U.S. Government
The Constitution
The American Constitution is the oldest written constitution in force in the world. The authors of the Constitution built in a provision for amending the document when political, social or economic conditions demanded it. Twenty-seven amendments have been passed since ratification. The first 10 amendments to the Constitution, called the Bill of Rights, assure individual rights and freedoms.
The Constitution divides the powers of the government into three branches - the Executive, headed by the President; the Legislative, which includes both houses of Congress (the Senate and the House of Representatives); and the Judicial, which is headed by the Supreme Court. The Constitution limits the role of each branch, through a system of checks and balances, to prevent any one branch from gaining undue power.
Abridged from US State Department IIP publications and
other US government materials.
See also:
About the USA - The Media > Freedom of the Press
About the USA - History of the United States > Revolutionary Period and New Nation (1770s to 1800s)
Background
· About the Constitution of the United States (Library of Congress)
· The Bill of Rights (National Archives)
· The Constitution of the United States (National Archives)
· The Constitution of the United States (Columbia Encyclopedia)
· The Constitution of the United States (Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia)
· The Constitution of the United States of America (International Information Programs/ Department of State)
· The Founder's Constitution (University of Chicago Press/ Liberty Fund)
· To Form a More Perfect Union (Library of Congress)
· National Constitution Center
· The U.S. Constitution Online (Constitution.net)
Original Documents
· The American Constitution: a documentary record (Avalon Project at Yale Law School)
· Bill of Rights (Our Documents. Library of Congress)
· Constitution (Department of Labor)
· The Constitution (Our Documents. Library of Congress)
· Constitution of the United States (1787) (U.S. Information, Department of State)
· The Constitution of the United States of America (Cornell University, Legal Information Institute)
· The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation: Annotations of Cases Decided by the Supreme Court of the United States (Congressional Research Service)
· The Constitution of the United States (National Constitution Center)
· The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution (Library of Congress)
· Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention (Library of Congress)
· The Federalist Papers (Library of Congress)
· George Washington's Annotated Copy of the Constitution (Library of Congress)
· U.S. Constitution (Constitutional Rights Foundation)
· U.S. Constitution. Cases and Codes (FindLaw)
Exhibits - Digital Images
· Charters of Freedom (National Archives)
· Charters of Freedom and Murals (Save America's Treasures - National Trust for Historic Conservation)
For Primary and Secondary School Students
· Constitution (Congress for Kids )
· The Constitution of the United States (Kids Only. White House)
· The Constitution of the United States (Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids)
· Constitution of the United States (World Almanac for Kids Online)
· Rights of Citizens: The Bill of Rights (Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids)
· The U.S. Constitution (Law for Kids. Arizona Foundation for Legal Services and Education)
Teacher Resources
· The Bill of Rights. Lesson Plan (Discovery School.com)
· The Bill of Rights: National Endowment for the Humanities
· The Constitution (The Logic of American Politics, Congressional Quarterly Press)
· The Constitution - Behind Closed Doors (Educator's Reference Desk, Information Institute of Syracuse)
· The Constitution: Our Plan for Government (Educator's Reference Desk, Information Institute of Syracuse)
· The Constitutional Convention: Four Founding Fathers You May Never Have Met (EdSitement)
· The Constitutional Convention: What the Founding Fathers Said (EdSitement)
· George Washington and the U.S. Constitution (Library of Congress - Learning Page)
· In Congress Assembled: Continuity and Change in the Governing of the United States. Lesson Plan. (Library of Congress - Learning Page)
· The Federalist Papers (Constitutional Rights Foundation)
· Lesson Plans (The Annenberg Center at the National Constitution Center)
· A Nation's Voice. Lesson Plan (DiscoverySchool.com)
· The Preamble to the Constitution: How Do You Make a More Perfect Union? (EdSitement)
· Teaching with Documents: Constitutional Issues - Watergate and the Constitution (National Archives Digital Classroom)
· Teaching with Documents: Observing Constitution Day (National Archives)
· U.S. Constitution and Amendments (Educator's Reference Desk, Information Institute of Syracuse)
· You and the U.S. Constitution (Educator's Reference Desk, Information Institute of Syracuse)
Link Lists
· Constitution (Dmoz- Open Directory Project)
· Constitution (Google Web Directory)
· Yahoo! Constitution of the United States 
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Disclaimer
Any reference obtained from this server to a specific commercial product, process, or service does not constitute or imply an endorsement by the United States Government of the product, process, or service, or its producer or provider. The views and opinions expressed in any referenced document do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government.
