STANDARDS
Common Core: RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.7, WHST.6-8.4, RI.6-8.1, RI.6-8.2, RI.6-8.4, RI.6-8.7, W.6-8.4, SL.6-8.1
NCSS: Power, Authority, and Governance • Civic Ideals and Practices
5-Minute Guide
The U.S. Constitution
The summer of 1787 was sticky hot. The flies were big—and biting. But delegates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, stayed focused. The men represented 12 of the then 13 U.S. states. (Rhode Island did not take part.) And they had a big job: to decide how the country would be run. They debated for 116 days. On September 17, 1787, they signed their names to the Constitution. The document is still the law of the land today, 236 years later.
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HOW TO READ IT
1. Preamble
This introduces the goal of the Constitution and the federal, or national, government.
2. Articles
Seven sections outline how the government is set up and how the Constitution can be changed.
3. Amendments
There have been 27 amendments, or changes. The first 10, added in 1791, are known as the Bill of Rights.
How It Set Up the Government
Each branch can check, or limit, the power of the other two.
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LEGISLATIVE
Congress (the Senate and the House of Representatives)
Main job: Writing laws
Checks: Congress confirms nominees for court and Cabinet positions. It can remove government officials.
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EXECUTIVE
The president, vice president, and Cabinet
Main job: Enforcing the nation’s laws
Checks: The president nominates federal judges and can reject laws passed by Congress.
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JUDICIAL
The U.S. Supreme Court and more than 100 federal courts
Main job: Making sure laws are constitutional
Checks: The courts can overturn laws and executive orders that go against the Constitution.
WHO SIGNED IT
Thirty-nine delegates’ signatures are on the doc. Meet three signers.
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George Washington
Washington signed the Constitution first. He became the first U.S. president in 1789.
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James Madison
One of the main writers, Madison is known as the Father of the Constitution. He became the fourth president.
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Roger Sherman
Sherman came up with how states are represented in Congress: equally in the Senate, by population in the House.
