US+Constitution+Project

=The Making of the Constitution:= After declaring independence (with the Declaration of Independence) in the Revolutionary War, the new United States of America had to decide on what to do with their government. Their main point in making this new government was to avoid the same type of tyranny that Britain had tried to establish in the colonies. As a first attempt of doing so, Constitutional Congress delegates from each state came together and established the Articles of Condeferation in 1781.This document basically limited federal power and gave the main power to the state legislatives. Over time, the US Congress had realized that the government was too weak under power of the Articles of Confederation. Because of this, delegates from each state (except Rhode Island) met up with each other for the Constitutional Convention in Philidelphia, PA. These "Founding Fathers" consisted of 55 educated middle-aged white men who unanimously chose George Washington to lead the convention. After settling issues about representation in the government with the Great Compromise and Three-Fifths Compromise, the members of the convention started to work on making a full, complete constitution for the United States. With a great amount of help from James Madison, "the most creative political thinker of his generation" who was able to come up with solutions to the questions of sovereignty and limiting power, the Constitution was finally created by September 17, 1787. Although it was created on that day, it took a few years for the Constitution to be accepted by all of the states. The necessary nine out of thirteen states needed to ratify the Constitution did so by 1788, but a few of the larger more important states (like New York and Virginia) still refused to accept it due to the lack of a section indicating individual rights. After this Bill of Rights was promised to be made, the Constitution finally came into full effect with the support of all of the states.



=﻿Most Used Words in the Constitution:= media type="custom" key="7267265"
 * 1) ﻿States : the Constitution recognized state powers along with federal powers, making sure that the new federalist government was going to be strong and wouldn't give too much power to the states
 * 2) United : the creaters of the Constitution tried to make sure that America would stay united under a fair republican government system
 * 3) President : the President is part of the new executive branch added in the Constitution - this branch is outlined in the Constitution so that the President would recieve high powers without becoming tyrannical
 * 4) Law : the Constitution is the "supreme law of the land" in the US, stating numerous laws that all of its people have to follow
 * 5) Congress : Congress is a part of the legislative branch that is outlined in the Constitution including the House of Representatives and Senate) - the creaters of the Constitution made sure that the Congress was stronger than it had been under the Articles of Confederation, but obviously not too strong

=﻿Key Principles of the Constitution:=
 * added two new branches to the US government, the executive and judiciary
 * states delegated and restricted powers
 * states the separate powers of each branch, making sure that they balance each other out with the system of checks and balances
 * Bill of Rights - establishes individual rights
 * states how government sovereignty derives from the people
 * outlines system of federalism in which state and national government powers are separated/shared
 * discusses how to make ammendments if necessary
 * includes the Necessary and Proper Clause ("Elastic Clause") that gives Congress the right to use loose construction
 * outlines rules of who is eligible to be in each branch - discusses elections and impeachment
 * separates church and state

=﻿Importance of the Constitution:= The Constitution is of great importance to the US since it is the document of which our government is based on. With the Constitution, America was (and still is) able to be organized and run itself. Every American citizen understands that they have to follow the Constitution since it is the "supreme law of the land". The separation of powers outlined the Constitution balances our government so that it is virtually impossible to have any form of tyranny. The Constitution controls the US in a fair way so that the government can manage itself even in the future (since ammendments can be made and loose construction can be used to satisfy a period of time). As time passes and new ammendments are made, the US is able to progress over time with the help of the Constitution.

=﻿Application of Key Principles in Historical Contex:=
 * 1791: Hamilton's National Bank (Bank of the United States) - loose construction
 * 1793: Chisholm v Georgia - judicial review led up to the passage of the 11th Ammendment
 * 1794: Whiskey Rebellion - it "tested" the new federal government
 * Citizen Genet affair - "tested" the Neutrality Act
 * 1803: Marbury v. Madison - judiciary review was used & the Judiciary Act was nullified
 * 1803: Lousiana Purchase - loose construction since the Constitution hadn't said anything about aquiring new territories
 * 1819: Dartmouth College v. Woodward -
 * 1819: McCulloch v Maryland -
 * 1820: Missouri Compromise -
 * 1821: Cohens v. Virginia -
 * 1832: Nullification -
 * 1857: Scott v. Sanford -
 * 1860-1865: Confederacy -
 * 1866: Ex Parte Milligan -
 * 1890: The National American Women Suffrage Association -
 * 1896: Plessy v. Ferguson -
 * 1897: Chicago v. Chicago -
 * 1905: Lochner v. New York -
 * 1908: Twining v. State -
 * 1919: Schenck v. US -
 * 1928: Olmstead v. US -
 * 1931: Near v. Minnesota -
 * 1954: Brown v. Board -
 * 1963: Gideon v. Wainwright -
 * 1964: Heart of Atlanta v. US -
 * 1965: Griswold v. Connecticut -
 * 1966: Miranda v. Arizona -
 * 1967: Katz v. US -
 * 1967: Loving v. Virginia -
 * 1970: Oregon v. Mitchell -
 * 1971: New York Times v. US -
 * 1973: Roe v. Wade -
 * 1976: Gregg v. Georgia -
 * 1979: Webster v. Reproductive Health -
 * 1992: Planned Parenthood v. Casey -
 * 1997: City of Boone v. Flores
 * 2000: Presidential Election -

Sources:

 * APUSH book
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