The Constitution of the United States lays down the basic rules governing the country. Compared to the constitutions of most other countries, it is unusually short and simple. It is the oldest written constitution in the world still in effect. (See also constitution.) The Constitution established a federal system of government. In this system, state governments have many powers over their own affairs. At the same time the central, or national, government is given powers to control the affairs of the entire country. The system of separation of powers and “checks and balances” is another distinctive feature of the U.S. Constitution. The document created three branches of government. The legislature, with a House of Representatives and a Senate, is responsible for lawmaking. The executive branch, led by the president, enforces the laws. The judiciary, headed by the Supreme Court, interprets the law. However, under checks and balances the branches are forced to work with each other. No one branch of the central government has the power to control by itself the affairs of the country. History of the ConstitutionThe first set of rules governing the country was called the Articles of Confederation. The Articles were drawn up after the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776. It soon became clear that there were problems with the Articles, however. All of the states except Rhode Island therefore sent delegates to a convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1787 to address the problems. The convention decided to write a new constitution. By the end of 1787 the delegates had written a new document that allowed for a powerful national government, a legislative body with two houses, and independent executive and judicial bodies. The delegates also decided that one person, the president, should head the executive branch of the government. By 1788, nine of the original 13 states had ratified (approved) the Constitution, and it went into effect on March 4, 1789. In 1790 Rhode Island became the last of the original 13 states to ratify the Constitution. AmendmentsChanges to the Constitution are called amendments. The first ten amendments are called the Bill of Rights because they guarantee certain rights to United States citizens. These include the right to speak freely and to practice religion freely. These amendments were ratified in 1791. Seventeen additional amendments have been added to the Constitution since then. These addressed a variety of problems. The end of the American Civil War, for instance, made it necessary for the United States to deal with a group of questions about slavery and African Americans. The 13th amendment abolished slavery in the United States, the 14th amendment guaranteed civil rights for all citizens, and the 15th amendment gave all citizens, regardless of their race, the right to vote. These amendments were adopted in 1865, 1868, and 1870, respectively. |