment law. Article VI: States that the Constitution is the highest law of the land. Federal and state officers and judges must uphold the Constitution. Article VII: Confirms the establishment of the Constitution.

Amendments When the Constitution was written, the Framers knew their creation was not perfect. They knew that other people would have good ideas for the Constitution. They wanted to be sure that it wasn't too hard to make changes. They also wanted to be sure that it wasn't too easy. The Framers added an amendment process. An amendment to the Constitution is a change that can add to the Constitution or change an older part of it. 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. Some of these rights might sound familiar: the right of free speech; the right to practice your own religion; the right to be silent if you are arrested.

Bill of Rights First Amendment: Freedom of religion, freedom of speech and the press, the right to assemble, the right to petition government. Second Amendment: The right to form a militia and to keep and bear arms. Third Amendment: The right not to have soldiers in one's home. Fourth Amendment: Protection against unreasonable search and seizure. Fifth Amendment: No one can be tried for a serious crime unless indicted (accused) by a grand jury. No one can be forced to testify against herself or himself. No one can be punished without due process of law. People must be paid for property taken for public use.

Bill of Rights Cont. Sixth Amendment: People have a right to a speedy trial, to legal counsel, and to confront their accusers. Seventh Amendment: People have the right to a jury trial in civil suits exceeding $20. Eighth Amendment: Protection against excessive bail (money to release a person from jail), stiff fines, and cruel and unusual punishment. Ninth Amendment: Because there are so many basic human rights, not all of them could be listed in the Constitution. This amendment means that the rights that are enumerated cannot infringe upon rights that are not listed in the Constitution. Tenth Amendment: Powers not given to the federal government by the Constitution belong to the states or the people. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efKy4J81PTg&feature=related

Founding Fathers From May to September 1787 a group of men known as the Framers met. The Framers talked about what should be in the Constitution. The United States was a brand new country. The United States had a government that did not work very well. The Framers met to find a new way of running the country. This meeting is called The Convention.

List of Founding Fathers John Adams Samuel Adams Josiah Bartlett Carter Braxton Charles Carroll Samuel Chase Abraham Clark George Clymer William Ellery William Floyd Benjamin Franklin Elbridge Gerry Button Gwinnett Lyman Hall John Hancock Benjamin Harrison John Hart George Washington William Hooper Stephen Hopkins Francis Hopkinson Samuel Huntington Thomas Jefferson Francis Lightfoot Lee Richard Henry Lee Francis Lewis Philip Livingston Joseph Hewes Thomas Heyward, Jr. Edward Rutledge Thomas Lynch, Jr. Thomas McKean Arthur Middleton Lewis Morris Robert Morris John Morton Thomas Nelson, Jr. William Paca Robert Treat Paine John Penn George Read Caesar Rodney George Ross Benjamin Rush James Madison Roger Sherman James Smith Richard Stockton James Monroe Thomas Stone George Taylor Matthew Thornton George Walton William Whipple William Williams James Wilson John Witherspoon Oliver Wolcott George Wythe Charles Thomson

Work Cited Page http://www.usconstitution.net/constkids4.html http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=7466 http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_purpose_of_the_preamble_to_the_US_Constitution http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0769450.html http://www.buzzle.com/articles/who-were-the-founding-fathers-of-the-united-states.html