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The Constitution was written in 1787 to replace the Articles of Confederation. The Constitution created a blueprint for the US government that had a stronger federal government and protected individual and states' rights.

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Historical Influences of the Constitution 

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Historical Influences of the Constitution 

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- Ancient Greece influenced the democratic political system established in the US.

- Ancient Rome influenced the creation of the republic and senate.

- The Enlightenment ideas influenced the Constitution. Ideas brought forth by people like John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu were taken into account and used to form the Constitution.

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James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and the rest of the Constitution's authors wanted to create something with a stronger government that was not a monarchy or dictatorship.

Popular Sovereignty: The people are the ones that give the power to rule.

Limited Government: The government had restricted power and anything they didn't have the power of was given to the states or the people.

Federalism: The Federal and State governments share and divide their power. The Federal government's power and laws are above the states.
- Delegated Powers: The power given to the federal government.
- Reserved Powers: The power given to the states.
- Concurrent Powers: The power shared by the federal government and the states.
For example, the Federal government can declare war, coin money, and establish foreign policy. The states can establish local governments, conduct elections, and regulate trade within states. They both can raise taxes, borrow money, and charter banks.

Separation of Powers: There would be three branches of government.
- The Legislative branch would make laws.
- The Executive branch would enforce laws.
- The Judicial branch would interpret laws.

Checks and Balances: With three branches of government, one branch cannot be more powerful than the other. So, each branch can limit the others to make sure that one part of the government doesn't become too or more powerful than other parts of the government.

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In 1787, there was the Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia. Influential people of the time period were delegates that met to discuss the rewriting of the Articles of Confederation. At the convention, the delegates decided to write a new constitution, but there were different opinions on how some topics would be handled in the new constitution.

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Issues:
There were debates on how the states would be represented in congress. The Great Compromise was made which decided there would be two houses, the House of Representatives and the Senate.

People also argued about trade. To fix this, the Commerce Compromise decided that the states can regulate intrastate trade and the federal government had the power to regulate interstate and foreign trade.

There was also a problem with the population of slaves and its contribution to the number of members in the House of Representatives and the Electoral College. The Three-Fifths Compromise was made which states that slaves would count as 3/5 of a person for representation and taxation.

Slavery began to be frowned upon by people so the Constitution made The Slave Trade clause that would ban the slave trade 20 years after the Constitution was put into effect.

The Electoral College was the solution to how people would elect the president. The electoral vote of a state is determined by its population. For a president to be elected, they need a majority of electoral votes (270 votes).
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The Preamble is the introduction of the Constitution which was made to explain the Constitution's principles and purpose.

Article I creates and explains the two houses and powers of Congress.

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The Two Houses:

The House of Representatives is elected by the people every two years. The representation is determined by the population of a state. Money and taxes originate in the House of Representatives. Every ten years, a census is taken to determine the population which can cause a state to lose or gain members in the House. To be in the House a candidate must be 25 years old and a U.S. citizen for seven years.

The Senate is elected every six years by state legislatures. There are two senators per state. The Senate is in charge of approving presidential actions such as treaties, cabinet officials, and supreme court nominees. To be in the Senate a candidate must be 30 years old and a U.S. citizen for nine years.

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Powers of Congress:

Expressed Powers are powers given specifically to Congress such as collecting taxes, regulating interstate and foreign trade, establishing army/navy, etc.

Implied Powers are powers given to Congress that allow it to pass any law that helps Congress carry out expressed powers.

Congress can:
- Impeach a president, but a majority vote of the House of Representatives is needed.
- Remove elected officials from office such as the president and judges. Two-thirds of the Senate must convict and agree to remove someone from office.
- etc.

In order for Congress to make a law, a bill starts in either house and has to be passed through both houses. A president then signed the bill or vetos it. If the president vetoes a bill, then Congress can vote and override the president's veto with a two-thirds vote.

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The president, elected by the electoral college, is the head of the executive branch. A president is the chief executive, commander in chief, and head of state, among other things. The executive branch has the president, vice president, and cabinet.

Qualifications to be President:
- Must be 35 years old.
- Must be a natural-born citizen of the U.S.
- Must reside in the U.S. for at least 14 years.

A president serves a 4-year term but can be reflected into a second term. A president cannot serve more than two years because of the 22nd amendment.

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The third Article creates the Judicial Branch. The Judicial Branch's highest court is the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court's main job is judicial review which gives the Supreme Court the ability to declare something in violation of the Constitution.

Qualifications for Supreme Court:
- There is no age limit.
- There is no citizenship requirement.
- Serving for life.

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1. The freedom of speech, religion, and peaceful assembly.

2. The right to own a gun.

3. The right to restrict and deny quartering, and housing, of soldiers in private homes.

4. The right that prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures without a warrant.

5. The right to life, property, liberty, no double jeopardy, or self-incrimination. The right to remain silent.

6. The right to a speedy and public trial with a jury of your counsel.

7. The right to a jury trial in civil lawsuits.

8. Prevents excessive fines and bail, cruel and unusual punishments.

9. States the federal government doesn't have the rights not states in the Constitution. Those belong to the people.

10. State the federal government only has the power delegated or enumerated to it by the Constitution. All other powers are given to the States and/or the people.

11. Prohibits the Supreme Court from entertaining cases where a state is sued by an individual from another state or country.

12. The president and vice president are elected together instead of the vice president being the runner-up.

13. Abolishes slavery and involuntary servitude unless it is a punishment for a crime.

14. Guarantees all citizens equal protection of the laws. Everyone born in the United States is granted citizenship.

15. Gives the right to vote without denial based on race, color, or previous conditions of servitude.

16. Congress has the power to collect taxes on the incomes of all earners in the U.S.

17. Allows voters to vote for U.S. Senators.

18. Made production, transportation, and sale of liquors illegal.

19. Gives women the right to vote.

20. Changes the dates of when presidents, vice presidents, and members of Congress begin/end their terms from January 20 to January 3. Also states that if the president dies before taking office, then the vice president would be inaugurated as president.

21. Repealed the federal prohibition of intoxication liquors (Amendment 18).

22. A president cannot serve more than two terms.

23. The District of Columbia is granted electors in the Electoral College.

24. Prohibits any poll tax in elections for any officials.

25. If the president is removed from office or dies, then the vice president will become president.

26. United States citizens who are eighteen years or older are allowed to vote.

27. Prevents Congress members from giving themselves pay raises until the next term.