2.  What do you know about the constitution?  What is it?  Why was it written?  Why is it important  Do other countries have one?

3.  In 1777 the Continental Congress (Representatives from each state) wrote the Articles of Confederation.  Articles of Confederation – Americas first government

4.  The Articles of Confederation was an epic fail.  Congress could not collect taxes!  No Military!  States had most of the power!  States made own laws and own money!  No states worked together .

5.  Some of the leaders of the United States were not happy with the Article of Confederation.  States felt like separate countries rather then one single country.

6.  Representatives from each state met in 1787 to re-write the Articles of Confederation.  Instead they created a new document (Piece of paper) called the Constitution

7.  The Constitution created… ▪ A Strong Central Government ▪ Shared powers between the states and the government ▪ A fair country for all citizens ▪ Laws

8.  The Constitution is a book of laws.  It outlines everything that Citizens are entitled to.

9.  It also outlines the penalties for breaking these laws…

10.  The Constitution is made up of three different parts. ▪ The Preamble ▪ The Articles ▪ The Amendments (Changes to the Constitution)

11.  The Preamble is the beginning of the Constitution.  It tells us why the Constitution was written

12.  The Preamble explains what exactly the constitution will do for all citizens.

13.  The Second part of the Constitution was the Articles.  The Articles are set up like chapters in a book and help outline the governments job!

14.  The Articles outline the governments powers.  The first three Articles are about the three main parts of the Federal Government

15.  There are three parts to the Government or Three Branches  These Three Branches are the main government in charge of all states

16.  The First Branch is the Legislative Branch  They make the laws (Congress)

17.  The Second Branch is the Executive Branch  It makes sure the laws are followed (President)

18.  The third branch is the Judicial Branch  They explain the laws (Court System)

19.  The third part of the constitution is the Amendments.  Amendments are changes made to the constitution to update the laws.

20.  The Constitution is called a “living document”…why?  These Amendments help the constitution to evolve.

21.  The Constitution was created so that it could be used in the future.  Amendments help us to change the constitution to fit in modern day society.

22.  The Constitution can be viewed at the National Archives in Washington D.C.