Do Now….On a half sheet of paper (front of the room), do the following:

1. Write 3 characteristics or descriptions of the delegates (people who wrote/signed the

Constitution) of the Constitutional Convention.

2. In exactly 25 words, using the answers to #1 as a guide,– Predict what the Constitution will be like, and– Explain why– (HINT: this should reflect the answers in #1)

The U.S. Constitution is…

• Fairly short document…–About 7,000 words long–Can be read in about half an hour

• Difficult to change…–Over 10,000 amendments to The

Constitution have been proposed since it’s origin.

–Only 27 have ever passed!

“We must never forget that it is a Constitution intended to

endure for ages to come, and consequently, to be adapted to

the various crises of human affairs.”

- Chief Justice John Marshall

“We must never forget that it is a Constitution intended to

endure for ages to come, and consequently, to be adapted to

the various crises of human affairs.”

- Chief Justice John Marshall

What changes have occurred in the world since The Constitution

was written?

And yet, The U.S. Constitution has been in place longer than

any other governing document.

WHY?

Stable…yet flexible

The U.S. Constitution is difficult to change…remember how few amendments have been successful?

Yet it doesn’t go into great detail about how government should be run…so it remains flexible enough to adjust to current situations.

Is this a good or bad thing?

Structure of The U.S. Constitution

•The Preamble•The Articles•The Amendments

The Preamble

• Introduction that explains why The Constitution was written and its purpose.

• “We the People of the United States, 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 this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Seven Articles (Divisions)

• Article 1 – the Legislative Branch• Article 2 – the Executive Branch• Article 3 – the Judicial Branch• Article 4 – the Relationship between States and

between States and National Govt.

• Article 5 – how to amend (change) The Constitution

• Article 6 – this is “Supreme Law of the Land.”

• Article 7 – when The Constitution takes effect

27 Amendments

• Amendment = a change to The Constitution• 1 – 10 The Bill of Rights• 13 – 15 & 24 Civil Rights Am.• 18 & 21 Prohibition and Repeal• 15,19,23 & 26 Voting Rights• 12,20,22 & 25 President’s Job

How to find things in the Constitution….• Article

–Section• Clause

• Article 1, Section 2, Clause 2• Art 1.2.2

Age requirement

for House of

Representatives