THE U. S.
CONSTITUTION
http://www.usconstitution.net/constkids.html
THE BASICS
 The
Constitution is the highest law
in the U. S.
 It
creates things like
 The Presidency
 The Congress
 The Supreme Court
HISTORY BEHIND THE CONSTITUTION
 Written
by a group of 55 men in 1787
 It is over 200 years old
 The Constitution had to be
approved by the 13 states (colonies)
AMENDMENTS
 Amendment
to the Constitution - is
a change that can add or change an
older part of it
 An
amendment can even overturn a
previous amendment
BILL OF RIGHTS
 It
is a list of rights that belong to the
people that the government is not
allowed to break
 Some of these rights might sound
familiar:
 the right of free speech
 the right to practice your own
religion
 the right to be silent if the police
accuse you of a crime
BILL OF RIGHTS CONTINUED
 The
Bill of Rights protects a lot of
other important freedoms
SLAVERY
A
slave is someone who is owned by
someone else
 In the 13th Amendment, slavery
was forever abolished in the
Constitution
 The 15th Amendment made sure
that black people could vote
WOMEN
 19th
Amendment said that women
could vote in all elections
 Today, women play a very large role
in government and politics
 It is only a matter of time before the
first woman President is elected