Intro from The United States Senate:
Written in 1787, ratified in 1788, and in operation since 1789, the United States Constitution is the world’s longest surviving written charter of government. Its first three words – “We The People” – affirm that the government of the United States exists to serve its citizens. The supremacy of the people through their elected representatives is recognized in Article I, which creates a Congress consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The positioning of Congress at the beginning of the Constitution affirms its status as the “First Branch” of the federal government.
The Constitution assigned to Congress responsibility for organizing the executive and judicial branches, raising revenue, declaring war, and making all laws necessary for executing these powers. The president is permitted to veto specific legislative acts, but Congress has the authority to override presidential vetoes by a two-thirds majority of both houses. The Constitution also provides that the Senate advise and consent on key executive and judicial appointments and on the approval for ratification of treaties.
For over two centuries, the Constitution has remained in force because its framers successfully separated and balanced governmental powers to safeguard the interests of majority rule and minority rights, of liberty and equality, and of the federal and state governments. More a concise statement of national principles than a detailed plan of governmental operation, the Constitution has evolved to meet the changing needs of a modern society profoundly different from the eighteenth-century world in which its creators lived. To date, the Constitution has been amended 27 times, most recently in 1992. The first ten amendments constitute the Bill of Rights.
The Difference between The Constitution and The Declaration of Independence:
The Declaration of Independence was written in 1776 (during the Revolutionary War) by Thomas Jefferson, edited by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin (among others), and adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, as it voted to declare independence from Great Britain. It included a list of grievances against King George III that justified separation from British rule, and it expressed the core principles upon which the United States was founded.
The Constitution was written and signed by a group of delegates in 1787 (years after the Revolutionary War was over) and ratified in 1788. (Thomas Jefferson was not present at the Constitutional Convention.) It remains the “supreme law” of the land today.
Both documents were signed in Independence Hall in Philadelphia (then known as the Pennsylvania State House), steps away from where the National Constitution Center now stands. -National Constitution Center
What is the Bill of Rights?
The Bill of Rights is the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. Congress proposed the First Amendment to the states for ratification on September 25, 1789.
There were actually 12 proposed amendments, but two (the first concerning the number of constituents for each congressional Representative, and the second concerning compensation of Congress members) were not ratified at that time. Only 10 were ratified, becoming the Bill of Rights and officially added to the Constitution on December 15, 1791.
But the second unadopted amendment concerning compensation of Congress was eventually ratified on May 7, 1992, as the 27th Amendment.
As ratified, the Bill of Rights only applied to abuses by the national government, not the states. However, following the ratification of the 14th Amendment and later decisions by the Supreme Court, the Bill of Rights became a charter of national freedom, applying key Bill of Rights protections (like free speech and religious liberty) to abuses by all levels of government: national, state, and local. This process is known as “incorporation.” Today, virtually all of the key protections enshrined in the Bill of Rights apply with equal vigor against all levels of government.
The Bill of Rights is the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution. It spells out Americans’ rights in relation to their government. It guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual, like freedom of speech, press, and religion. It sets rules for due process of law and reserves all powers not delegated to the Federal Government to the people or the States. And it specifies that “the enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” -National Archives
First Amendment
The First Amendment provides several rights protections: to express ideas through speech and the press, to assemble or gather with a group to protest or for other reasons, and to ask the government to fix problems. It also protects the right to religious beliefs and practices. It prevents the government from creating or favoring a religion.
Second Amendment
The Second Amendment protects the right to keep and bear arms.
Third Amendment
The Third Amendment prevents the government from forcing homeowners to allow soldiers to use their homes. Before the Revolutionary War, laws gave British soldiers the right to take over private homes.
Fourth Amendment
The Fourth Amendment bars the government from unreasonable search and seizure of an individual or their private property.
Fifth Amendment
The Fifth Amendment provides several protections for people accused of crimes. It states that serious criminal charges must be started by a grand jury. A person cannot be tried twice for the same offense (double jeopardy) or have property taken away without just compensation. People have the right against self-incrimination and cannot be imprisoned without due process of law (fair procedures and trials).
Sixth Amendment
The Sixth Amendment provides additional protections to people accused of crimes, such as the right to a speedy and public trial, trial by an impartial jury in criminal cases, and to be informed of criminal charges. Witnesses must face the accused, and the accused is allowed his or her own witnesses and to be represented by a lawyer.
Seventh Amendment
The Seventh Amendment extends the right to a jury trial in Federal civil cases.
Eighth Amendment
The Eighth Amendment bars excessive bail and fines and cruel and unusual punishment.
Ninth Amendment
The Ninth Amendment states that listing specific rights in the Constitution does not mean that people do not have other rights that have not been spelled out.
Tenth Amendment
The Tenth Amendment says that the Federal Government only has those powers delegated in the Constitution. If it isn’t listed, it belongs to the states or to the people.
