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Introduction to the U.s constitution An Outline of the Constitution Articles of the Constitution Basic Principles How amendments may be added to the constitution References

The Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787, by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, ratified June 21, 1788 The first ten constitutional amendments ratified by three-fourths of the states in 1791 are known as the Bill of Rights. James Madison was the father of the Constitution

The Constitution sets out the basic principles upon which government in the United States was built. The Constitution is organized into eight sections: the Preamble and seven articles. The original document is followed by 27 amendments.

The principle of popular sovereignty asserts that the people are the source of any and all government power, and government can exist only with the consent of the governed. The principle of limited government states that government is restricted in what it may do, and each individual has rights that government cannot take away. Separation of powers is the principle in which the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government are three independent and coequal branches of government.

Checks and balances is the system that allows the legislative, executive, and judicial branches to check, or restrain, the actions of one another. The principle of judicial review consists of the power of a court to determine the constitutionality of a governmental action. Federalism is a system of government in which the powers of government are divided between a central government and several local governments.

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