The United States Constitution for Kids - Civic Ed

1 1 The United States Constitution for KidsIntroduction Following the War of Independence with Great Britain, the former colonies began to consider the best way to govern their newly created and unified nation. Their initial experiment with self-government, the Articles of Confederation, created a governmental system in which power was distributed amongst the States , leaving the central government with limited powers to solve problems when they occurred between the States . As a result, from 1783-1789, America faced what is now known as the Critical Period.

2 Without a strong government, America experienced many di!culties. The Articles government owed a lot of money from fighting the war with Great Britain but could not pay because it had no ability to tax. Additionally, the Articles of Confederation did not provide for a national military, so threats from foreign nations were not handled well. What was the new government to do? Recognizing the need for changes, leaders began discussing revisions to the Articles of Confederation. Soon, however, it became all too clear that revising the Articles was simply not enough.

3 As a result, what came to be known as the Constitutional Convention--which met in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787--was called to write a new plan of government, a document that would become the US Constitution . The United States Constitution for Kids2 Table of ! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to the Preamble:! I! I Section 1! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Article One, Section One:!

4 I Section 2! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Article One, Section Two:! I Section 3! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Article One, Section Three:! I Section 4! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Article One, Section Four:! I Section 5! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Article One, Section Five:! I Section 6! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Article One, Section Six:! I Section 7! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Article One, Section Seven:! I Section 8! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Article One, Section Eight:!

5 I Section 9! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Article One, Section Nine:! I Section 10!28 The United States Constitution for Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Article One, Section Ten:! II! II Section 1! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Article Two, Section One:! II Section 2! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Article Two, Section Two:! II Section 3!

6 Text:! Documents Relevant to Article Two, Section Three:! II Section 4! Text:! Documents Relevant to Article Two, Section Four:! III! III Section 1! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Article Three, Section One:! III Section 2! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Article Three, Section Two:! III Section 3! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Article III, Section Three:! IV! IV Section 1! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Article Four, Section One:! IV Section 2! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Article Four, Section Two:!

7 IV Section 3! Text:!45 The United States Constitution for Source Documents Relevant to Article Four, Section Three:! IV Section 4! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Article Four, Section Four:! V! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Article Five:! VI! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Article Six:! VII! Text:! to the Constitution ! Bill of Rights: Amendments 1-10!

8 I (1791)! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Amendment I:! II (1791)! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Amendment II:! III (1791)! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Amendment III:! IV (1791)! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Amendment IV:! V (1791)! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Amendment V:! VI (1791)! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Amendment VI:! VII (1791)! Text:!60 The United States Constitution for Source Documents Relevant to Amendment VII:!

9 VIII (1791)! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Amendment VIII:! IX (1791):! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Amendment IX:! X (1791)! Text:! Source Documents Relevant to Amendment X:! XI (1798)! Text:! XII (1804)! Text:! XIII (1865)! Text:! XIV (1868)! Text:! XV (1870)! Text:! XVI (1913)! Text:! XVII (1913)! Text:! XVIII (1919)! Text:! XIX (1920)! Text:! XX (1933)! Text:! XXI (1933)! Text:! XXII (1951)! Text:!72 The United States Constitution for XXIII (1960)!

10 Text:! XXIV (1964)! Text:! XXV (1967)! Text:! XXVI (1971)! Text:! XXVII (1992)! Text:!76 The United States Constitution for Kids7 PreambleBackground: As a statement of guiding principles, the preamble to the Constitution describes what the new government hoped to accomplish for its citizens and what it still desires to fulfill today. The opening phrase of the Constitution 's preamble, We the People was important because it highlighted the fact that the ultimate power of the new government rested with the people themselves, rather than a king or the States .