US+Constitution+Project

= Constitution Project = WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES...

US Constitution Wordle
media type="custom" key="7249337" The word president is used often is the constitution because the resident would be a major part of the new government. Th point of the new constitution was to create a stronger national government in order to keep the country stable. The president along with supreme court, the senate, and the house would have certain powers in the national government, never had before. In our country today the president may not have the most power but is considered the most important person in our country. The word united comes up a lot because the national government would help unite all of the states, There are laws that all states have to follow. The united states would all have to follow the constitution because it is "the supreme law" of the land. States is mentioned quite a bit in the constitution because they have power too, just like the national government. The states have differences and similarities which is why they are individually represented as well as represented as one.

Bill of Rights Wordle
media type="custom" key="7263259" The word people and right come up along because the bill of rights were made to protect the rights of the American people. The bill of rights is the first ten amendments of the constitution and are a very important part of it. Without be guaranteed these natural rights, we could be denied them. The people are the heart of the country an the most important an powerful part according to the constitution. Rights are what make us Americans, because we are in charge and are ensured freedom, justice, and liberty. Another word mentioned a lot is law because these amendments are part of the constitution, which makes them the "supreme law' of the united states. These basic rights can not be taken away because they are the law of the land and must be always guaranteed to all Americans.

Background Information/Creation
The Articles of Confederation had created a weak unstable central government with limited powers. This is what America had wanted in the beginning but the wealthy started to demand a strong national government to deal with the nation's problems. Merchants wanted a national tax and and national commercial policies rather than several states ones. Other issues included confusion over currency and the debt from the war. The biggest problem was the fear of no order and conduct. Alexander Hamilton, who never liked the articles of confederation called a conference in Maryland to discuss the future of the articles. Only five delegates showed, and they agreed to a convention that would take place the next year in Philadelphia where they would change the constitution. George Washington's support and attendance as well as the news of Shay's rebellion caused this convention to become more popular than the previous one.

The constitutional convention ended up created a whole new constitution that would cahnge the way the government ran. The first dispute at teh convention was the Virginia plan vs. the new jersey plan which would lead to the great compromise: (Virgina plan was winning so they decided that their would be two houses but upper house would be elected by stae legislature rather than lower house - this way each state would at least have one upper house representative)
 * The Virginia Plan**
 * the "big state" plan
 * proposed by Edmund Randolph of Virginia
 * legislature would have 2 houses
 * lower house- states represented based on population size (more people=more representatives
 * upper house- elected by lower house(no precise number of represenatives0
 * The New Jersey Plan**
 * the "small state" plan
 * proposed by William Paterson
 * legislature would have one house
 * equal representation
 * congress could tax and control and restrict commerce
 * The Great Compromise**
 * biggest question was whether slaves should be counted for population for representation and tax
 * decided that one slave would count as three fifths of a person for tax and representation
 * upper house would have representatives per state



Key Principles of Constitution
-constitution = 'supreme law' of country -national government: Each of the 3 branches of government can never overpower the others due to a set up system of checks and balances that keep the power of the government in order.
 * Sovereignty** - ALL government power flows from the people, therefore neither state or national government are actually sovereign
 * federalism** - shared power between state government and national government
 * distribution of power** -constitution and national government could not be disobeyed by state government
 * power to tax
 * power to control and restrict commerce
 * control currency
 * pass laws
 * Separation of Powers** (Checks and Balances)


 * The Bill of Rights** - the bill of rights are the first ten amendments of the constitution. The first nine give the basic rights of all Americans including: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, trial by jury, etc.

Importance of the Constitution
The constitution of the United States may only be a document, but it is what keeps the American government together. It creates the most balanced system of government in the world that has proved to be a success. This is due to the fact that it has survived centuries, even through the many changes our country and the world has encountered. The reason it has survived is because it is always a work in progress. This means that it can be changed. The process is hard and long but it can be done, like it did for slavery. he constitution is also important because it balances the power of the government and keeps it originally flowing from us, the people, due to voting and our rights. No branch can overpower the other and no branch can ever overpower the people. Although laws vary from state to state, we are the UNITED states because of the 'supreme law' the constitution creates. Our different laws are created because of regional differences and the national laws because of the entire counties similarities like freedom,. liberty and justice. The constitution is one of the reasons that the United States is loved and hated by the world. It creates a system of government and democracy like no other country in the world.

Applications of the Key Principles in Historical Context
Napoleon offered Jefferson the Louisiana Purchase knowing that he didn't have the resources to expand his empire into America. America would receive a hug amount of land running from the Mississippi river all the way to the Rockies. Jefferson was confused about what to do when he got the treaty though. This was because he wasn't sure if America could accept the new land. Being a republican, ha always believed that the national government. couldn't exercise their power if that power was not granted by the constitution. The constitutions didn't mention anything about receiving new land. The people around Jefferson were in favor of the treaty and believed that he couldn't turn it down. They persuaded him that he could acquire new land under his power of treaty making in the constitution. He said he did it, because he felt that it was best for the country.
 * //Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase//**

The question that still is asked today is whether or not the Louisiana purchase was constitutional? But it all comes down to how you view the constitution. The constitution is viewed differently by everyone including various political parties. If you believe that the government can not exercise power not specifically given than, yes the Louisiana Purchase could be considered unconstitutional. If you don't believe this than the Louisiana isn't considered unconstitutional. If you like, Jefferson's advisers, believe that although acquisition of land isn't mentioned by the president's power for treaty making is, then it is constitutional. If you believe it either constitutional or unconstitutional, the result is the purchase helped develop and expand the united states, which would become very beneficial in the years proceeding.



After Lincoln's assassination, his vice president, Andrew Johnson, became president. This was after the civil war when reconstruction was taking place. Congress was full of republicans and represented none f the states from the confederacy. Slavery was banned in America and the confederacy states were coming back to the union one by one, receiving limited power. Congress passed several laws an bills that would protect freedmen and Johnson vetoed every single one. Tension grew even within Johnson's cabinet who were appointed by Lincoln during his office. Johnson fired Stanton, his secretary of state because of this, saying that he violated the Tenure of office Act. In the end, the impeachment votes were one short from two thirds, therefore, Johnson stayed in office until his death.
 * // Impeachment of President Andrew Johnson //**

The debate of whether or not Johnson's impeachment was constitutional or not revolves around the Tenure of Office Act and it being constitutional or not. Under the constitution, the president has the right to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed.' His defenders brought up the point that a president could not carry out laws if he didn't "trust' the advisers around him. Congress' defense argued that the president had to execute laws placed by congress even if he thought those laws were unconstitutional. The impeachment can be viewed two ways depending on if you believe that the Tenure of the Office act was constitutional or not. Their are reasonable arguments both on both sides. Whichever side your on, it;s obvious that Johnson was acting more for the confederacy and was not helping out reconstruction, which was important if the country ever wanted to become united again.