1. US Constitution: Functions
US History
T. Hall

2. Article 1: Congress
The first article of the Constitution creates the legislative branch, also called Congress. The legislative branch is a bicameral legislature, which means it is broken into two parts. These two parts are the House of Representatives and the Senate.

3. Article 1: Congress The House of Representatives
Made of 435 members, called representatives.
The number of representatives each state receives is based on the number of people who live in that state (population).
For Example: Illinois has 12,830,632 people living in the state. Illinois receives 19, representatives. Montana’s population is 975,989, and they have 1 representative.

4. Article 1: Congress
House of Representative members serve terms of 2 years, and can serve as many terms as they like.
Qualifications to become a member of the US House of Representatives:
Must be at least 25 years old
Must be a US citizen for at least 7 years
Must be a resident (live-in) the state that you represent.

5. Article 1: Congress The Senate
Composed of 100 members. Each state gets two Senators.
Senators serve terms of 6 years, and can serve as many terms as they like.
Qualifications to become a member of the US Senator:
Must be at least 30 years old
Must be a US citizen for at least 9 years
Must be a resident (live-in) the state that you represent.

6. Understanding Questions
What branch of government does Article 1 create?
What are the two parts of the legislative branch?
How is representation determined in the House of Representatives?
How is representation determined in the Senate?

7. Article 1: How a Bill Becomes a Law
Bill: is a proposed law that has not yet been made into an actual law.
Laws: rules that limit personal behavior, and create political and social structures, i.e. schools.

8. Article 1: How a Bill Becomes a Law
Step 1: a member of the House of Representatives or Senate propose (introduce) a bill.
Step 2: the bill has to be approved by a simple majority in both the House of Representatives and Senate.
Step 3: if the is approved by Congress, the President has the choice to either sign the bill or veto the bill.
Step 4: if the President signs the bill, then that bill has become a law.

9. Article 1: How a Bill Becomes a Law
Step 4: if the President signs the bill, then that bill has become a law.
Step 5: if the President does not like the bill, then he can veto the bill.
Step 6: if the bill is vetoed, the bill goes back to the House or Senate.
Step 7: if 2/3 of both the House and Senate approve the bill a second time, then the bill becomes a law.

10. Understanding Questions
How is a bill and law different?
Who has the power to veto a bill?
If a bill is vetoed, can it still become a law? How?

11. Article 1: Powers of Congress
Expressed Powers: are the listed powers given to congress. Examples are, to declare war, to tax, and to regulate trade.
Necessary and Proper Clause: is also called the “elastic clause”, and it states that congress can make any laws that it feels are needed to carry out their expressed powers.

12. Article 2: The President
The second Article of the Constitution creates the executive branch, which is the branch of the President.
The President has a cabinet, which is a group of people who give the President advice, and help the President enforce the laws of the US government.
Cabinet administrations include: FBI, DEA, EPA, etc.

13. Article 2: The President
The powers of the President include:
The President’s most important power is to enforce law, which he does through presidential agencies, like the DEA, FBI, and EPA.
The power to make agreements with foreign nations. Those agreements are called treaties.

14. Article 2: The President
The President is the Commander-in-Chief, which means is the head of the military.
The President can the power to sign/veto laws.

15. Article 2: The President
The President serves a term of 4 years, and can only serve 2 terms.
The qualifications to become President are:
Must be at least 35 years old
Must have been born in the United States
Must have lived in the USA for 14 years

16. Understanding Questions
What is the most important job the President has?
How many terms can a President serve? How long are the terms?
What does it mean that the President is the Commander-in-Chief?

17. Article 3: The Judicial System
Article 3 creates the Judicial Branch and the court system. The Supreme Court is highest court in the United States.
The most important job of the Supreme Court is to determine whether acts of government and laws are constitutional (good) or unconstitutional (bad).

18. Article 3: The Judicial System
The judges of the Supreme Court are called, Justices, and there are 9 Justices. The head of the court is called the Chief Justice.
Justices serve for life. They only end their term by death, wrongdoing, or by quitting.
Justices are appointed by the President, but confirmed (approved) by the Senate.

19. Understanding Questions
What is the name of the head of the Supreme Court?
What is the most important role of the Supreme Court?
How many Justices are there?
Who chooses Supreme Court Justices?

20. Articles 4-7
Article 4: creates the relationships between states. Each state must recognize the laws of all other states.
Article 5: explains how to change (amend) the Constitution. An amendment can be added in two ways:
A 2/3 vote of both houses of Congress
Each state ratifies (approves) the amendment

21. Articles 4-7
Article 6: explains that the National government is superior to all state governments. That means all of the states have to follow the laws created by the National government.
Article 7: explains how the Constitution is ratified.

22. Understanding Questions
Does the state of Illinois have to recognize the laws of Michigan?
Name one way the constitution can be amended.
Does the state of Illinois have to follow the laws created by the National government?

23. Citizenship Amendments
Amendments to Know: 1,5,6,9,14,15,19,24,26
Amendment 1: The first amendment give every citizen 5 freedoms, which include:
Freedom of Speech
Freedom of Religion
Freedom of Press (publish, or make public, your ideas)
Right to Peaceably Assemble (get into a group)
Right to Petition (protest the government)

24. Understanding Questions
What does it mean to petition the government?
What does it mean to have freedom of the press?
How many freedoms are in the first amendment?

25. Citizenship Amendments
Amendment 5: provides rights to people accused of a crime, which include:
Cannot be tried for the same crime twice.
Your life, liberty, and property cannot be taken without due process. Due process is the court trial.
Cannot be a witness against yourself, which means you do not have to incriminate yourself. Essentially, the right to remain silent.

26. 6th Amendment: Each citizen’s right to a trial by Jury

27. Citizenship Amendments
Amendment 9: states that people have more rights than just those specifically stated in the Constitution. Such as, the right to drive a car, etc.
Amendment 13: abolishes (ended) slavery in the United States.
Amendment 14: no state government can deny the Constitutional rights of any citizen.
Amendment 15: gave African American males the right to vote.

28. Citizenship Amendments
Amendment 19: gave women the right to vote
Amendment 24: states that citizens do not have to pay to vote. Made poll taxes illegal
Amendment 26: states that the voting age is 18.