The U.S. Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, and it is one of the most influential legal documents in history. More than one hundred other countries have used its concepts, organization, and vision to model their own.
The seven articles of our constitution established a system of self-government that Abraham Lincoln described as a system
“…of the people, by the people, and for the people.”
Article 1: Legislative Branch: the U.S. Congress makes the laws for the United States.
Article 2: Executive Branch: the President, Vice-President, Cabinet, and Departments under the Cabinet Secretaries carry out the laws made by Congress.
Article 3: Judicial Branch: the Supreme Court decides court cases according to the US Constitution. The courts under the Supreme Court decide criminal and civil court cases according to the correct federal, state, and local laws.
Article 4: States’ powers: States have the power to make and carry out their own laws.
Article 5: Amendments: The Constitution can be changed. New amendments can be added to the US Constitution with the approval by a two-thirds vote in each house of Congress (67, 281) and a three-fourths vote by the states (38).
Article 6: Federal powers: The Constitution and federal laws are higher than state and local laws. All laws must agree with the US Constitution.
Article 7: Ratification: The Constitution was presented to George Washington and the men at the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787. Representatives from twelve out of the thirteen original states signed the Constitution. (Want to know more? See the following: uscitizenpod.comopens in a new window)
Today we celebrate the enduring power of this most influential document, and in all we are and all we do, we are committed to the high ideals found within our constitution: equity, inclusion, individual and corporate responsibility, efforts to check and balance power, safety, and happiness for all persons.