Analysis and interpretation, popularly known as the constitution annotated, encompasses the u. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the united states constitution. Thank you for your interest in preserving liberty in america with hillsdale colleges free pocketsized u. The united states constitution kindle edition by united. Constitution of the united states of america as amended. Printerfriendly version constitution for the united states of america 1 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. There is no intent to change or interpret what the founders said, and no intent to say more or less. Its first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, whereby the federal government is divided into three branches. Under americas first national government, the articles of confederation, the states acted together only for specific purposes. Mar 16, 2020 the constitution acted like a colossal merger, uniting a group of states with different interests, laws, and cultures. The preamble sets the stage for the constitution archives.
The constitution is the formal, legal document that describes how the church operates. List of amendments to the united states constitution. The united states constitution kindle edition by united states. The constitution of the united states preamble 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. The constitution united its citizens as members of a whole, vesting the power of the union in the. The constitution of the united states is the supreme law of the united states of america.
The constitution of the united states audiobook youtube. Where particular passages in the constitution seem particularly obscure due to archaic language or cultural references that are no longer in use i have. A guiding question for each lesson is included below each section. The bill of rights amendments 1 10 which were ratified on december 15, 1791, prior to the constitution going. Carry copies of the entire constitution as a handy foldable booklet, or refer to one article or amendment at a time. All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a congress of the united states, which shall consist of a senate and house of representatives.
When nine of the states ratified the document, they created a union of sovereign states, and a federal government. The text of the original signed copy of the constitution filed in the office of the secretary of state is retained unless it has been repealed or superseded by amendment or revision. Resources guide explore the links in the text of the constitution below to discover a variety of relevant, classroom ready, lessons and activities from the bill of rights institute. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Essential 52page booklet containing 2 fundamental documents that all americans should read.
It does not define government powers or individual rights. Full text of the constitution of the united states audiobook. The pdf version can be printed using any pdf viewer. Constitution reads that a well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. Help build the largest repository of foreign translations of the u. Constitution of the united states of america17871 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 estab. The united states constitution now has 25 functioning amendments. Constitution full audiobook greatestaudiobooks the bill of rights are the first ten amendments to the united. Annotations of cases decided by the supreme court of the united states library of congress.
Privileges and immunities, extradiction, fugitive slaves see explanation section 3. The first amendment guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. The constitution was the product of political compromise after long and often rancorous debates over issues such. More on the subject index bill of rights additional amendments printer friendly version constitution for the united states of america 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. The constitution acted like a colossal merger, uniting a group of states with different interests, laws, and cultures. The constitution of the united states of america is the supreme law of the united states.
Later, it was put into effect, or ratified, by representatives of the people of the first states. Constitution of the united states simple english wikipedia. The house of representatives shall be composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the several. The constitution of the united states is the oldest federal constitution now in use. Constitution intended to make reading it less tedious for modern english speakers. Twentyseven of these, having been ratified by the requisite number of states 38, since 1959, are part of the constitution. 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. The united states constitution proofed word for word against the original constitution housed in the archives in washington d.
Rights to religion, speech, press, assembly, petition. It forbids congress from both promoting one religion over others and also restricting an individuals religious practices it guarantees freedom of expression by prohibiting congress from restricting the press or the rights of individuals to speak freely. The constitution, originally comprising seven articles, delineates the national frame of government. The preamble outlines the constitutions purpose and guiding principles. While it is a very short amendment, its exact meaning in terms of what types of weapons are protected and what constitutes a wellregulated militia is still in contention today. Constitution full audiobook greatestaudiobooks the bill of rights are the first ten amendments to the united states constitution. The preamble is an introduction to the highest law of the land. The united states constitution is the highest law of the united states of america. Each house shall be the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of its own members,and a majority of each shall constitute a quorum to do business. New amendments can be added to the us constitution with the approval by a twothirds vote in each house of congress 67 for the senate, 281 in the house of representatives and threefourth vote by the states 38. The constitution was written during the summer of 1787 in philadelphia, pennsylvania, by 55 delegates to a constitutional convention that was called ostensibly to amend the articles of confederation 178189, the countrys first written constitution. The constitution of the united states preamble note. Constitution and analysis and interpretation of the u.
Constitution full version the constitution is the formal, legal document. Constitution day materials, us constitution, pocket. The constitution annotated provides a comprehensive overview of how the constitution has been interpreted over time and is now available on this new site with upgraded search capabilities. Get your free pocket constitution hillsdale college. From a patriotically illustrated bill of rights bookmark to a parchmentlook version of the constitution, you can easily reference the fundamental laws and governing documents of the united states of america. It clearly communicates the intentions of the framers and the purpose of the document. Constitution of the united states of america bill of. Constitution with intext annotations of cases decided by the supreme court of the united states. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The online constitution annotated includes discussions of the supreme courts latest opinions. Constitution please send my free pocket constitution to. In the coming months, we will be making broader changes to.
We the people of the united states, in order to form a more perfect union. This constitution or founding document is easy to download and print. There have been 27 ratified in total, but one of these, the 18th, was prohibition and another, the 21st, was the repeal of prohibition. The powers not delegated to the united states by the constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people. Bill of rightsbill of rights of the united states constitution. Us constitution annotated 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. Constitution of the united states of america history. Guarantees to states see explanation article v the amendment process see explanation article vi legal status of the constitution see explanation. Constitution of the united states of america1787 page ii 4this clause has been affected by clause 2 of amendment xviii. Thirtythree amendments to the united states constitution have been proposed by the united states congress and sent to the states for ratification since the constitution was put into operation on march 4, 1789.
Empowered with the sovereign authority of the people by the framers and the consent of the legislatures of. The first ten of these amendments are together called the bill of rights. Since 1787, changes have been made to the united states constitution 27 times by amendments changes. Constitution full version the constitution is the formal, legal document that describes how the church operates. The united states constitution was drafted by the committee of detail, who used bits and pieces from original virginia plan, the decisions of the constitutional convention on modifications to that plan, along with other sources including the articles of confederation, to produce the first full draft from august 6 to september 10, the report of the committee of detail was discussed, section.
We the people of the united states, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the. The signing of the constitution took place on september 17, 1787, at the pennsylvania state house now called independence hall in philadelphia. It was signed on september 17, 1787 by the constitutional convention in philadelphia, pennsylvania. The following text is a transcription of the constitution as it was inscribed by jacob shallus on parchment the document on display in the rotunda at the national archives museum. The 2nd amendment was ratified on december 17, 1791, along with the other nine amendments that make up the bill of rights.
Free constitution of the united states of america to demonstrate the full features of the ecompress technologyexhaustive indexing of text and numbers, wild. The constitution is here published as it is in effect following the approval of amendments and revisions on november 6, 2018. One of the 10 amendments known as the bill of rights, the second amendments meaning and applicability. The constitution full text the national constitution center. Constitution of the united states, analysis and interpretation. 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. Weve started with french, spanish, russian and english and want to add german, italian, japanese and others. The constitution full text the national constitution. The constitution of the united states national archives.