The United States Constitution

Chapter 3 Section 1, 2 & 3

The Pilgrim Influence

Mayflower
Tiny ship carrying the Pilgrims to the New World Supposed to land in now Virginia
Wind blew off course, landed in Mass. Bay

William Bradford Governor of Mass. Colony

Observed problems of unity
Pilgrims willingly gave consent to be ruled by government

Mayflower Compact
First guidelines for self government in English colonies

Includes some of the basic ideals upon which US was

founded

We the people
Appears in the preamble of the United States
Introduction that explains why the US constitution was
written

Makes it clear that the US government gets its power

from the American people

Government by popular sovereignty Is one of our

nations most cherished ideals Consent of the governed

Important Principles of Constitution

These principles helped
ensure government by popular sovereignty Limited Government
To keep from government
becoming too powerful Put specific restrictions on
government express their views on issues

Powers of the People

Most cherished rights and
protections stated in Bill of Rights Detail specific freedoms
that belong to every US citizen One of the most influential documents ever written

Majority Rule with

Minority Rights Principle that in a
disagreement, everyone will accept the decision of the majority Allowed the minority to

6 Goals of Constitution
Form More Perfect Union
New government should be better than the Union created
under the Articles of Confederation

Establish Justice
Government should make laws and establish a system of
courts that is fair to all

Insure Domestic Tranquility

The government should preserve peace within country

6 Goals of Constitution
Provide for Common Defense
The government should work to protect the country from
its enemies

Promote the General Welfare

The government should help provide for the well being of
all people

And Secure Blessings of Liberty

Government should work to safe-guard the freedom of
the people

Levels of Government
National/Federal Government
Top layer of government Makes laws that govern the whole country

State Government
2nd layer of government Each state has authority only over the people who live
within the state Each state has its own capital, constitution, and state officials

Government Powers
Federal Government Powers
The powers the constitution specifically gives to the
federal government are called DELEGATED POWERS

State Government Powers

The states, or the people, have all the powers that the
constitution does not specifically give to the federal government. These are RESERVED POWERS

Government Powers
The federal and state governments also share many
powers CONCURRENT POWERS

Both have the power:

To raise money through taxes To borrow money To establish courts, create banks, enforce laws

Branches of Government
To shield against tyranny, the framers created separate
branches of the federal government One branch would write laws Another would carry out the laws And another would interpret the laws

This structure is called the SEPARATION OF POWERS

Legislative Branch
Article I of Constitution creates the US Congress as the
Legislative Branch

Lawmaking arm of the federal government Congress controls money for the national government

Executive Branch
Established by Article II of Constitution

President is the head of the Executive Branch

Responsible for carrying out the countrys laws Includes 15 executive departments

Judicial Branch
Described relatively little in Article III of Constitution

Interprets the meaning of the laws passed by Congress

and sets punishments for people who break the law

Supreme court head of branch

Checks and Balances

Argument that liberty could be threatened if one branch
became too hungry for power

Framers provided this balance of power in the US

Constitution Each branch given powers to limit/check the powers of
the other branches

Equal distribution of powers and limits on power

Checks & Balances

President can check Congress
Congress has power to make laws, the president has
power to veto the proposed law

Congress can check the President

Congress can override a potential President veto
Requires 2/3 vote of both houses of congress

Courts and Judicial Review

Marbury v Madison (1803)

Chief Justice John Marshall established the principle of

JUDICIAL REVIEW It is up to the courts to review the acts of the other
branches of government and decide whether the government has acted correctly

Can decide if the laws passed by Congress are

constitutional

Can decide if an act by the President or executive

branch constitutional

Changing the Constitution

Can be changed by two ways:
Formally by amendment Informally by government acts

Amendment Process
An amendment is a written change made to the
Constitution

Article V in Constitution outlines the process for making

amendments

Proposed amendments must be approved by of the

states

Amendment Process
Can be proposed in 2 ways
Congress can propose an amendment by a 2/3 vote in
both houses The legislature of 2/3 of the states 34 out of 50 can ask Congress to call a national convention to propose an amendment

After an amendment has been proposed, it must then

be ratified (approved) by the states

Amendment Ratification
There are 2 ways an amendment may be ratified
The proposed amendment can be sent to the state
legislatures for approval. *all but 1 amendment have been approved this way The proposed amendment can be sent to state conventions for consideration

After an amendment has been approved by of states

(38), it becomes part of the written Constitution

If people do not like the affects of the amendment,

another amendment can be passed to repeal (cancel) it