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There were essay and quiz competitions held in the school. There was mock parliamentary debate. There were speeches given by the honourable guest. Skits were performed on the events related to the partition and formation of constituent assembly.
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How is Constitution Day generally celebrated in the United States?

Constitution Day commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787 by the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Publicly funded educational institutions and federal agencies celebrate the day by providing educational programming about the history of the Constitution.
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What is Constitution Day of Ghana?

Constitution Day (Ghana) – Wikipedia Constitution DayOfficial nameConstitution dayObserved by TypeNationalCelebrationsParades, Fireworks, RalliesDateNext time7 January 2024 ( 2024-01-07 ) Frequencyannual Constitution day is to commemorate the establishment of a new constitution for the fourth republic of in January 1993- popularly known as the 1992 constitution of Ghana.
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Why do some Americans honor Constitution Day?

Louise Leigh and Constitution Day – Another important figure in the creation of Constitution Day is Louise Leigh. Leigh, after taking a course in Constitutional History with the National Center for Constitutional Studies, was inspired to spread her newfound love of the Constitution throughout the country.

• In 1997, she founded a nonprofit organization called Constitution Day, Inc.
• To help encourage recognition of the importance of this national holiday.
• Through her efforts, Constitution Day became an official holiday alongside Citizenship Day in 2004 when, with the help of support from Senator Robert Byrd, the “Constitution Day” amendment to the Omnibus Spending Bill passed.

In May 2005, the United States Department of Education backed the law when it announced that it would apply to any school receiving federal funds of any kind. The two allowances of the law were that the head of every federal agency provide each employee with educational materials concerning the Constitution on 17th of September and that each educational institution which receives Federal funds should hold a program for students every Constitution Day.

Constitution Day, along with Independence Day and Presidents’ Day, is an important part of the cultural heritage of the United States of America, because it recognizes the value of the American experiment, and the success of a nation of free people whose rights and liberties are protected by a written Constitution.

Images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons under the Creative Commons Share-Alike License 3.0 © Oak Hill Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Oak Hill Publishing Company. Box 6473, Naperville, IL 60567 For questions or comments about this site please email us at [email protected]
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What does the Constitution say?

Main content The preamble sets the stage for the Constitution (Archives.gov). It clearly communicates the intentions of the framers and the purpose of the document. The preamble is an introduction to the highest law of the land; it is not the law. It does not define government powers or individual rights.

Establish Justice is the first of five objectives outlined in the 52-word paragraph that the Framers drafted in six weeks during the hot Philadelphia summer of 1787. They found a way to agree on the following basic principles: “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 Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” Video of Read Along with the Constitution’s Preamble In this video, designed to guide group recitations of the preamble to the U.S.

Constitution, the words are supported by visuals and background music that give it emotional impact as it sets out the aspirations that “We the People” have for our government and for our way of life as a nation.
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What special Day is it today in usa?

Dutch-American Friendship Day.
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What is Constitution Day in Nigeria?

1963 constitution – Independent Nigeria’s second constitution abolished the monarchy and established the First Nigerian Republic, It came into force on 1 October 1963, the third anniversary of Nigeria’s independence. Nnamdi Azikiwe became the first President of Nigeria,
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Is Constitution Day a holiday in Ghana?

Is Constitution Day a Public Holiday? – Constitution Day is a public holiday. It is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed. In 2024, it falls on a Sunday, and some businesses may choose to follow Sunday opening hours.
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Why is September 17th so important?

Today in History – September 17 On September 17, 1787, members of the Constitutional Convention of the Constitution., when a final vote was called, Edmund Randolph called for another convention to carefully review the Constitution as it stood. This motion, supported by George Mason and, was voted down and the Constitution was adopted.

Later known as the “Father of our Constitution,” was among the most influential delegates at the Constitutional Convention. His notes form the largest single source of materials for, one of several collections in, 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.

Preamble to the, Gilbert Stuart, artist; Pendleton’s Lithography, ca.1828. Prints & Photographs Division The product of four months of secret debate, the replaced the and proposed an entirely new form of government. Adopted by the Continental Congress in 1777, but not ratified by the states until 1781, the Articles of Confederation created a loose confederation of sovereign states and a weak central government.

1. With the passage of time, the defects in the Articles of Confederation became apparent.
2. The commanded little respect and no support from state governments anxious to maintain their power.
3. Congress could not raise funds, regulate trade, or conduct foreign policy without the voluntary agreement of the states.

Events such as, an armed uprising by debt-ridden farmers in western Massachusetts in 1786 and early 1787, exposed the weaknesses of the federal government and galvanized calls for revising the Articles of Confederation. In an effort to deal with problems of interstate commerce, a convention in Annapolis was held in September 1786.

Led by James Madison and, the delegates at the issued a proposal for a new convention to revise the Articles of Confederation. On, the Continental Congress called for a national convention to meet in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. By, the state delegates had reached a quorum and the Constitutional Convention officially began.

was selected unanimously as president of the Convention. From the outset, delegates clashed over issues of state sovereignty while small and large states battled over the distribution of power. Fears of creating a too powerful central authority ran high.

1. The Convention tackled basic issues including the essential structure of the government, the basis of representation, and the regulation of interstate trade.
2. As he submitted the Constitution to the Continental Congress, George Washington acknowledged the difficult task the Convention faced:,
3. Gilbert Stuart, artist; Pendleton’s Lithography, ca.1828.

Prints & Photographs Division It is at all times difficult to draw with precision the line between those rights which must be surrendered, and those which may be preserved; and, on the present occasion, the difficulty was increased by a difference among the several States as to their situation, extent, habits, and particular intereststhus, the Constitution which we now present is the result of a spirit of amity, and of that mutual deference and concession, which the peculiarity of our political situation rendered indispensable.

Accompanying the Constitution, September 17, 1787. Although the Constitutional Convention met for the last time on September 17, 1787, public debate over the Constitution was just beginning. The Constitution specified that at least nine states ratify the new form of government, but everyone hoped for nearly unanimous approval.

As the states called their own ratifying conventions, arguments for and against the document resurfaced. Writing under the pseudonym Publius, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay defended the proposed plan in a series of newspaper articles, later collected as the,

The Constitution was officially adopted by the United States when it was ratified by New Hampshire on June 21, 1788, the ninth state to do so. The first Congress under the new Constitution convened in on March 4, 1789, although a quorum was not achieved until early April. On April 30, 1789, President George Washington delivered the, and within his initial term the first ten amendments—known as the —were adopted, establishing the fundamental rights of U.S.

citizens and assuaging many fears associated with the relatively strong central government the Constitution provides.

The digital collection includes the three-volume Records of the Federal Convention of 1787, more commonly known as, The collection also offers the and the records of the, See the entries for the,, and the in the Library’s research guide series to learn more about these documents. contains 277 documents relating to the work of the Continental Congress and the drafting and ratification of the Constitution. Visit the Library of Congress online exhibition to learn how the framers of the Constitution viewed the relationship between religion and government. The consists of approximately 12,000 items that document the life of the man who came to be known as the “Father of the Constitution” and includes an essay on Madison’s role in the, The consist of his personal and public correspondence, drafts of his writings (although not his Federalist essays), and correspondence among members of the Hamilton and Schuyler families. The collection includes Hamilton’s outline for the on June 18, 1787. The (popularly known as the Constitution Annotated) contains legal analysis and interpretation of the United States Constitution, based primarily on Supreme Court case law. The exhibition offers insights into how the nation’s founding documents were forged, including the and,

In the days leading up to the Battle of Antietam, Confederate General concentrated his invading army outside Sharpsburg, Maryland. Victorious at Manassas in August, Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia hoped to garner new recruits and supplies in Maryland, a slave-holding state that remained in the Union.

• However, Union General who closely pursued his rival, enjoyed a strategic advantage.
• A scout had discovered a copy of the Confederate battle plan and the contents of Lee’s Special Order Number 191 were well known to his rival.
• At dawn on September 17, 1862 the hills of Sharpsburg thundered with artillery and musket fire as the Northern and Southern armies struggled for possession of the Miller farm cornfield.

For three hours, the battle lines swept back and forth across the field. Of all the days on all the fields where American soldiers have fought, the most terrible by almost any measure was September 17, 1862. The battle waged on that date, close by Antietam Creek at Sharpsburg in western Maryland, took a human toll never exceeded on any other single day in the nation’s history.

1. So intense and sustained was the violence, a man recalled, that for a moment in his mind’s eye the very landscape around him turned red.
2. Stephen W. Sears.
3. Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam,
4. New Haven: Ticknor & Fields, 1983,
5. Alexander Gardner, photographer, September 17, 1862.
6. Prints & Photographs Division By mid-morning, the Confederate line was established along a country lane called Sunken Road.

The soldiers crouched behind its high banks, unleashing heavy fire upon advancing Union troops. Eventually, the overwhelming number of Northerners broke the Confederate line. As the Southerners spun to defend their position, Union troops rained bullets lengthwise down the lane onto them.

The road came to be known as Bloody Lane because of the tragic toll of death suffered there. The Southerners retreated towards Sharpsburg, covered by cannon fire from General Stonewall Jackson’s artillery. The Union troops fell back in the face of the cannon fire and failed to pursue the Confederates.

Alexander Gardner, photographer, September 1862. Prints & Photographs Division Cautious to a fault, McClellan failed to advance quickly on the Confederates who had reached the town. Eventually, General attacked, but was repelled by the ragged Southerners and newly arrived troops under Major General A.P.

Hill. Your name is on every lip and many prayers and good wishes are hourly sent up for your welfare — and McClellan and his slowness are as vehemently discussedAll the distinguished in the landwould almost worship you if you would put a fighting general in the place of McClellan, Abraham Lincoln Papers.

Manuscript Division By nightfall, Confederates occupied the town of Sharpsburg ending the single bloodiest day in American history. More than 23,000 men were killed, wounded, or missing in action. The next day, Lee began his retreat across the Potomac River.

Search the on Antietam to locate additional documents and photographs. Explore the online exhibit,, which was created to commemorate the sesquicentennial of this nation’s greatest military and political upheaval. Photographic resources include Alexander Gardner’s from the collection of 1,118 taken by Mathew Brady and his associates. View the panoramic photograph of, Potomac River, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, from the collection, Listen to “,” an unaccompanied vocal contained in the collection, Search on to read more about key battles and events of the Civil War. Browse by subject, place, creator, or title for views of more than 2,600 Civil War maps and charts as well as atlases and sketchbooks.

: Today in History – September 17
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Who is the father of the Constitution?

James Madison The biography for President Madison and past presidents is courtesy of the White House Historical Association. James Madison, America’s fourth President (1809-1817), made a major contribution to the ratification of the Constitution by writing The Federalist Papers, along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay.

In later years, he was referred to as the “Father of the Constitution.” At his inauguration, James Madison, a small, wizened man, appeared old and worn; Washington Irving described him as “but a withered little apple-John.” But whatever his deficiencies in charm, Madison’s wife Dolley compensated for them with her warmth and gaiety.

The Constitution For Kids

She was the toast of Washington. Born in 1751, Madison was brought up in Orange County, Virginia, and attended Princeton (then called the College of New Jersey). A student of history and government, well-read in law, he participated in the framing of the Virginia Constitution in 1776, served in the Continental Congress, and was a leader in the Virginia Assembly.

• When delegates to the Constitutional Convention assembled at Philadelphia, the 36-year-old Madison took frequent and emphatic part in the debates.
• Madison made a major contribution to the ratification of the Constitution by writing, with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, the Federalist essays.
• In later years, when he was referred to as the “Father of the Constitution,” Madison protested that the document was not “the off-spring of a single brain,” but “the work of many heads and many hands.” In Congress, he helped frame the Bill of Rights and enact the first revenue legislation.

Out of his leadership in opposition to Hamilton’s financial proposals, which he felt would unduly bestow wealth and power upon northern financiers, came the development of the Republican, or Jeffersonian, Party. As President Jefferson’s Secretary of State, Madison protested to warring France and Britain that their seizure of American ships was contrary to international law.

The protests, John Randolph acidly commented, had the effect of “a shilling pamphlet hurled against eight hundred ships of war.” Despite the unpopular Embargo Act of 1807, which did not make the belligerent nations change their ways but did cause a depression in the United States, Madison was elected President in 1808.

Before he took office the Embargo Act was repealed. During the first year of Madison’s Administration, the United States prohibited trade with both Britain and France; then in May, 1810, Congress authorized trade with both, directing the President, if either would accept America’s view of neutral rights, to forbid trade with the other nation.

• Napoleon pretended to comply.
• Late in 1810, Madison proclaimed non-intercourse with Great Britain.
• In Congress a young group including Henry Clay and John C.
• Calhoun, the “War Hawks,” pressed the President for a more militant policy.
• The British impressment of American seamen and the seizure of cargoes impelled Madison to give in to the pressure.

On June 1, 1812, he asked Congress to declare war. The young Nation was not prepared to fight; its forces took a severe trouncing. The British entered Washington and set fire to the White House and the Capitol. But a few notable naval and military victories, climaxed by Gen.

1. Andrew Jackson’s triumph at New Orleans, convinced Americans that the War of 1812 had been gloriously successful.
2. An upsurge of nationalism resulted.
3. The New England Federalists who had opposed the war–and who had even talked secession–were so thoroughly repudiated that Federalism disappeared as a national party.

In retirement at Montpelier, his estate in Orange County, Virginia, Madison spoke out against the disruptive states’ rights influences that by the 1830’s threatened to shatter the Federal Union. In a note opened after his death in 1836, he stated, “The advice nearest to my heart and deepest in my convictions is that the Union of the States be cherished and perpetuated.” Learn more about James Madison’s spouse,,
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Who signed the Constitution?

A total of 39 delegates signed the Constitution on September 17, 1787. Sections.

Name	State
PINCKNEY, Charles	SC
RUTLEDGE, John	SC
MADISON, James, Jr.	VA
WASHINGTON, George (President of the Federal Convention)	VA

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What are the 3 words of the Constitution?

Constitution of the United States Preamble Article I Article II Article III Article IV Article V Article VI Article VII AMENDMENTS Introduction Written in 1787, ratified in 1788, and in operation since 1789, the United States Constitution is the world’s longest surviving written charter of government. Its first three words – “We The People” – affirm that the government of the United States exists to serve its citizens. The supremacy of the people through their elected representatives is recognized in Article I, which creates a Congress consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The positioning of Congress at the beginning of the Constitution affirms its status as the “First Branch” of the federal government. The Constitution assigned to Congress responsibility for organizing the executive and judicial branches, raising revenue, declaring war, and making all laws necessary for executing these powers. The president is permitted to veto specific legislative acts, but Congress has the authority to override presidential vetoes by two-thirds majorities of both houses. The Constitution also provides that the Senate advise and consent on key executive and judicial appointments and on the approval for ratification of treaties. For over two centuries the Constitution has remained in force because its framers successfully separated and balanced governmental powers to safeguard the interests of majority rule and minority rights, of liberty and equality, and of the federal and state governments. More a concise statement of national principles than a detailed plan of governmental operation, the Constitution has evolved to meet the changing needs of a modern society profoundly different from the eighteenth-century world in which its creators lived. To date, the Constitution has been amended 27 times, most recently in 1992. The first ten amendments constitute the Bill of Rights. Annotated Constitutions The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation (popularly known as the Constitution Annotated) contains legal analysis and interpretation of the United States Constitution, based primarily on Supreme Court case law. The Constitution of the United States of America, S.PUB.103-21 (1994) (PDF), prepared by the Office of the Secretary of the Senate with the assistance of Johnny H. Killian of the Library of Congress in 1994, provided the original text of each clause of the Constitution with an accompanying explanation of its meaning and how that meaning changed over time. Italicized text indicates words and passages of the Constitution that were changed or affected by amendments. Original Text 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 defense, 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. Article I Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 4 Section 5 Section 6 Section 7 Section 8 Section 9 Section 10 Section 1 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. Section 2 The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature. No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen. Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons, The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New-York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three. When vacancies happen in the Representation from any State, the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of Election to fill such Vacancies. The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment. Section 3 The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote. Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence of the first Election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three Classes. The Seats of the Senators of the first Class shall be vacated at the Expiration of the second Year, of the second Class at the Expiration of the fourth Year, and of the third Class at the Expiration of the sixth Year, so that one third may be chosen every second Year; and if Vacancies happen by Resignation, or otherwise, during the Recess of the Legislature of any State, the Executive thereof may make temporary Appointments until the next Meeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such Vacancies. No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen. The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided. The Senate shall chuse their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the Absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the Office of President of the United States. The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present. Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law. Section 4 The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every Year, and such Meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by Law appoint a different Day. Section 5 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; but a smaller Number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the Attendance of absent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties as each House may provide. Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member. Each House shall keep a Journal of its Proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such Parts as may in their Judgment require Secrecy; and the Yeas and Nays of the Members of either House on any question shall, at the Desire of one fifth of those Present, be entered on the Journal. Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall, without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other Place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting. Section 6 The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States. They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place. No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been encreased during such time; and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office. Section 7 All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills. Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States: If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the Objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a Law. But in all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shall be determined by Yeas and Nays, and the Names of the Persons voting for and against the Bill shall be entered on the Journal of each House respectively. If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their Adjournment prevent its Return, in which Case it shall not be a Law. Every Order, Resolution, or Vote to which the Concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of Adjournment) shall be presented to the President of the United States; and before the Same shall take Effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the Rules and Limitations prescribed in the Case of a Bill. Section 8 The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States; To borrow Money on the credit of the United States; To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes; To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States; To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures; To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States; To establish Post Offices and post Roads; To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries; To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court; To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations; To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water; To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years; To provide and maintain a Navy; To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces; To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions; To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress; To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;—And To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof. Section 9 The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a Tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person. The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it. No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed. No Capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless in Proportion to the Census or enumeration herein before directed to be taken. No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State. No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerce or Revenue to the Ports of one State over those of another; nor shall Vessels bound to, or from, one State, be obliged to enter, clear, or pay Duties in another. No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time. No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State. Section 10 No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility. No State shall, without the Consent of the Congress, lay any Imposts or Duties on Imports or Exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing its inspection Laws: and the net Produce of all Duties and Imposts, laid by any State on Imports or Exports, shall be for the Use of the Treasury of the United States; and all such Laws shall be subject to the Revision and Control of the Congress. No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay. Article II Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 4 Section 1 The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows: Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector. The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for two Persons, of whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a List of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number of Votes for each; which List they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the Certificates, and the Votes shall then be counted. The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President, if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately chuse by Ballot one of them for President; and if no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest on the List the said House shall in like Manner chuse the President. But in chusing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States, the Representatives from each State having one Vote; a quorum for this Purpose shall consist of a Member or Members from two thirds of the States, and a Majority of all the States shall be necessary to a Choice. In every Case, after the Choice of the President, the Person having the greatest Number of Votes of the Electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal Votes, the Senate shall chuse from them by Ballot the Vice-President. The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States. No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States. In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the Same shall devolve on the Vice President, and the Congress may by Law provide for the Case of Removal, Death, Resignation or Inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what Officer shall then act as President, and such Officer shall act accordingly, until the Disability be removed, or a President shall be elected. The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be encreased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them. Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:—”I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Section 2 The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to Grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment. He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments. The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session. Section 3 He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States. Section 4 The President, Vice President and all Civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. Article III Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 1 The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services, a Compensation, which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office. Section 2 The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority;—to all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public ministers and Consuls;—to all Cases of admiralty and maritime Jurisdiction;—to Controversies to which the United States shall be a Party;—to Controversies between two or more States;—between a State and Citizens of another State;—between Citizens of different States;—between Citizens of the same State claiming Lands under Grants of different States, and between a State, or the Citizens thereof, and foreign States, Citizens or Subjects. In all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, and those in which a State shall be Party, the supreme Court shall have original Jurisdiction. In all the other Cases before mentioned, the supreme Court shall have appellate Jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations as the Congress shall make. The Trial of all Crimes, except in Cases of Impeachment, shall be by Jury; and such Trial shall be held in the State where the said Crimes shall have been committed; but when not committed within any State, the Trial shall be at such Place or Places as the Congress may by Law have directed. Section 3 Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court. The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted. Article IV Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 4 Section 1 Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be proved, and the Effect thereof. Section 2 The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. A Person charged in any State with Treason, Felony, or other Crime, who shall flee from Justice, and be found in another State, shall on Demand of the executive Authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having Jurisdiction of the Crime. No Person held to Service or Labour in one State, under the Laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in Consequence of any Law or Regulation therein, be discharged from such Service or Labour, but shall be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom such Service or Labour may be due. Section 3 New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress. The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United States, or of any particular State. Section 4 The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence. Article V The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article ; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate. Article VI All Debts contracted and Engagements entered into, before the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation. This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any state to the Contrary notwithstanding. The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States. Article VII The Ratification of the Conventions of nine States, shall be sufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the Same. Done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States present the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven and of the Independence of the United States of America the Twelfth In Witness whereof We have hereunto subscribed our Names, G o, Washington—Presid t, And deputy from Virginia New Hampshire John Langdon Nicholas Gilman Massachusetts Nathaniel Gorham Rufus King Connecticut Wm. Saml. Johnson Roger Sherman New York Alexander Hamilton New Jersey Wil: Livingston David Brearley Wm. Paterson Jona. Dayton Pennsylvania B Franklin Thomas Mifflin Robt Morris Geo. Clymer Thos. FitzSimons Jared Ingersoll James Wilson Gouv Morris Delaware Geo: Read Gunning Bedford jun John Dickinson Richard Bassett Jaco: Broom Maryland James McHenry Dan of St. Thos. Jenifer Danl Carroll Virginia John Blair— James Madison Jr. North Carolina Wm. Blount Richd. Dobbs Spaight Hu Williamson South Carolina J. Rutledge Charles Cotesworth Pinckney Charles Pinckney Pierce Butler Georgia William Few Abr Baldwin Attest William Jackson Secretary AMENDMENTS Amendment I (1791) Amendment II (1791) Amendment III (1791) Amendment IV (1791) Amendment V (1791) Amendment VI (1791) Amendment VII (1791) Amendment VIII (1791) Amendment IX (1791) Amendment X (1791) Amendment XI (1795/1798) Amendment XII (1804) Amendment XIII (1865) Amendment XIV (1868) Amendment XV (1870) Amendment XVI (1913) Amendment XVII (1913) Amendment XVIII (1919) Amendment XIX (1920) Amendment XX (1933) Amendment XXI (1933) Amendment XXII (1951) Amendment XXIII (1961) Amendment XXIV (1964) Amendment XXV (1967) Amendment XXVI (1971) Amendment XXVII (1992) Amendment I (1791) Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Amendment II (1791) 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. Amendment III (1791) No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law. Amendment IV (1791) The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. Amendment V (1791) No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. Amendment VI (1791) In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence. Amendment VII (1791) In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law. Amendment VIII (1791) Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. Amendment IX (1791) The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. Amendment X (1791) 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. Amendment XI (1795/1798) The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State. Amendment XII (1804) The Electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice-President, and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate;—The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted;—The person having the greatest Number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a President whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of the President —The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed, and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States. Amendment XIII (1865) Section 1, Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Section 2, Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. Amendment XIV (1868) Section 1, All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Section 2, Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State. Section 3, No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability. Section 4, The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void. Section 5, The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article. Amendment XV (1870) Section 1, The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Section 2, The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. Amendment XVI (1913) The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration. Amendment XVII (1913) The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures. When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct. This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution. Amendment XVIII (1919) Section 1, After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited. Section 2, The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress. Amendment XIX (1920) The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. Amendment XX (1933) Section 1, The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin. Section 2, The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day. Section 3, If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified. Section 4, The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them. Section 5, Sections 1 and 2 shall take effect on the 15th day of October following the ratification of this article. Section 6, This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission. Amendment XXI (1933) Section 1, The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed. Section 2, The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited. Section 3, This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress. Amendment XXII (1951) Section 1, No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President, when this Article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this Article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term. Section 2, This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission to the States by the Congress. Amendment XXIII (1961) Section 1, The District constituting the seat of Government of the United States shall appoint in such manner as the Congress may direct: A number of electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a State, but in no event more than the least populous State; they shall be in addition to those appointed by the States, but they shall be considered, for the purposes of the election of President and Vice President, to be electors appointed by a State; and they shall meet in the District and perform such duties as provided by the twelfth article of amendment. Section 2, The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. Amendment XXIV (1964) Section 1, The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax. Section 2, The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. Amendment XXV (1967) Section 1, In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President. Section 2, Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress. Section 3, Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President. Section 4, Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President. Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office. Amendment XXVI (1971) Section 1, The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age. Section 2, The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. Amendment XXVII (1992) No law varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.

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What are the most famous 3 words of the Constitution?

The first three words in the Constitution are the most powerful: We the People. They declare that the Constitution derives its power not from a king or a Congress, but from the people themselves.
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Is God said in the Constitution?

“> The U.S. Constitution never explicitly mentions God or the divine, but the same cannot be said of the nation’s state constitutions. In fact, God or the divine is mentioned at least once in each of the 50 state constitutions and nearly 200 times overall, according to a Pew Research Center analysis. All but four state constitutions – those in Colorado, Iowa, Hawaii and Washington – use the word “God” at least once. The constitutions in Colorado, Iowa and Washington refer to a “Supreme Being” or “Supreme Ruler of the Universe,” while Hawaii’s constitution makes reference to the divine only in its preamble, which states that the people of Hawaii are “grateful for Divine Guidance.” Most state constitutions – 34 – refer to God more than once.

Of the 116 times the word appears in state constitutions, eight are in the Massachusetts constitution, and New Hampshire and Vermont have six references each. Perhaps surprisingly, all three of these states are among the least religious in the country, according to a 2016 Pew Research Center analysis,

In addition to the 116 mentions of God, there are also 14 mentions of a Supreme or Sovereign Being, seven mentions of the “Creator,” three mentions of “providence,” four mentions of “divine” and 46 instances of the word “almighty.” While there are 32 mentions of the word “Lord,” all but one refer to “the year of our Lord” and so are not direct references to God.

Indeed, the U.S. Constitution also makes reference to “the year of our Lord.”) There also are seven mentions of the word “Christian.” A handful of state constitutions explicitly prohibit those who do not believe in God from holding public office. However, these bans have not recently been enforced because it is generally assumed that they violate the U.S.

Constitution’s prohibition on requiring religious tests for those holding public office. For this analysis, up-to-date constitutions were obtained from state-run websites and searched for a variety of keywords, including “God,” “creator,” “divine,” “Lord,” “Supreme Being” and others. Aleksandra Sandstrom is a former former senior copy editor focusing on religion at Pew Research Center.
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What is the most famous day in America?

Celebrating of the Most American of American Holidays Across the Country 7 minute read Independence Day celebrates American community and unity. Image courtesy of Unsplash Independence Day is often considered the most “American” of American holidays. Most celebrations are officially kicked off with a parade honoring the history of the country and those who fought for its freedom.

Veterans, volunteers, marching bands, and children with flags parade down main streets as brass and percussion instruments play historical and patriotic folk songs. During and after the parade, people eat a variety of classic American treats: popcorn, fried dough with powdered sugar, barbecue burgers and more are sold at stands, or barbecued in the yard.

As night falls, anticipation grows for the main event – the fireworks! Friends and families across the country gather with blankets and chairs to open parks and fields, or make their way towards the water to watch the sparkling display, depending on where they are.

1. At a glance, it is a day to celebrate the local communities we are all a part of that make the United States united.
2. However many of the events, like reenactments and parades, do incorporate the history as well.
3. The Fourth of July celebrates the official signing of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain in 1776.

Here are some examples of spectacular annual festivities to kick off the official “birthday” of the USA!
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Is today boyfriend day in usa?

National Boyfriend Day is celebrated on October 3 every year. Many also choose to celebrate National Girlfriend Day which is on August 1 annually.
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What national day is on February 7?

NATIONAL PERIODIC TABLE DAY – On February 7th, National Periodic Table Day recognizes the publication of the first table of elements. We also look at how the periodic table has changed through the years.
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Is Constitution Day a holiday in the US?

The founding fathers got together in Philadelphia in 1787 to write up a new constitution; the first version the 13 states agreed to wasn’t cutting it. ” The second time lucky! ” The document 39 delegates signed has held firm for 234 years with some modifications over time to create a more ” more perfect Union,” To honor the constitution, 17 September will be Constitution Day, a holiday that aims to celebrate the achievements, social and political, that the document has supported,

“When our democracy is tested, we draw strength from the Constitution to see us through. When we look ahead in our uniquely American way — restless, bold, and optimistic — our Constitution is the bedrock we build upon to make our Nation more equal, more just, and more prosperous for all our people,” said the White House when commemorating the holiday last year,

Unlike other landmark events in US history, that pivotal day didn’t become a national holiday until 2004, However, the day is not a federal public holiday, so all businesses and government offices are open for business,
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What is Constitution Day Philippines?

Commemoration of Constitution Day – For every constitutional change the Philippines has experienced, a corresponding proclamation was issued in order to celebrate the date that each charter was put into full force and effect—with the exception the 1943 Constitution. Delegate Manuel Roxas signs the Constitution. He was the leading member of the Committee on Style, also known as the Seven Wise Men, who had a significant impact on the final draft of the 1935 Constitution. President Emilio Aguinaldo issued the first proclamation that celebrated the effectiveness of a constitution in 1899 on January 23, 1899.

In the Proclamation, President Aguinaldo ordered the release of Spanish prisoners under the custody of the Philippine revolutionary forces, to mark the inauguration of the First Philippine Republic. No subsequent proclamations were issued because of the outbreak of the Philippine-American War and the fall of the First Philippine Republic in 1901.

When the United States Congress authorized the creation of a constitution for the Philippines in accordance with the Tydings-Mcduffie Act of 1934, a Constitutional Convention was established to draft a charter for the Philippines and it finished its work on February 8, 1935.

On the inauguration of the Commonwealth of the Philippines on November 15, 1935, the new charter came into full force and effect. A year later, President Manuel L. Quezon issued Proclamation No.36, s.1936, declaring the 8 th of February of every year as Constitution Day to commemorate the completion of the 1934 Constitutional Convention’s task.

This commemoration was observed throughout the Commonwealth of the Philippines and the Third Republic, up until the declaration of martial law on September 23, 1972. (President Ferdinand E. Marcos reiterated President Quezon’s original proclamation by issuing Proclamation No.10, s.1966.) Referendum Bandwagon: the Marcos era referendum was conducted by Viva Voce vote as opposed to the conventional Secret Balloting. In 1973, after the declaration of martial law, the 1935 Constitution was replaced by a new charter, the 1973 Constitution.

1. In commemoration, President Marcos, repealed President Quezon’s Proclamation No.36, s.1936, by virtue of Proclamation No.1219, s.1973, which moved Constitution Day from February 8 to January 17 of every year.
2. This proclamation commemorated the day when President Marcos certified that the new Constitution had been ratified.

Constitution day was commemorated until the end of President Marcos term but was overshadowed by the Proclamation making September 21 st of every year “Thanksgiving day”, the date indicated on Presidential Proclamation No.1081, s.1972: Martial law, however, was actually declared two days later when President Marcos announced it through nationwide television.

1. When democracy was restored in 1986, the 1973 Constitution was replaced by first the freedom constitution, also known as Proclamation No.3, s.1986, then our current constitution, the 1987 Constitution.
2. This constitution came into full force and effect on February 11, 1987, after President Corazon C.
3. Aquino issued Proclamation No.58, s.1987.

The proclamation issued by President Aquino included the results of the plebiscite held on February 2, 1987. After the ratification of the 1987 Constitution, President Aquino issued Proclamation No.211 s, 1988, which moved the commemoration of Constitution Day from January 17 to February 2 of every year—a proclamation still in effect to this day. President Corazon C. Aquino receives the 1987 Constitution from Constitutional Commission President Cecilia Muñoz – Palma.
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What is unitary Constitution?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A unitary state is a sovereign state governed as a single entity in which the central government is the supreme authority. The central government may create (or abolish) administrative divisions (sub-national units). Such units exercise only the powers that the central government chooses to delegate.
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Is Constitution Day a holiday in the USA?

Constitution day history – US Constitution Day falls on September 17 each year. On that day in 1787, the delegates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia signed the document. If the holiday falls on another holiday or the weekend, the holiday is celebrated on the closest weekday.

1. Constitution Day is a federally recognized holiday.
2. The law that established the holiday was made in 2004.
3. Senator Robert Byrd passed an amendment to the Omnibus spending bill to enact the holiday.
4. Before the law was established, the holiday was called Citizenship Day.
5. Citizenship Day was previously celebrated each year on the third Sunday in May.

The amendment renamed the holiday Constitution Day and moved the date to the anniversary of the Constitution’s signing. The act also mandated that federal agencies and publically funded schools provide educational materials on the history of the Constitution that day.
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Why is September 17th so important?

Today in History – September 17 On September 17, 1787, members of the Constitutional Convention of the Constitution., when a final vote was called, Edmund Randolph called for another convention to carefully review the Constitution as it stood. This motion, supported by George Mason and, was voted down and the Constitution was adopted.

, later known as the “Father of our Constitution,” was among the most influential delegates at the Constitutional Convention. His notes form the largest single source of materials for, one of several collections in, 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.

Preamble to the, Gilbert Stuart, artist; Pendleton’s Lithography, ca.1828. Prints & Photographs Division The product of four months of secret debate, the replaced the and proposed an entirely new form of government. Adopted by the Continental Congress in 1777, but not ratified by the states until 1781, the Articles of Confederation created a loose confederation of sovereign states and a weak central government.

• With the passage of time, the defects in the Articles of Confederation became apparent.
• The commanded little respect and no support from state governments anxious to maintain their power.
• Congress could not raise funds, regulate trade, or conduct foreign policy without the voluntary agreement of the states.

Events such as, an armed uprising by debt-ridden farmers in western Massachusetts in 1786 and early 1787, exposed the weaknesses of the federal government and galvanized calls for revising the Articles of Confederation. In an effort to deal with problems of interstate commerce, a convention in Annapolis was held in September 1786.

1. Led by James Madison and, the delegates at the issued a proposal for a new convention to revise the Articles of Confederation.
2. On, the Continental Congress called for a national convention to meet in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation.
3. By, the state delegates had reached a quorum and the Constitutional Convention officially began.

was selected unanimously as president of the Convention. From the outset, delegates clashed over issues of state sovereignty while small and large states battled over the distribution of power. Fears of creating a too powerful central authority ran high.

The Convention tackled basic issues including the essential structure of the government, the basis of representation, and the regulation of interstate trade. As he submitted the Constitution to the Continental Congress, George Washington acknowledged the difficult task the Convention faced:, Gilbert Stuart, artist; Pendleton’s Lithography, ca.1828.

Prints & Photographs Division It is at all times difficult to draw with precision the line between those rights which must be surrendered, and those which may be preserved; and, on the present occasion, the difficulty was increased by a difference among the several States as to their situation, extent, habits, and particular intereststhus, the Constitution which we now present is the result of a spirit of amity, and of that mutual deference and concession, which the peculiarity of our political situation rendered indispensable.

, accompanying the Constitution, September 17, 1787. Although the Constitutional Convention met for the last time on September 17, 1787, public debate over the Constitution was just beginning. The Constitution specified that at least nine states ratify the new form of government, but everyone hoped for nearly unanimous approval.

As the states called their own ratifying conventions, arguments for and against the document resurfaced. Writing under the pseudonym Publius, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay defended the proposed plan in a series of newspaper articles, later collected as the,

The Constitution was officially adopted by the United States when it was ratified by New Hampshire on June 21, 1788, the ninth state to do so. The first Congress under the new Constitution convened in on March 4, 1789, although a quorum was not achieved until early April. On April 30, 1789, President George Washington delivered the, and within his initial term the first ten amendments—known as the —were adopted, establishing the fundamental rights of U.S.

citizens and assuaging many fears associated with the relatively strong central government the Constitution provides.

The digital collection includes the three-volume Records of the Federal Convention of 1787, more commonly known as, The collection also offers the and the records of the, See the entries for the,, and the in the Library’s research guide series to learn more about these documents. contains 277 documents relating to the work of the Continental Congress and the drafting and ratification of the Constitution. Visit the Library of Congress online exhibition to learn how the framers of the Constitution viewed the relationship between religion and government. The consists of approximately 12,000 items that document the life of the man who came to be known as the “Father of the Constitution” and includes an essay on Madison’s role in the, The consist of his personal and public correspondence, drafts of his writings (although not his Federalist essays), and correspondence among members of the Hamilton and Schuyler families. The collection includes Hamilton’s outline for the on June 18, 1787. The (popularly known as the Constitution Annotated) contains legal analysis and interpretation of the United States Constitution, based primarily on Supreme Court case law. The exhibition offers insights into how the nation’s founding documents were forged, including the and,

In the days leading up to the Battle of Antietam, Confederate General concentrated his invading army outside Sharpsburg, Maryland. Victorious at Manassas in August, Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia hoped to garner new recruits and supplies in Maryland, a slave-holding state that remained in the Union.

However, Union General who closely pursued his rival, enjoyed a strategic advantage. A scout had discovered a copy of the Confederate battle plan and the contents of Lee’s Special Order Number 191 were well known to his rival. At dawn on September 17, 1862 the hills of Sharpsburg thundered with artillery and musket fire as the Northern and Southern armies struggled for possession of the Miller farm cornfield.

For three hours, the battle lines swept back and forth across the field. Of all the days on all the fields where American soldiers have fought, the most terrible by almost any measure was September 17, 1862. The battle waged on that date, close by Antietam Creek at Sharpsburg in western Maryland, took a human toll never exceeded on any other single day in the nation’s history.

• So intense and sustained was the violence, a man recalled, that for a moment in his mind’s eye the very landscape around him turned red.
• Stephen W. Sears.
• Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam,
• New Haven: Ticknor & Fields, 1983,
• Alexander Gardner, photographer, September 17, 1862.
• Prints & Photographs Division By mid-morning, the Confederate line was established along a country lane called Sunken Road.

The soldiers crouched behind its high banks, unleashing heavy fire upon advancing Union troops. Eventually, the overwhelming number of Northerners broke the Confederate line. As the Southerners spun to defend their position, Union troops rained bullets lengthwise down the lane onto them.

The road came to be known as Bloody Lane because of the tragic toll of death suffered there. The Southerners retreated towards Sharpsburg, covered by cannon fire from General Stonewall Jackson’s artillery. The Union troops fell back in the face of the cannon fire and failed to pursue the Confederates.

Alexander Gardner, photographer, September 1862. Prints & Photographs Division Cautious to a fault, McClellan failed to advance quickly on the Confederates who had reached the town. Eventually, General attacked, but was repelled by the ragged Southerners and newly arrived troops under Major General A.P.

Hill. Your name is on every lip and many prayers and good wishes are hourly sent up for your welfare — and McClellan and his slowness are as vehemently discussedAll the distinguished in the landwould almost worship you if you would put a fighting general in the place of McClellan, Abraham Lincoln Papers.

Manuscript Division By nightfall, Confederates occupied the town of Sharpsburg ending the single bloodiest day in American history. More than 23,000 men were killed, wounded, or missing in action. The next day, Lee began his retreat across the Potomac River.

Search the on Antietam to locate additional documents and photographs. Explore the online exhibit,, which was created to commemorate the sesquicentennial of this nation’s greatest military and political upheaval. Photographic resources include Alexander Gardner’s from the collection of 1,118 taken by Mathew Brady and his associates. View the panoramic photograph of, Potomac River, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, from the collection, Listen to “,” an unaccompanied vocal contained in the collection, Search on to read more about key battles and events of the Civil War. Browse by subject, place, creator, or title for views of more than 2,600 Civil War maps and charts as well as atlases and sketchbooks.

: Today in History – September 17
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Do American schools teach the Constitution?

Federal Law Requires Schools and Government Agencies to Teach US Constitution.
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What happened in 1791 in American history?

According to the National Archives, “The Constitution might never have been ratified if the framers had not promised to add a Bill of Rights. The first ten amendments to the Constitution gave citizens more confidence in the new government and contain many of today’s Americans’ most valued freedoms.” From The American Presidency Project, Proclamation 10323—Bill of Rights Day, 2021 : “Opportunities to improve our Constitution have been contemplated since its inception.

On December 15, 1791, three-fourths of the existing State legislatures ratified the first 10 Amendments of the Constitution—the Bill of Rights. These Amendments protect some of the most indispensable rights and liberties that define us as Americans. Though we have often struggled to live up to the promises they contain, 230 years after the ratification of the Bill of Rights, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms remains at the center of our democracy.

“The Bill of Rights is important not only in the freedoms it protects but in its demonstration of America’s enduring commitment to self-improvement and striving to continuously form a “more perfect union.” Since 1791, 17 additional Amendments have been ratified for a total of 27 Amendments to the Constitution.” National Archives, Amendment I : “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” From Topics / Population / Computer and Internet Use : Note: The interactive visualization above is showing the “Select a topic!” to be “Internet Access.” Click on the image for the full page in greater detail.
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