Happy 221st Birthday The Birth of the Constitution

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Happy 221st Birthday!The Birth of the
Constitution
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• Why was there a need for a new Constitution in
  1787?

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• The Articles of Confederation was not working!
• Too much power was given to each state!
• Weak Central Government!

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The Basics

• What is the Constitution?

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The Basics

• The Constitution is the highest law in the United
  States.
• It basically explains how the government
  operates.
• It creates the President (Executive).
• It creates the Congress (Legislative) and the
  Supreme Court (Judicial).

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• Explain the responsibility of the Legislature

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Legislature (Congress)

• Makes the law
• Split into the House of Representatives and the
  Senate.
• Each Representative comes from a district in one
  of the states. That persons job is to represent
  the people in that district.
• There are 435 Representatives.
• Bigger states have more Reps and every state has
  at least one.
• The Senate is made up of 100 Senators 2
  senators from each state.
• Senators are elected.

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• What is the role of the Executive Branch of
  Government?

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Executive (President)

• Makes sure the law is carried out the president
  executes the law.
• The President heads the Executive Vice
  President is included.
• The Secretaries of all the departments are also
  included (Homeland Security, State, Defense etc.)

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• How is the Presidents Veto power an example of
  the governments Checks and Balances?

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Checks and Balances

• This system was put in place so that one branch
  of government does not gain too much power.
• Ex Before a law becomes a law, the President
  must agree to it. If he does not agree he vetoes
  it, or rejects it.
• When he vetoes a law, he sends it back to
  Congress. Congress can then try to pass the law
  again.

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• What is the role of the Judiciary?

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The Judicial Branch (Supreme Court)

• Interprets the law
• Includes all the Federal Courts all the way up to
  the Supreme Court.
• States have their own court systems too.
• State courts are under the National Courts.

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• Why was the Constitution almost not ratified?

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• At the time of ratification the Constitution did
  not have a Bill of Rights a list of rights that
  belong to the people.
• Ex The right of free speech the right to
  practice your own religion etc.

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• When were the Bill of Rights added to the
  Constitution?

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• What important amendments would follow?

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Amendments to the Constitution

• 13th Amendment Slavery was made illegal.
• 14th Amendment Every person born in the United
  States was a full citizen. Even former slaves
  were full citizens.
• 15th Amendment All African Americans gained the
  right to vote.

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• This Amendment finally included women! Before
  this point women had no role in government and
  were believed to have no place in politics. In
  1920 women gained the right to vote!

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• To this day, the ratification of the Constitution
  can be seen as one of our greatest Early American
  Turning Pointsits importance and relevance
  lives on today.