The U.S. Constitution’s Greatest Hits What you need to KNOW about your government - not just for the test but for life!

Recall where the Americans were coming from! “That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government…” (from the Declaration of Independence, 1776)

After the Revolutionary War, there were some problems in the states Without a strong central government, there were conflicts between the states that the powerless Congress could not control. For example, states made their citizens pay taxes on goods that came from other states. States even had different currencies. States contributed what they wanted to for national defense So some might not have contributed at all!

States had different needs. –For example, some states depended on fishing, while others mostly grew crops. States had different sizes. –Some states had many people and some states had few. People had different opinions. –Some people feared a central government while others thought a strong central government was necessary. After the war was over, the states were not very unified

Poll: What do you think? Is it more fair for every state to have the same amount of power or for states with more people to have more power?  All states should have the same power  Larger states should have more power Why? This was one of the issues states disagreed on!

Ta-Da! Presenting … The Constitution! (priorities are clearly stated in the Preamble): “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Article I The Legislative Branch Makes the Laws

Article II The Executive Branch Enforces the Laws

Article III The Judicial Branch Interprets Laws

The Legislative Branch Makes Laws Senate The Judicial Branch Interprets Laws The Supreme Court The President Executive Branch Carries Out Laws THE BRANCHES House

How the Three Branches Divide the Work: 1.Congress can make laws but can ’ t carry out laws. 2. The President can carry out ( enforce) laws but can ’ t make laws. 3. The courts can ’ t make or carry out laws, but they can interpret what laws mean.

Article I In the House of Representatives, the number of reps each state gets is based on its ______________. Population (Large and/or densely populated states - like California, Texas and New York - are happy!)

Article I In the Senate representation is equal, each state gets ___ representatives. Two! (Small or sparsely populated states - like North Dakota, Rhode Island, Delaware and Nebraska - are happy!)

Under Article II, The President is the head of the __________ branch. Executive His/Her group of advisors = the Cabinet (ie: Departments of State, Justice, Education, Defense, Treasury, etc.)

Article III The Supreme Court interprets what the constitution means by hearing cases On constitutional issues When the United States is a party in the case When the dispute is between 2 or more states When the case involves a treaty

Under Article IV States must treat people from other states _______. ( the same!) For better or worse! For example, if they’re married or convicted of a crime, crossing state lines should not change their status.

Article V: Amending the Constitution! An amendment can be proposed in either the House or Senate It requires 2/3 of the House and Senate plus 3/4 of all 50 states (= 38 states’ legislatures)

Under Article VI Laws passed by Congress are superior to state laws. Want to impress someone? This is called the “supremacy clause!” The Constitution is the “Supreme Law of the land!” (so are any treaties made )

A few guiding principles you need to know: 1)The Constitution is a system of Checks and Balances (Each branch has ways to “check” and “balance” the power of the other 2, so no branch can abuse its power.) 2)The relationship between the federal government and the individual states is called Federalism (the federal - U.S.- government makes laws for the whole country, but states get to decide many things (ie: education requirements, transportation, land use, certain crimes, citizens’ rights that are beyond those specified in the Bill of Rights – like gay marriage, marijuana, physician assisted suicide.)