THE CONSTITUTION

PREAMBLE

• Establishes why the Constitution exists.
• States what the U.S. stands for.
• Effectively introduces the U.S. as a country.

ARTICLE 1

• Establishes the legislative branch.
• Establishes the two houses of Congress.
• Establishes Congress' rights, powers, and limitations.
• Sets in stone which house in Congress does what and what their representation is based on.

ARTICLE 2

• Establishes the Executive branch.
• Establishes the President as the leader of the military, the chief of state, and the leader of the executive branch.
• Establishes the President's powers, including vetoing and issuing executive orders.
• Specifies the President's limitations.

ARTICLE 3

• Establishes the Judicial branch.
• Establishes the Supreme Court as the head of the Judicial Branch.
• Specifies how many justices there are.
• Specifies how a Supreme Court session shall be held.
• Specifies the Supreme Court's powers and limitations.

ARTICLE 4

• Keeps the federal government from interfering with the state government.
• Says that the Bill of Rights shall be applied to all citizens in all states.
• Specifies how new states should be added to the union.

ARTICLE 5

• Describes how the Constitution can be altered.
• Specifies how new amendments can be added.
• Specifies the number of votes needed to add new amendments.

ARTICLE 6

• All debts that were made before the Constitution was established are still official.
• Establishes the Constitution as the official framework for the nation and system of government.
• States that all politicians belong to the government.

ARTICLE 7

• Establishes how the Constitution shall be ratified.
• That is all.

AMENDMENT 1

• Allows free speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion.
• These rights come with limits.

AMENDMENT 2

• Allows U.S. citizens to bear arms.
• Does have limits, as background checks are required now to purchase most guns.

AMENDMENT 3

• Prohibits the quartering of soldiers in civilian homes.
• Really isn't that important today, but was really important back in the day.

AMENDMENT 4

• Prohibits government officials from searching civilian houses without a warrant.
• Prevents unnecessary searches.

AMENDMENT 5

• Establishes due process of law and gives it as a right to all citizens.

AMENDMENT 6

• Allows a speedy and public trial for all citizens.
• All citizens get a trial with a jury.
• Specifies other criminal prosecution procedures.

AMENDMENT 7

• Specifies how the jury system will work.
• Prohibits reexamining of past items that were already examined by the jury.

AMENDMENT 8

• Prohibits excessive bail and cruel or unusual punishment.
• Also contains other procedures related to criminal justice.

AMENDMENT 9

• Allows enumerated rights of citizens that are not explicitly stated in the Bill of Rights itself.

AMENDMENT 10

• Established the rights that states have.
• Also establishes the enumerated rights that states have.

AMENDMENT 11

• States that a state cannot be sued in a federal court by one of its citizens, a citizen of another state, or a citizen of another country.

AMENDMENT 12

• Provides the specifics of how our complex voting system works today
• Establishes how President and Vice President shall be voted on.

AMENDMENT 13

• Abolished slavery in all of the U.S. and all of its states.

AMENDMENT 14

• Establishes many rights of US citizens.
• Establishes natural rights, or rights you are born with.

AMENDMENT 15

• Grants African American men the right to vote in the U.S.

AMENDMENT 16

• States that Congress has the right to create taxes and determine how much to tax income.

AMENDMENT 17

• Re establishes how people vote for Congressmen.
• The people dint directly vote for Senate congressmen.

AMENDMENT 18

• Establishes the prohibition of liquor in the U.S.

AMENDMENT 19

• Allowed women the right to vote.

AMENDMENT 20

• Moved the beginning and ending dates of the president's term.

AMENDMENT 21

• Repealed Prohibition and allowed alcohol to be drunk again.

AMENDMENT 22

• Established more rules regarding the President's term, including that one person may not serve as President more than twice.

AMENDMENT 23

• Extended the right to vote to those living in Washington D.C.

AMENDMENT 24

• Repealed poll taxes and other taxes that prohibited people from voting.

AMENDMENT 25

• Allows Congress to impeach the president as needed
• Established other rules regarding the presidency.

AMENDMENT 26

• Changed a part of the voting rights amendment.
• Changed the age to vote and that the right to vote shall not be prohibited.

AMENDMENT 27

• Congress can't raise their pay until their next election year.