THE U. S. CONSTITUT

IONhttp://www.usconstitution.net/constkids.html

THE BASICS

The Constitution is the highest law in the U. S.

It creates things likeThe PresidencyThe CongressThe Supreme Court

HISTORY BEHIND THE CONSTITUTION

Written by a group of 55 men in 1787 It is over 200 years old The Constitution had to be approved

by the 13 states (colonies)

AMENDMENTS

Amendment to the Constitution - is a change that can add or change an older part of it

An amendment can even overturn a previous amendment

BILL OF RIGHTS

It is a list of rights that belong to the people that the government is not allowed to break

Some of these rights might sound familiar: the right of free speechthe right to practice your own

religion the right to be silent if the police

accuse you of a crime

BILL OF RIGHTS CONTINUED

The Bill of Rights protects a lot of other important freedoms

SLAVERY

A slave is someone who is owned by someone else

In the 13th Amendment, slavery was forever abolished in the Constitution

The 15th Amendment made sure that black people could vote

WOMEN

19th Amendment said that women could vote in all elections

Today, women play a very large role in government and politics

It is only a matter of time before the first woman President is elected