• The Bill of Rights consists of the ten amendments added to the Constitution in 1791.
• The English Bill of Rights (1689) was an inspiration for the American Bill of Rights.
• This deals with criminal trials. • Nobody can be punished punishment
without due process of law. • An accused person may not be compelled
to testify against himself. • It also prohibits government from taking
• All federal and state legislators, officers, and judges must swear to support the Constitution.
• The constitutions and laws of any state must not conflict with the laws of the federal constitution.
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Amendments
• Article Five sets out the different ways in which Amendments can be made.
• Any new amendment may be approved by twothirds of both houses of Congress, then sent to the states for approval. To be adopted it must be approval by three-quarters of the states.
private property for public use without "just compensation."
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Separation of Powers
• At the heart of the Constitution is the principle known as 'separation of powers.
serve for 2 years. • Members of the Supreme Court effectively
serve for life.
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Benefits & Weaknesses
• The great benefit of this system is that power is spread and counter-balanced.
• The great weakness of the system is that it makes government slow and complicated which is a huge disadvantage in a world of fast-moving political and economic developments.
1. Legislative power 2. Executive power 3. Judicial power 4. States' powers and limits 5. Amendments 6. Federal power 7. Ratification
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Legislative Power
– the Senate to represent the States.
• This is known as Representative Democracy.
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Executive Power
• Article two creates the presidency. • Executive power is vested in a President. • The presidential term is fixed at four years. • A President can only serve for two terms. • The method of electing the President is set
the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom of petition.
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Second Amendment
• This guarantees the right of individuals to carry firearms.
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Fifth Amendment
• Both require jury trials, include a right to keep and bear arms, and forbid "cruel and unusual punishments.“
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Seven Articles
• The seven articles of the constitution cover the following areas:
• Article One describes the Congress, the legislative bra. This has two co-equal houses:
– the House of Representatives to represent the people, and
• This is also known as 'checks and balances‘.
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Terms of Office
• The President has a term of 4 years. • Members of the Senate serve for 6 years. • Members of the House of Representatives
• This means that power is spread between the three branches: the executive, the legislature and the judiciary.
• No single branch has too much power and no individual can be a member of more than one branch.
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Successful Amendments
• The Constitution has twenty-seven amendments. The first ten, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified simultaneously by 1791. The following seventeen were ratified separately over the next two centuries.
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First Amendment
• This addresses the rights of freedom of religion.
• Congress cannot establish a State Religion. • It also protects freedom of speech, freedom of
• It is a living document whose interpretation has changed over time.
• When necessary, US citizens are able to make amendments to the constitution.
2
Bill of Rights
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States' Powers & Limitations
• Article Four describes the relationship between the states and the federal government and between the states themselves.
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Ratification
• Article Seven sets forth the requirements for ratification of the Constitution. The Constitution would not take effect until at least nine of the original states had ratified the Constitution in state conventions specially convened for that purpose, and it would only apply to those states that ratified it.
• No amendment may deprive a state of equal representation in the Senate, without that state's consent.
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Federal Power
• Article Six establishes the Constitution, and the laws and treaties of the United States made according to it, to be the supreme law of the land,.
judgments and orders can be reviewed by the Supreme Court. • Article Three also creates the right to trial by jury in all criminal cases and defines the crime of treason.