The Constitution was written in 1787 by 55 men we call the Framers of the

Constitution.These men included

George Washington and Ben Franklin.

This is the Preamble (or

introduction) of the

Constitution.

This is the actual

Constitution of the United States.

What is the Constitution?

The Constitution says how the government works. It creates the President. It creates the Congress. It creates the Supreme Court.

U.S. Constitution

Balance of Power

BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT

Legislative Executive JudicialFederal

State

Local

DIVISIONS OF POWERS

Senate

House ofRepresentatives

President

Vice President

Cabinet

Supreme Court

Federal Courts

State Courts

CHECKS AND BALANCES

LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT

Separation of Powers

The The Judicial Branch

The Federal Capital Building

House of RepresentativesThe Senate

Legislative Branch

Chief ExecutiveChief Executive Chief of State Chief of State Chief Diplomat Chief Diplomat Commander-in-Commander-in-

Chief of the Chief of the Military Military

Legislative leaderLegislative leader

Executive Branch

The White House

Establish foreign policy Create & maintain armed

forces Coin money Declare War Admit new states Create federal courts Establish postal offices

The Federal SystemThe Federal System

Establish & maintain schools Establish local governments Make laws about marriage &

divorce Conduct elections Provide for public safety

The Federal SystemThe Federal System

Raise taxes Charter banks Borrow moneyAdminister criminal justiceProvide for public welfare

The Federal SystemThe Federal System

The law is the set of rules that we live by.

The Constitution is the highest law. It belongs to the United States.

It belongs to all Americans.

The Constitution, which is over 200 years old, can be

seen in Washington, D.C.