The US Constitution (2024)

The U.S. Constitution

The United States Constitution created the government that we still have today. In this lesson you learn about the the government that the Constitution created and why the representatives at the Constitutional Convention chose the form of government that they did.

Justice = Fairness

Domestic Tranquility = Peace at home

Common Defence = Protection and safety of the people

General Welfare = the health and safety of its citizens

Posterity = all future generations of people

What Does the Preamble Say?

Dropdown

The Preamble to the Constitution says that "We the people of the United States" are going to create a better country by:

-creating a country with ​

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rules and laws

-making sure there is ​

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at home

-​

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the country and the people's health and safety

-Give ​

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to the nation and its people

The government that the "Founding Fathers" created at the Constitutional Convention contained three separate "branches" in order to create a "Separation of Powers". This means that the United States government is broken up into three separate pieces and each piece has its own jobs and responsibilities.

The three branches of the United States government are called the Executive Branch, The Legislative Branch and the Judicial Branch.

The US Government

Multiple Select

What are the three branches of government in the United States?

• Executive

• Judicial

• Legislative

• Administrative

The executive branch is led by the President, his or her advisors and various departments and agencies. This branch is responsible for enforcing the laws of the land. The following are executive branch organizations and agencies:

• Executive Office of the President (White House)

• The President's Cabinet (Federal Agencies)

• Independent Federal Agencies and Commissions

• The Federal Information Center (FIC)

• USA Jobs

​Executive Branch

The legislative branch is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. These two groups are known collectively as the Congress.

The Legislative Branch is in responsible for making all laws in the United States. In addition to this, the Legislative branch also has the power to:
-declare war on other countries

-regulate interstate trade and foreign commerce

-controls the taxing policies for the federal government and its spending policies.

Legislative Branch

The judicial branch is made up of the U.S. Supreme Court, the Federal Courts and the Federal Judicial Center.

The Federal Courts are trial courts. These courts are used to hold trials for people accused of crimes and punish those found guilty. There are also federal appeals courts in this system as well. If a person is found guilty of a crime, but feel that there was a mistake made at their trial, or a reason that their conviction should be overturned they can take their case to one of these courts.

At the top of the judicial system of the United States is the Supreme Court. The Supreme court is not a trial court, it is mainly a court of appeals and the final appeals court that a person can take their case to. In addition to this, the Supreme Court decides which laws are constitutional and how they should be applied. The court's decisions are final and must be followed by all other courts in the country. 

​Judicial Branch

Match

Match each of the 3 branches of government to its description.

• -Led by the president

  -In charge of executing and enforcing the laws of the United States.

  -Responsible for managing the different federal agencies

  -In charge of managing relations with other countries

• -Makes laws and represents the people

  -Makes the laws for the entire country

  -Create the federal tax system that citizens pay in to.

  -Has the power to declare war on other countries

• -Interprets the laws and ensures justice

  -Reviews the constitutionality of laws

  -Have trial for people accused of breaking federal laws.

Executive

Legislative

Judicial

• Executive

• Legislative

• Judicial

There were two opposing groups at the Constitutional Convention called the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. These two groups debated with each other over both the writing and ratification of the US Constitution.

Although both groups wanted to preserve liberty in the United States, they disagreed on how to do so. The Federalists supported the creation of the new Constitution and the strong central government that it created. Anti-Federalists on the other hand Opposed the new Constitution. Instead, they preferred a system like the Articles of Confederation that created strong state governments.

​Federalists and Anti-Federalists

Match

Who were the Federalists and who were the Anti-Federalists?

• -Wanted to approve the new Constitution

  -Wanted a strong national government

• -Did not Want to approve the Constitution

  -Preferred to have strong state governments

• Because they make me give three matching options

Federalists

Anti-Federalists

Why is there a 3rd option?

• Federalists

• Anti-Federalists

• Why is there a 3rd option?

There were three main issues that the Federalists and Anti-Federalists debated over. These issues included...
1. How strong should the federal government be?

2. Is a president necessary? 

3. Do individual freedoms need to be guaranteed in writing? 

​Federalist vs Anti-Federalists

The Antifederalists argued that...
-The Constitution would make the federal government too strong. They said states should have more control because they better understand the needs of their citizens.

-A supreme federal government would “swallow up all the powers of the state governments,”. This would lead to tyranny, a cruel and unfair form of government in which one person or group has total control over everyone.

How strong should the federal government be?

The Federalists argued that...
-The U.S. government needed the authority to force the states to follow laws—otherwise, the country would remain as disorganized as it was under the Articles of Confederation.

Since they had stated in the Constitution that any powers not specifically given to the federal government in the Constitution would still belong to the states the government would not become fall to tyranny.

The Antifederalists argued that...
-A president sounded a lot like the monarchy America had just left behind in Great Britain. They feared that “president” actually meant “elected king.” 

-Instead of a president they should have an executive council made up of a few people instead.

Is a president necessary? 

The Federalists argued that...
-A powerful president would enforce laws and keep the country safe from foreign attacks.

-A single leader would be easier to hold accountable than a group, which could “conceal faults and destroy responsibility,”.

Anti-Federalists
In the final days of the Constitutional Convention an Antifederalist from Virginia named George Mason suggested adding a Bill of Rights. He said that listing Americans’ individual freedoms would help reassure people who were concerned about a strong federal government.

The other delegates rejected Mason’s idea. But he had foreseen a major complaint about the Constitution. He and other Antifederalists believed people’s personal rights—such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press—needed to be spelled out in order to safeguard them. 

A Bill of Rights, they said, would help protect individual citizens from the government. 

Should freedoms need to be guaranteed in writing? 

The Federalists argued that...
-A Bill of Rights was unnecessary.

-They said Constitution didn’t grant the government control over the press or speech or religion, so why did they need another document protecting those rights?

-They also worried that listing all of people’s individual freedoms was impossible. If they forgot one, what then?

Match

Match the beliefs of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists to the correct group

• -The federal government needed to be able to force states to do certain things

  -A powerful president would be able to force the laws and easier to hold accountable for wrong decisions than a group

  -A Bill of Rights was unnecessary.
  
  -The Constitution didn’t grant the government control over the press or speech or religion

• -The Constitution made the federal government too strong and could lead to tyranny.

  -A president would just be an elected king. Why not have a group of executives to lead the country.

  -The Constitution needed to include a list of rights that the government cannot take away from the citizens.

• They make me give you three matching choices

Federalists

Anti-Federalists

Option 3

• Federalists

• Anti-Federalists

• Option 3

The Federalists, mostly. Their arguments convinced enough states that the new Constitution, though not perfect, was a big improvement over the Articles of Confederation. Plus, the document could be amended, or changed. In fact, several states suggested amendments to the Constitution at the same time they voted to ratify it. “Clearly, those states were saying: This is a step along the way. We’re going to ratify, but we know we’re not done,”.

In December 1787, Delaware became the first state to approve the Constitution. Other states followed. In June 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify—the last vote needed. On March 4, 1789, the date set by Congress, the Constitution officially became the law of the land.

Though they had not supported the Constitution, the Antifederalists did leave their mark on it. In 1789, the very first Congress under the Constitution agreed that it was important to protect Americans from too much government control. Two years later, the freedoms that Antifederalists had demanded became the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights. 

And the Winner Is...

Multiple Select

How did the Federalists and Anti-Federalists both technically win the fight over the Constitution?

(2 answers are correct...read carefully)

• The Federalists were able to get the Constitution approved and create a government with a powerful president and a strong central government.

• The Anti-Federalists were able to get a list of rights, the Bill of Rights, added to the Constitution shortly after it was created.

• The Federalists were able to get a list of rights, the Bill of Rights, added to the Constitution shortly after it was created.

• The Anti-Federalists were able to get the Constitution approved and create a government with a powerful president and a strong central government.

Extra-Credit Assignment

​Bill of Rights Poster Project

​Your Task: You will create a poster or a collage describing one of the first ten amendments to the Constitution to inform your classmates about its meaning and importance in early America and today.

Your Poster/ Collage Must Include the Following Information:

• ​The Amendment # and a Title for the Amendment (Trial by Jury, No Quartering, etc.)

• A collection of drawings / pictures that show the meaning of the amendment.

• On a separate paper: A short interpretation of why / how the amendment helps to protect the rights of citizens (1-2 paragraphs).