Name______Date______Period______

NOTES: An Outline of Our Constitution, “The Supreme Law of the Land”

The Constitution

  • Also known as the ______Supreme Law of the Land______
  • Establishes our government, which is a ______republic______, a government in which citizens elect their ______representatives______
  • The Constitution establishes a _____federal_____ government, protects the _____rights_____ of citizens, and provides general ___rules___ that the ___national___ and ____state____ governments must follow.
  • Organized into _____Articles_____ , _____Sections_____, and _____Clauses_____

The Preamble: Lists the ______Goals______of Our Government

  1. To Form a ______More Perfect Union______
  2. Goal – to make a government that is better than the ___Articles of Confederation____
  3. Goal – to make a more effective ______national______government

2. To Establish ______Justice______

  • Legal system to fairly resolve disputes

3. To Ensure ______Domestic Tranquility______

  • ______Peaceful______society, so people are protected from the unlawful acts of others
  1. To Provide for the ____Common Defense_____
  2. ____Protect____ citizens from attack by other countries

5. To Promote the General ____Welfare_____

  • Attempt to create conditions that will ______benefit all______Americans

6. To Secure the Blessings of _____Liberty_____ to Ourselves and our Posterity

  • Goal – the Government should protect liberty of all citizens, protect future Americans

Please Note: We will add a lot more detail to the following Articles later. However, the notes below will give you a basic understanding of the outline of the Constitution, as well as what we are about to learn.

Article 1: The Legislative Branch - ______Makes the Laws______

  • ____435____ Total Representatives, number per state is based on ______population______
  • ____100____ Total Senators, ____2___ per state
  • Together, the House of Representatives and the Senate are called the ______Congress______

Article 2: The Executive Branch - ______Executes (carries out) the Laws______

  • The Head of the Executive Branch is called the ______President______
  • The President has 15 people who help him do his job. These 15 people are called his ____Cabinet___
  • The President, who serves a ___4___ year term, is elected by the ______Electoral College______

(What do the laws mean?)

Article 3: The Judicial Branch - ___Interprets the Laws (Do the laws follow the Constitution?)____

  • The highest court in the land is called the ______Supreme Court______
  • There are ___Nine___ Justices on the Supreme Court, one of whom is the ____Chief____ Justice
  • Supreme Court Justices get to serve for ___life___ so they won’t be swayed by the whims of the ____people_____

Article 4: The States

  • Each state must honor the ____laws____ of the ____other states____

Article 5: Amending the Constitution

  • Constitution might need to be _____changed____, so this section provides rules on how

Article 6: Supremacy of Constitution

  • No ____state____ law can violate the ____Constitution______
  • If a ____state____ law conflicts with a federal (national) law, the federal law takes priority

Article 7: Ratification

  • Establishes the procedures provided for ____ratification____ (approval) of the Constitution

Amendments to the Constitution

  • The first 10, ratified in 1791, are known as the ______Bill of Rights______
  • Provide list of _____protections_____ of citizens
  • Limits the authority of the _____federal (national) government____
  • Since the approval of the Bill of Rights, only ____17____ other amendments have been added