The Constitution of the United States is the foundation of the Federal Government. It has three main functions:
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Creating a national government: The Constitution creates a national government consisting of a legislative, an executive, and a judicial branch, with a system of checks and balances among the three branches.
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Dividing power between the federal government and the states: The Constitution divides power between the federal government and the states. The federal government has much power over the states, but it is limited to the powers enumerated in the Constitution. Powers not delegated to the federal government, nor prohibited to the states are reserved to the states or to the people.
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Protecting individual liberties: The Constitution protects various individual liberties of American citizens. The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, guarantees fundamental rights such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press, the right to bear arms, and the right to a fair trial.
The Constitution contains a preamble and seven articles that describe the way the government is structured and how it operates. The first three articles establish the three branches of government and their powers: Legislative (Congress), Executive (office of the President), and Judicial (Federal court system). A system of checks and balances prevents any one of these separate powers from becoming dominant. Articles four through seven describe the relationship of the states to the Federal Government, establish the Constitution as the supreme law of the land, and define the amendment and ratification processes.
