Simplified Constitution

Constitution of the United States

Article 1 – Creates the two parts of Congress.

Section 2

1. Defines the House of Representatives, known as the lower house of Congress.
2. Must be 25 years old, will serve for two years each.  Must be a citizen 7 years.
3. Each state gets Representatives based on state population.
4. Has a leader called the Speaker of the House.

Section 3

1. Defines the Senate, knows as the upper house of the Congress.
2. Must be 30 years old, will serve for six years each.  Must be a citizen 9 years.
3. Each state gets two Senators.
4. Vice-President breaks tie votes.

Section 4

1. Says that each state may establish its own methods for electing members of the Congress.
2. Requires, that Congress must meet at least once per year.

Section 5

1. Says that Congress must have a minimum number of members present in order to meet.
2. Fines for members who do not show up. It says that members may be expelled.
3. Each house must keep a journal to record proceedings and votes.
4. Neither house can adjourn without the permission of the other.

Section 6

1. Establishes that members of Congress will be paid.
2. They cannot be detained while traveling to and from Congress.
3. That they cannot hold any other office in the government while in the Congress.

Section 7

1. Say how bills become law.
2. All bills must pass both houses of Congress in the exact same form.
3. Bills that pass both houses are sent to the President.
4. He can either sign the bill, in which case it becomes law, or he can veto it.
5. If he vetoes a bill, it is sent back to Congress, and if both houses pass it by a two-thirds majority, the bill becomes law over the President's veto. This is known as overriding a veto.

Section 8

1. Gives Congress the power to establish and maintain an army and navy.
2. To establish post offices, to create courts, to regulate commerce between the states, to declare war, and to raise money.

Section 9

1. Can’t suspend right to remain silent laws.
2. Can pass laws that make things illegal starting yesterday or last week, etc.
3. No law can give preference to one state over another
4. Can’t spend money without permission.

Section 10

1. States can’t make their own money, or declare war, or tax goods from other states.

Article 2 – Creates the job of President, called the Executive.

Section 1

1. Establishes the office of the President and the Vice-President.
2. Both serve for four years.
3. Presidents are elected by the Electoral.
4. Must be 35 years old.  Must be born in the USA.
5. Their pay cannot change, up or down, as long as he in is office.

Section 2

1. President leads the armed forces.
2. He has a Cabinet to aid him, and can pardon criminals.
3. He makes treaties with other nations.
4. Picks many of the judges and other members of the government.

Section 3

1. President must give a yearly speech to the nation.
2. Give suggestions to Congress.
3. Meet with Ambassadors and other heads of state from other nations.
4. Ensure the laws of the United States are carried out.

Section 4

A.  Explains how to kick the president from office, called impeachment.

Article 3 – Establishes Judges, called the Judiciary.

Section 1

1. Establishes the Supreme Court, the highest court in the United States.
2. Judge serve for life, or until they want to retire.

Section 2

1. Says what cases the Supreme Court must decide.
2. It also guarantees trial by jury in criminal court.

Section 3

1. Defines, without any question, what the crime of treason is.

Article 4 – States Rights.

Section 1

1. All states will honor the laws of all other states.

Section 2

1. Citizens of one state are treated equally and fairly like all citizens of another.
2. It also says that if a person accused of a crime in one state flees to another will be returned to the state that person fled from.

Section 3

1. How new states come into the Nation.
2. Control of federal lands.

Section 4

1. Ensures a “Power by the People” government.
2. Guarantees that the federal government will protect the states against.

Article 5 – How to change the Constitution.

1. Representatives must vote on the change.
2. Senators must vote on the change.
3. 2/3 of the States must vote for the change.

Article 6 - Concerns the United States.

1. Guarantees that the Constitution and all laws and treaties of the United States to be the supreme law of the country.
2. Requires all officers of the United States and of the states to swear an oath of allegiance to the United States and the Constitution when taking office.

Article 7 – Explained how the Constitution was agreed to.

1. Of the original 13 states in the United States, nine had to accept the Constitution before it would officially go into effect.

  

The Bill of Rights

1st Amendment

Protects the people's right to practice religion, to speak freely, to assemble (meet), to address the government and of the press to publish.

2nd Amendment

Protects the right to own guns.

3rd Amendment

Guarantees that the army cannot force homeowners to give them room and board.

4th Amendment

Protects the people from the government improperly taking property, papers, or people, without a valid warrant based on probably cause (good reason).

5th Amendment

Protects people from being held for committing a crime unless they are properly indicted, that they may not be tried twice for the same crime, and that you need not be forced to testify against yourself. It also contains due process guarantees.

6th Amendment

Guarantees a speedy trial, an impartial jury, and that the accused can confront witnesses against them, and that the accused must be allowed to have a lawyer.

7th Amendment

Guarantees a jury trial in federal civil court cases. This type of case is normally no longer heard in federal court.

8th Amendment

Guarantees that punishments will be fair, and not cruel, and that extraordinarily large fines will not be set.

9th Amendment

Simply a statement that other rights aside from those listed may exist, and just because they are not listed doesn't mean they can be violated.

10th Amendment

Says that any power not granted to the federal government belongs to the states.

 Amendments passed once the Constitution was adopted.

11th Amendment

Says how someone from one state can sue another state.

12th Amendment

Redefines how the President and Vice-President are chosen by the Electoral College.

13th Amendment

Abolished slavery in the entire United States.

14th Amendment

People had rights on the federal level and on the state level, too.  Dealt with civil war items.

15th Amendment

Ensured that a person’s race could not be used as criteria for voting.

16th Amendment

Authorizes the United States to collect income taxes.

17th Amendment

Shifted the choosing of Senators from the state legislatures to the people of the states.

18th Amendment

Abolished the sale or manufacture of alcohol in the United States.

19th Amendment

Ensures that sex could not be used as a criteria for voting.

20th Amendment

Set new start dates for the terms of the Congress and the President.

21st Amendment

Repealed the 18th Amendment.

22nd Amendment

Set a limit on the number of times a President could be elected - two four-year terms.

23rd Amendment

Grants the Washington D.C. the right to three electors in Presidential elections.

24th Amendment

Ensured that no tax could be charged to vote for any federal office.

25th Amendment

Establishes rules for a President who becomes unable to perform his duties while in office.

26th Amendment

Ensures that any person 18 or over may vote.

27th Amendment

Any law that increased the pay of legislators may not take effect until after an election.

Locke' Ideas in 8 minutes - "Philosophy of Liberty"

If the video does not play go to youtube and type "The Philosophy of Liberty"
HW - as you watch take notes - pause when needed!

Summarize the 5 most important points of the video in at least one paragraph 
                                                                              
Be prepared for a quiz on the video and what we have learned so far in class

Harvard Lecture on John Locke "This Land is my land"

Locke
Click on the L in Locke and become a student at Harvard

HW Due 9/27 Causes of the Revolution - a partial list

HW-Pick and describe what you believe to be the 5 most important causes of the American Revolution!

You will be requaired to use these cause with your group in class!

For over one hundred years the 13 colonies belonged to their mother country.  In 1776 the colonies declared their independence from England.  This action officially started the Revolutionary War.  What were the many causes of this separation and war?  What people, movements and ideas led the colonists to believe they should be free?  What British actions made the colonists angry enough to be rebel?  What American actions and words led to war? In the end it was a complicated combination of causes, ideas and people that started the war and led to the permanent separation from England.  Below are just some causes of the Revolution.  Please check your notes, handouts and textbooks for more specific information about these causes.  Each cause will require internet and book/library research to fully explain.  Please do not copy my words, use them as a guide to get you started.

Long term - Ideas, People, Movements that lead to the desire for more freedom

Magna Carta (1215) – An agreement between king and nobles, first step in guaranteeing rights of people.  It protected certain rights (mainly of the nobles), guaranteed legal procedures, and bound the king to the law.  It was a small step toward spreading freedoms to more people in society.

Glorious Revolution (1689) – The English Parliament throws out the king when he refuses to respect their rights.  It was the start of the modern English parliamentary democracy: never again would the king hold absolute power.  The Bill of Rights that was written during this time became one of the most important documents in the political history of Britain.

English Bill of Rights (1689) – Limited the power of the king, guaranteed more rights to British citizens and authority to the people through the Parliament.  Because Americans saw themselves as British citizens they believed the English Bill of Rights should apply to them in America. 

Salutary Neglect – (lasted until 1763) England allowed the colonies to take care of much of its own business and did little to enforce trade rules.  Local government decisions were usually controlled by the individual colonies.  As long as England continued to profit from the triangle trade it left America alone.  Americans liked this freedom and were angry when King George III became more involved in their lives and did not respect colonial laws and customs as he did with Parliament.  

Great Awakening – (1740) A religious revival that included people from all classes and races in the colonies.  It spread the idea that all people are equal before God.  In a shared experience colonists saw they could control their own religious lives and be united under God, without needing the king.  Independent churches and colleges started at this time were not under the authority of the Church of England.  These ideas directly challenged the power of the king and Parliament.    

Enlightenment/Scientific Revolution – Philosophers and scientists worked to understand the laws of society and nature.  They believed they could make the world a better place and that all people had rights that should be protected.  Some like John Locke believed government could be improved and corrected by thinking people.  It started people thinking about new ways of living.    

John Locke – The colonists read his ideas about government.  Locke believed that government depended on the people for its survival.  If a government (king) did not protect the life, liberty and property of its people the people had the right to replace the government with something new.

British actions that angered the colonists

Mercantilism – trade rules that made the British very rich. The colonies were told to trade with England, use English ships, buy expensive English manufactured products, and pay extra taxes on products not made in England.  These rules helped many colonists but angered some who wanted to trade with other countries and develop factories in America.  Although these rules were in place for 100 years they were not strictly enforced until 1763. 

Proclamation of 1763 – King George stopped settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains.  Colonists were angry because it meant they could not have more land and British soldiers would remain in the colonies.  The English were angry because the colonists did not want to pay the debts for the French and Indian War and for protection of the colonies by English troops.

Sugar Act (1764) – tax on sugar products and many other items people used every day.

Stamp Act (1765) – Tax on paper products and official documents like marriage licenses.

Townshend Acts (1767) – closed down the government in NY until they agreed to house British troops, put taxes on imports of glass, paper, lead and tea.

Declaratory Act (1766) – This Act stated that Parliament had total authority to govern the colonies.  The rules made up by the Parliament must be obeyed without complaint.  Colonists who were used to participating in government and making their own laws became very angry and refused to obey.

Writs of Assistance  (1767)– This made it legal for British soldiers to search colonial homes and businesses for smuggled goods.  Colonists were angry because their right to privacy was being destroyed. 

Boston Massacre  (1770) – tensions between colonists and British soldiers result in violence, 5 Americans killed.  Many Americans blame the British soldiers for the deaths and want them out of the colonies.  

Tea Act (1773) – demanded that all tea come from England and that it be taxed

Intolerable Acts (1774) – Closed Boston Harbor, stopped colonies from communicating with each other, forced colonists to allow British soldiers to live their homes.  All of these things angered the colonists because their businesses were being hurt, their right to free speech was being limited, and their homes were being invaded. 

Olive Branch Petition Rejected (1775) – King ignores American Continental Congresses attempts to keep peace and remain loyal during the period before the Declaration of Independence.

American actions and words that led to separation and war

Peter Zenger (1735) – Court rules that freedom of the press allows him to speak against English governor.  Colonists are less afraid to speak out against England.  Free speech is protected.

Albany Plan of Union (1754) – Ben Franklin believed that by working together the colonies would soon be more powerful.  They could more easily defend themselves against the French and Native American tribes and eventually stand up for themselves and get England’s respect.  Although this plan failed it started the colonists thinking about working together.  (“Join or Die” snake cartoon)

Boston Tea Party (1773) – Colonists who are angry over the Tea Act dump over 300 chests of British tea into the harbor (Sons of Liberty).  This bold destruction of British property angered the King.  More troops were sent and Parliament demanded trails for those responsible.   

“No taxation without representation” – colonists demanded the right to be represented in Parliament.  As English citizens they had the right to have a say in the governments laws and taxes.  (Today we vote for representatives in Congress and they speak for us) Because colonial requests were usually ignored they began to refuse to pay taxes or buy goods from England.    

Boycotts – some colonists did refuse to buy British goods, this hurt the British economy.  For example, the Daughters of Liberty made their own clothing so they would not have to buy British dresses.  Others stopped buying from stores that imported British tea, furniture and china. 

Propaganda – stories, pictures, and posters created by the colonists that told only the colonists side of the story.  The British were shown to be destroying colonist’s lives, liberty, and property.

Sons of Liberty - They formed protest marches, smuggled goods, harassed and frightened tax collectors, tarred and feathered British officials, destroyed British property and worked to turn American against the English.  They called themselves patriots attacking those loyal to the king.

Patrick Henry – He was one of many influential people who urged colonists to resist the British.  In his famous speech he said, “give me liberty or give me death”.  Strong words like these left no room for peace negotiations; either get free from England or die trying.

Thomas Paine – Wrote pamphlets like Common Sense that explained the reasons that Americans should rebel against England.  His clear arguments persuaded many colonists to revolt.

Continental Congress – An illegal group of representatives from the colonies that came together to deal with British and eventually stand up to them.  It created a Continental Army and sent the Declaration of Independence to the King.  The Declaration was the official start of the Revolution. 

Colonies and slave trade. Please know your 13 colonies map!

Definition of Salutary Neglect - The time when Americans first felt independent

Salutary neglect was an undocumented, long-standing, British policy of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws meant to keep the American colonies obedient to Great Britain. Prime Minister Robert Walpole stated that if no restrictions were placed on the colonies, they would flourish^.  This policy, which lasted from about 1607 to 1750, allowed the enforcement of trade relations laws to be lenient. Walpole did not believe in enforcing the Navigation acts, established under Oliver Cromwell and Charles II, which forced the colonists to trade only with England. King George III ended this hands off policy through acts such as the Stamp Act and Sugar Act, causing tensions within the colonies.

There were three time periods concerning salutary neglect. From 1607-1696, England had no coherent Imperial policy. From 1696-1763 England tried to form a coherent policy (i.e. navigation acts), but didn't enforce it. Finally, from 1763-1775 England began to try and enforce a coherent policy.

It is believed that salutary neglect was a large contributing factor that led to the American Revolutionary War. Since the imperial authority didn't assert the power that it had, the colonists were left to govern themselves. These essentially sovereign colonies soon became accustomed to the idea of self-control. The effects of such prolonged isolation eventually resulted in the emergence of a collective identity that considered itself separate from Great Britain.

The turning point from salutary neglect to an attempt to enforce English policies was the Seven Years' War, part of which was The French and Indian War. England was fighting France for imperial control of the known world (including North America, where the war was started [see Jumonville affair]) and was losing very badly until Secretary of State William Pitt the Elder took charge. To help the war effort, Pitt tried to seize supplies from the colonies, force men into service, and take control of military issues. The colonists strongly resented his interference, and soon Pitt eased his policies.

Nevertheless, the Seven Years' War fostered resentment in the American colonists toward the British and contempt in Britain toward the Americans. These tensions caused England to abandon their policy of salutary neglect, and led directly to the American Revolution.

The term 'Salutary Neglect' arises from Edmund Burke's Speech for Conciliation with the Colonies given in Commons March 22, 1775. 

"When I know that the colonies in general owe little or nothing to any care of ours, and that they are not squeezed into this happy form by the constraints of watchful and suspicious government, but that, through a wise and salutary neglect, a generous nature has been suffered to take her own way to perfection; when I reflect upon these effects, when I see how profitable they have been to us, I feel all the pride of power sink, and all presumption in the wisdom of human contrivances melt, and die away within me." (Burke p. 186)