Constitution of the United States

Completed on September 12, 1787, and later ratified by special conventions in each of the original thirteen American colonies, the Constitution of the United States represents the supreme law of the United States of America and is the oldest comprehensive written constitution still in force. It created a more unified government in place of what was then a group of independent states operating under the Articles of Confederation.

Preamble

The preamble consists of a single sentence that introduces the document and its purpose:

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Articles of the Constitution

The remainder of the constitution consists of seven articles:

• Article One describes Congress (the legislative branch) and outlines its powers and limits including the commerce clause.[1]
• Article Two describes the presidency (the executive branch).[2]
• Article Three describes the court system (the judicial branch), including the Supreme Court.[3]
• Article Four describes the relationship between the states and the federal government.[4]
• Article Five describes the process of amendment.[5]
• Article Six establishes the Constitution and the laws and treaties of the United States made in accordance with it as the supreme law of the land.[6]
• Article Seven describes the method of ratification.[7]

The full text of the original constitution is available online [8]

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights.

Later Amendments

• Amendment Eleven (1795) Clarifies judicial power over foreign nationals, and limits ability of citizens to sue states.[9]
• Unratified Amendment Twelve defined a formula for how many congressmen there would be. Never ratified.
• Amendment Twelve (1804) Changes the method of presidential elections.[10]
• Amendment Thirteen (1865) Abolishes slavery.[11]
• Amendment Fourteen (1868) Defines United States citizen and includes the privileges and immunities, due process and equal protection clauses; regulation of congressional elections; restrains states from infringing upon consititutional protections such as the Bill of Rights and other "fundamental rights" of citizens and persons under the jurisidiction of the United States.[12]
• Amendment Fifteen (1870) Ensures right of former slaves to vote.[13]
• Amendment Sixteen (1913) Creates the income tax.[14]
• Amendment Seventeen (1913) Method for choosing Senators.[15]
• Amendment Eighteen (1919) Prohibition of alcohol.[16]
• Amendment Nineteen (1920) Women's right to vote.[17]
• Amendment Twenty (1933) Details of presidential succession.[18]
• Amendment Twenty-one (1933) Repeals prohibition of alcohol.[19]
• Amendment Twenty-two (1951) Limits president to two terms.[20]
• Amendment Twenty-three (1961) Grants electors to District of Columbia.[21]
• Amendment Twenty-four (1964) Limits poll tax.[22]
• Amendment Twenty-five (1967) More presidential succession rules.[23]
• Amendment Twenty-six (1971) Right of eighteen-year-olds to vote.[24]
• Amendment Twenty-seven (1992) Limits congressional pay raises.[25]

The full text of the amendments is available online [26]

See also the general discussion at Constitution, Equal Rights Amendment