articles and amendments

What the framers gave us: preamble

• We the people of the US in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic Tranquility provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish the COnstitution for the US of america

Article I-congress

• Creates the legislative branch (congress)

  • Lawmaking authority delegated to congress

  • Describes the legislative structure of congress (house of representatives and senate)

  • Calls for national census every 10 years

  • Outlines the legislative process

Article II-presidency:

• Creates the executive branch (presidency)

• Describes the authority of the president

  • Ability to veto bills passed by congress

  • Make political appointments and negotiate treaties with “advice and consent” of the senate

  • Ensure that laws are “faithfully executed”

  • Command the military

Actrice III-judiciary

• Created the judicial branch( national courts)

• Establishes the supreme court

  • Justices and federal judges serve until they retire, die or are impeached/convicted by congress

  • Jurisdiction over cases involving national laws, the constitution, treates, disputes between states

  • Number of supreme court justices determined by congress

  • Court established judicial review in marbury V. madison (1803)

  • Gives congress authority to establish inferior national courts

    • Judiciary act of 1789

Article IV- relations between states

• Describes relations between the states

  • States must respect the rights and liberties of all states

  • States must respect legal proceedings and decision of other states

• Does not list state powers, rights or responsibilities

  • Establishes meaning for congress to add new states to Union

  • Prohibits congress from changing state borders without consent of the affected states

Article V-amendment process

• Establishes the constitutional amendment process

• Step !: proposing amendment

  • 2/3s vote in house and senate or 

  • ⅔ of state legislatures request a special convention

• Step 2: ratifying an amendment

  • ¾ vote of state legislatures or 

  • ¾ vote of special state conventions 

Amending the constitution

• Every term members of congress introduce 100 to 200 proposals for new constitutional amendments

  • Only 33 proposals have achieved the ⅔ necessary in congress and 27 proposals have been ratified by the states

• Three categories of amendments have been ratified

  • Extensions for civil liberties and civil rights

  • Alteration of the selection of officials or the operation of the branches of the national govt

  • Important polity issues

Article V- constitutional supremacy

• Supremacy of the constitution

  • National govt responsible for all debts incurred by congress under the AOC

  • Constitution as well as national laws and treaties are the “supreme law of the land”

  • National and state official must take an oath promising to uphold the constitution

    • Officeholders cannot be required to swear a religious oath or take a religious test

Article VII- ratification

• Outlines the constitutional ratification process

  • Approval by 9 of the 13 state conventions needed to ratify the new constitution 

  • Avoids the constitutional amendment process under the AOC

Bill of rights

• First 10 amendments to the constitution 

  • All ratified by the end of 1791

  • First eight amendments protect specific liberties and rights

  • 9th amendment states the list of liberties in the first 8 is not necessarily complete

  • 10th amendment preserves rights of states

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Amendments 11-15

• 11th amendment

  • Courts do not have authority to hear suits brought by citizens against their own state or another state, or by foreigners against another state

• 12th

  • Changed electoral college process to establish separate votes for presidential candidates and vice president candidates

• 13th

  • Abolished slavery

• 14th

  • Extends citizenship to everyone born in the US and naturalized citizens

  • Prohibits states from denying citizens their rights and requires that states protect those rights

• 15th 

  • Guaranteed male citizens of all races that meet their states age requirements the right to vote 

Amendments 16-21

• 16th

  • Allows congress to establish income taxes

• 17th

  • Direct election of senators

• 18th

  • Prohibition of making selling or transporting alcohol

  • Repealed by 21th amendment

• 19th

  • Guaranteed female citizens that meet their states age requirement the right to vote

• 20th

  • Sets new starting dates for POTUS/VP (jan 20th) and congress (jan 3)

Amendments 22-27

• 22th

  • Two term limit for presidents

• 23th

  • 3 electoral votes for washington DC

• 24th

  • Bans poll taxes

• 25th

  • VP becomes POTUS if pres dies, resigns, removed or incapacitates

• 26th

  • Lowers national voting age to 18

• 27th

  • Members of congress cannot raise own salaries