“THESE PRINCIPLES FORM THE BRIGHT CONSTELLATION WHICH HAS GONE BEFORE US AND GUIDED OUR STEPS THROUGH AN AGE OF REVOLUTION AND REFORMATION.” -THOMAS JEFFERSON, 1801 The Constitution

How is the Constitution Written? Preamble: states the broad goals of the new government. (“…establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.”) 7 Articles & 27 Amendments Each “Article” spells out the organization, rules, and procedures of American government.

How is the Constitution Organized? The first 3 Articles deal with the 3 branches of government: -legislative, executive, & judicial Article 4 deals with relations among the states - Full Faith and Credit Clause -Privileges and Immunities Clause -Admission of new states Article 5 deals with the amendment process Article 6 – “Supremacy Clause” Article 7 deals with the original ratification process

27 Amendments The first 10 are known as “the Bill of Rights” Each additional amendment illustrates our nations quest to become “a more perfect union.” It shows one way the constitution has changed with the times. For example, the 13 th amendment abolished slavery; the 14 th & 15 th amendments sought to end discrimination and integrated freed slaves into the nation; the 16 th amendment created federal income tax; the 19 th amendment gave women the right to vote; the 26 th amendment lowered the voting age to 18.

Section 1: Basic Principles Popular Sovereignty (“We the people!”) Limited Government (rule of law/constitutionalism) Separation of Powers (3 separate, independent braches) Checks and Balances (power can be checked by each branch) Judicial Review (power of court to determine the constitutionality of a government action.) Federalism (division of power between the states & federal gov)

Marbury v. Madison, 1803 Landmark Supreme Court case in which the High Court established the principle of judicial review. This power is not expressly stated in the constitution, but implied in Article 3.