Lesson 2 - The US Constitution

What is the US Constitution?

What is the US Constitution?

In 1787, representatives from each of the 13 colonies met and drew up this document. It was a set of rules embodying a series of compromises and establishing how their new nation was to be run.

What were the intentions behind the US Constitution?

The Constitution was designed to prevent a repeat of the ‘tyrannical’ rule of the British government. It was set up to contain numerous checks and balances which would hopefully ensure that no US government could ever become tyrannical and start disregarding the will of the people.

What was the philosophy of John Locke?

He argued that governments were instituted by people in order to meet their needs. People had inherent natural rights, some of which they voluntarily relinquished to governments in order to gain protection from violence, security for their possessions, and the stability needed to cooperate productively with others.

What was the philosophy of Montesquieu?

Montesquieu believed that the best guard against tyranny, or any abuse of power by the government, was to have a system of government which made a clear separation between the three main functions of government. The same people/groups would not be involved in more than one of the three main functions.

What were the three functions of Montesquieu’s philosophy?

1. The LEGISLATURE: The body that makes laws. In the US Constitution, the legislature consists of two ‘chambers’ - the House of Representatives and the Senate. Together, they are known as Congress, and they consist of elected representatives.

2. The EXECUTIVE: The body that implements the law and gets things done on a day-to-day basis. This is headed by the President and is aided by his Cabinet, which he chooses.

3. The JUDICIARY: The law courts. At the head of the system of law courts is Supreme Court - the final court of appeal. This consists of eight associate judges, and a chief justice.

What is an amendment?

This is an extra rule added onto the end of the Constitution. To pass the amendment, a two thirds majority vote is needed in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

What is the Bill of Rights?

This comprises of the first ten amendments. It was ratified in 1971 to appease those worried that the Constitution had created too powerful a central government. This was designed to protect people against abuse of power by governments.

What is the difference between state and federal government?

Each state is left free to decide most day to day matters itself, and the federal government must confine itself to dealing with national issues.