The Constitution
of the United States
The law is the set of rules that we live by.
The Constitution is the highest law.
It belongs to the United States.
It belongs to all Americans.
This is the Preamble
(or introduction) of
the Constitution.
The Constitution was written in 1787 by
55 men we call the Framers of the Constitution.
These men included
George Washington and Ben Franklin.
The Constitution sets up the government.
The government is split into three parts or branches.
1. One branch is the Congress. The Congress makes laws. The
people elect the members of Congress.
2. The next branch is the President. The President enforces the
laws.
3. The last branch is the Courts. The courts decide what the law
means when there are questions.
 All of the parts have to work together. Just like the Framers
agreed on the Constitution, the parts have to agree on the laws.
No part has too much power. The power is shared. This helps
protect the people.
How it all works
The Constitution
gives us rights and
freedoms as citizens
of the United States.
Watch the next four slides and
think about what freedoms
these pictures show.
The Anatomy of the Constitution
Federalism
• The power of government
is also split between the
states and the federal
government.
• This is called Federalism.
• If the Constitution does
not have a law, the states
can do what they want.
• State law cannot
contradict federal law.
Dual Sovereignty
• Dual Sovereignty means
that whatever the federal
government does not
make a law about, the
states can act however
they choose.
• That is why there is
different state laws
regarding the age of
drinking alcohol, driving,
the death penalty, and
many more.
Preamble
• The introduction to
the Constitution is
called the Preamble.
• The Preamble begins
with the phrase
“We the people…”
• This means that the
government is based
on the consent of the
people.
Amendment
• A change in the
Constitution
• There have been 27
amendments to the
Constitution.
• The first 10
amendments are
called the Bill of
Rights.
The Branches of Government
• There are three branches of government:
1. The legislative - which makes the laws
2. The executive - which enforces the laws
or make sure the laws are carried out
3. The judicial - which interprets the
laws or explains the laws and makes
sure they are fair
Legislative Branch
• The legislative branch is called Congress
and is made up of two Houses (parts):
The House of Representatives and the
Senate.
The House of
Representatives
The Senate
• States with the largest
populations have the most
representatives in the
House.
• House members must be
at least 25 years old or
older to serve.
• House members are
elected to a two year term.
• There are 435 members in
the House of
Representatives.
• The Senate is the other
part of the Congress
• There are two senators
for each state, which
means of course there
are 100 Senators.
• Senators must be at
least 30 years old.
• Senators are elected to
a six year term.
The Executive
Branch
• The executive branch
• The president is
is headed by the
elected to a four year
president.
term.
• The president is the
• The president can only
commander-in-chief of
serve two terms.
the armed forces.
• The president must be
a citizen by birth
• The president must be
at least 35 years old
The Judicial Branch
• The Judicial Branch of the
federal government is
headed by the Supreme
Court.
• Supreme Court justices
are nominated by the
president and approved by
the Senate.
• There are 9 Supreme
Court justices, who are
appointed for life.
Constitution Scavenger Hunt
Understanding & Remembering the
Constitution
• School House Rocks
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHp7sMqP
L0g&feature=related
• Born Yesterday Clip
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0BMTIEr
N8U