Table of contents What is the US Constitution Why was the US Constitution Written 6 What Happened at the Constitutional Convention 8 Who wrote the US Constitution 10 How was the US Constitution Ratified 12 How Is the US Constitution Organized 14 What Is the Legislative Branch 16 What is the Executive Branch 18 What Is the Judicial Branch 20 Can the US Constitution Be Changed What is the Bill of Rights 24 Is the US Constitution Useful Today 26 Fact Sheet 28 Glossary 30 For More Information 31 Index About the Author 32
What is the US Constitution In May 1787 a group of men met in Philadelphia Pennsylvania The GO TO THE SOURCE United States had won its freedom To read the full text of from England just four years earlier With this freedom came many the US Constitution go to www 12StoryLibrary com primary challenges One of the biggest was setting up a federal government Important steps were taken at the to allow states the freedom to govern themselves too It was a Constitutional Convention delicate balance The leaders spent the summer discussing how it should work The country's new government needed to be powerful enough to unite the 13 The product of their work states It could not was the Constitution be too powerful however It needed George Washington presides over the Constitutional It was and still is the backbone of
The Constitution was written at the Pennsylvania State House now known as Independence Hall The people had no choice The Constitution outlined a different plan Every four years Americans could vote to choose their leader The Constitution was unlike any other government plan at the time It gave its citizens power and rights protected by the law It also gave citizens a clear plan for how the government would be run They knew what to expect from their leaders It was an exciting idea for a new country the plan for the US government The Constitution gives power to the president Congress and the Supreme Court It also outlines which powers belong to the states and which belong to the federal Number of months it took the delegates in Philadelphia to write the US Constitution government These were new ideas at the time In the past most The Constitutional countries gave all their power to one ruler such as a king The Constitution also gave American citizens the right to elect their Convention began on May 25 1787 The Constitution divides power between the president Congress and the Supreme Court It also ensures that American citizens have the right to lect their leaders leaders This too was a new idea Typically leaders came from royal families A king's child would automatically become the next ruler
