Constitution Day, Summaries of Law

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Constitution Day and

Citizenship Day

We the People….

Purpose of

Constitution

Day and

Citizenship

Day

Ensure that students in our countryhave an increased knowledge andappreciation of this valuable andimportant document of freedom

The

ConstitutionComposition

Comprised of a

• Preamble – Articles – Amendments

Preamble to

the

Constitution

Preamble - The Text We the People of the United States, inOrder to form a more perfect Union,establish Justice, insure domesticTranquility, provide for the commondefense, promote the general Welfare,and secure the Blessings of Liberty toourselves and our Posterity, do ordainand establish this Constitution for theUnited States of America.

Section 1 - The Text All legislative Powers herein grantedshall be vested in a Congress of theUnited States, which shall consist of aSenate and House of Representatives.

Section 2 specifies that the House of Representatives be composed of members who are chosen every two years by the people of the states. There are only three qualifications: a representative must be at least twenty- five years old, must have been a citizen of the United States for at least seven years, and must live in the state from which he or she is chosen. Efforts by both Congress and the states to add requirements for office, such as durational residency requirements or loyalty oaths, have been rejected by Congress and the courts.

Article I

Section 3 - The Meaning The Senate, which now has one hundred members, has two senators from each state. Until 1913, senators were elected by their state legislatures. But with the adoption of Amendment XVII, senators have been elected directly by the people of each state. There are several exclusive requirements to be a senator: he or she must be over thirty years of age, must have been an American citizen for at least nine years, and must live in the state he or she represents. Senators can serve for an unlimited number of six-year terms.

Article I, Section 4 gives state legislatures the task of determining how congressional elections are held. For example, the state legislature determines when an election is scheduled, how voters can register, and where they can cast their ballots.

Article I

Section 7 - The Meaning The House of Representatives must begin the process when it comes to raising and spending money. It is the chamber where all taxing and spending bills start. The Senate can offer changes and must ultimately approve the bills before they go to the President, but only the House can introduce a bill that involves taxes.

Section 8 - The Meaning Article I, Section 8 specifies the powers of Congress in great detail. These powers are limited to those listed and those that are “necessary and proper” to carry them out. All other lawmaking powers are left to the states. The First Congress, concerned that the limited nature of the federal government was not clear enough in the original Constitution, later adopted Amendment X, which reserves to the states or to the people all the powers not specifically granted to the federal government.

Article I

Section 9 - The Meaning Article I, Section 9 specifically prohibits Congress from legislating in certain areas. In the first clause, the Constitution bars Congress from banning the importation of slaves before 1808.

Section 10 - The Meaning Article I, Section 10 limits the power of the states. States may not enter into a treaty with a foreign nation, since that power is given to the President, with the advice and consent of two thirds of the Senate present. States cannot make their own money nor can they grant any title of nobility.

Article I

Section 3 - The Meaning During his or her term, the President must report to Congress about how things are going in the country. Every President from Jefferson to Taft fulfilled this duty with a written statement submitted to Congress. But in 1913, President Wilson resumed President Washington’s practice of directly addressing a joint session of Congress. This “State of the Union” speech, a tradition which continues to this day, usually occurs in January or February each year. - Section 4 - The Meaning The Constitution provides that the President, Vice President, and other federal officers can be removed from office upon impeachment by the House and conviction by the Senate of treason, bribery, or other serious crimes. The process was begun only three times in U.S. history against a President—against President Andrew Johnson, President Richard Nixon (although he resigned before Congress could formally act), and President William Jefferson Clinton.

Article II

Section 1 - The Meaning Article III establishes the federal court system. The first section creates the U.S. Supreme Court as the federal system’s highest court. The Supreme Court has final say on matters of federal law that come before it. Today, the U.S. Supreme Court has nine justices who are appointed by the President with the approval of the Senate. - Section 2 - The Meaning The federal courts will decide arguments over how to interpret the Constitution, all laws passed by Congress, and our nation’s rights and responsibilities in agreements with other nations. In addition, federal courts can hear disputes that may arise between states, between citizens of different states and between states and the federal government. - Section 3 - The Meaning Treason is the only crime specifically defined in theConstitution. According to Article III, Section 3, aperson is guilty of treason if he or she goes to waragainst the United States or gives “aid or comfort” toan enemy. He or she does not have to physically pickup a weapon and fight in combat against U.S. troops.Actively helping the enemy by passing alongclassified information or supplying weapons, forexample, can lead to charges of treason.

Article III

Section 3 - The Meaning Congress can admit new states into the Union, but a single state cannot create a new state within its boundaries. For example, the state of New York cannot make New York City a separate state. In addition, two states, or parts of states (i.e. Oregon and Idaho or Wilmington, Delaware, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) cannot become states without the consent of the various state legislatures and Congress. Although an original version of the Constitution included a requirement that each new state join the Union on equal footing with the other states, the language was removed before the document was approved. Nevertheless, Congress has always granted new states rights equal to those of existing states. - Section 4 - The Meaning This provision, known as the guarantee clause, is attributed to James Madison. It has not been widely interpreted, but scholars think it ensures that each state be run as a representative democracy, as opposed to a monarchy (run by a king or queen) or a dictatorship (where one individual or group of individuals controls the government). Courts however have been reluctant to specify what exactly a republican form of government means, leaving that decision exclusively to Congress.

Article IV

Section 1 - The Text The Congress, whenever two thirds ofboth Houses shall deem it necessary,shall propose Amendments to thisConstitution, or, on the Application ofthe Legislatures of two thirds of theseveral States, shall call a Conventionfor proposing Amendments, which, ineither Case, shall be valid to all Intentsand Purposes, as Part of thisConstitution, when ratified by theLegislatures of three fourths of theseveral States, or by Conventions inthree fourths thereof, as the one or theother Mode of Ratification may beproposed by the Congress; Providedthat no Amendment which may bemade prior to the Year One thousandeight hundred and eight shall in anyManner affect the first and fourthClauses in the Ninth Section of the firstArticle; and that no State, without itsConsent, shall be deprived of its equalSuffrage in the Senate.

Article V

Section 1 - The Meaning All of the states, except Rhode Island held conventions to ratify the Constitution, although North Carolina’s convention adjourned without voting on the document. Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution in 1787 and New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify on June 21, 1788. The new government began with the convening of the first federal Congress on March 4, 1789. Both North Carolina (in 1789) and Rhode Island (in 1790) ratified the Constitution after Congress passed the Bill of Rights and sent it to the states for ratification.

Article VII

Why

recognize

this

document?

The Constitution…

• A handwritten document which is over 200 years old - This living document protects our rights and freedoms