Show rw r w a dent no he la Is commander in WU chief of the federal army and navy and of state mintia in the service of the united 01 states lie he grants reprieves or pardons except in impeachment cases with the advice lind consent of two thirds of the senate lie he makes innoes treaties d and appoints ambassadors all aad d 4 other public ministers consuls 60 judges of the supreme t court and other officers not ling otherwise provided for by the constitution or in tile the cose case or of minor officials by act of congress imrica he has the veto power already described lie he gives congress information of the a state ate of the union a method at ol of initiating legislation by the presidential message he may convene congress for extraordinary tra sessions he receives I 1 foreign ministers and he takes care that tile the laws be faithfully executed besides commissioning all federal officers sect 4 provides that the president vice president and all civil clel off officers leers not including ai members of congress as the constitution has been interpreted may be removed by XV impeachment for and conviction of treason bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors mea nors ARTICLE ni Is devoted to the judicial department which N it provides shall be vested in one supreme court and in inferior Z courts ordained and established by congress federal lie judges appointed by the president with the approval of the senate hold office during good Q behavior sect 2 states that in all cases affecting public ca V ministers and those in which it state shall be party the supreme court shall have original jurisdiction in all other cases it shall have appellate jurisdiction both as to law and fact with such v ennd reading for rod ArreH caMs nul dull x I 1 s 4 by JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN HE ambitious fou fourth rth of july orator in search of 0 a theme worthy af pf 0 the day other than the declaration of 0 independence need go no farther than the constitution af 6 the united states of america but only tile the able and add eloquent and impassioned should attempt to do justice to tills this most remarkable document in all the world there were ere giants in the days days when chien it was written they accomplished complis hed great works but none greater than the constitution but a dry as dust document you say bayl not so the constitution Is the very substance tance of our freedom dr between tween its lines are to be read all the romance find and history and aspirations of the lie hundreds of thousands ot of americans have fought and died to maintain its principles tile the success of representative government in the world depends upon its maintenance in all its integrity freedom hangs upon it tr for its great purpose Is to safeguard the rights of the individual citizen the constitution is a human buruan document that bears directly upon the life liberty and pursuit of happiness of ciery every american various circumstances lune combined bt late to bring home this truth to vs us in there is a nation ulde campaign to promote understanding of the constitution by the coming generation gene rallon twenty eight states have now dow passed a law requiring definite nite courses of instruction in all the public schools more than public school teachers are now required by law to leach tile the constitution to more than public school children the campaign will con dinue antila untila un tilA the states shall ha grassed er assed this law tile the Efi english glIsh settlers in the lie american colonies brought brou glit with tieni the an english principles of self govern iiren tand elaborated and practiced them to tin nn extent unknown in the mother country this is shown by the representative chamber in virginia in 1019 the dayflower ilay Way flower pact of the written constitution of the connecticut towns in 1639 the farsi airs official draft of a plan for tile the formation of a cetera co eminent was the articles of confederation adopted by the second confine continental tal congress oi of 1473 1775 by 1781 it had lieen ratified n by all the states the government thus established consisted of a legislative department only to remedy i this and other defects congress congre recommended the constitutional convention met way 29 to september 17 1787 at philadelphia fifty five fire delegates attended aboe all alie states except rhode island being represented t wash washington I 1 agton pie presided sided among the leaders in the convention were ere morris wilson king maddson SIad Mad lson franklin frankiln sherman Elli ellsworth worth randolph mason maion gerry lansing patterson patters on alck ick inson and yates Coil congress gress approved thep the constitution itu drawn by thein eleven of the tha slAt sites erat ratified fled tile the constitution in north carolina rat ratified rati fled in 1780 and rhode island in 1700 I 1 the original document like the declaration of independence has been in many places at iasi it has found it i permanent nl and a appropriate p prop home with the Declara declaration ilon in n ua especial ly designed signed le repository recently dedicated by dent coolidge in uie oe library of con congress aass i i the constitution ot the united spates slates consists i I 1 it a preamble and seven art lei by ip auteen k amendments Artic lesIn addon add on 6 to and amendment of the cost it tie elnA I 1 li 0 PREAMBLE we the people Z ataee united noted states in order to torla a more inore establish justice infura provida for the common defemia promote uia general welfare and secure tho tha ot 01 1 berty to ourselves anil and our posterity do ordain constitution atit ution tor the united states ot of allaria Airi An erla laria this preamble clearly shows show that 44 the constitution Is much more than a co compact of states like the articles ot of confederation ft bleb it it replaced these said INA the a hereby severally ily enter into a firm league of friendship with each other the constitution Is plainly the establishment by the deop people of it federal system of government the uniting of the statts states s into one nation under one notional national government without extinguishing their separate administrations legislatures and lo 10 cal the constitution divides the powers of t government into the legislative executive find and judicial departments it may be thus summarized mari zed ARTICLE I 1 deals with the legislative department or congress sect I 1 divides congress into the house and senate sect 2 provides tor for the election of representatives every second year for the qualifications of representatives for their apportionment tion ment among the states according to population the right of the house to choose its own speaker and have the sole power of impeachment see sec 3 provides for the election of two senators from each state by the legislatures by the seventeenth amendment in effect may 31 1913 1013 direct vote by the people Is substituted and for their qualifications the vice president presides and has no vote except in case of tie the senate tries all cases of impeachment sect 4 leaves times places and manner of holding elections for both houses to the state legislatures but gives congress pow er to alter such regulations except as to the places of choosing senators makes mandatory at least one meeting of congress each year sect 5 gives each house the power to decide on elections returns and qualifications of its own members to determine its rules to punish members for disorder and by a two thirds vote to expel ri a member sect 0 has members of both houses bouses paid by the united states and privileged from arrest except for treason felony or breach of the peace and forbids any person holding otrice office under the united states to be a member of congress or any member of congress to be appointed to federal office created or with ith salary increased during his term in congress sect 7 provides that revenue bills must originate in the lower lover house the veto of the president may be overcome only by a ote of 0 two thirds or more of each house and if the president fall to return to congress congi cong tess any bill N within ten days it shall be law unless congress adjourn within the ten days when it shall not net be law sect 8 defines the powers grunted to congress to tax but uniformly throughout the country to borrow money to regulate commerce to make uniform laws on naturalization and on bankruptcy to cola coin money and to fix standards of weights and measures to establish post offices and post roads to grant patents and copyrights to constitute the lower courts to define defene and to punish PIT piracies pi Veles and the like to declare war to raise maintain and control army and navy to cell call out to organize and to arm the state militias to govern a federal district the seat of government and the elastic clause on the interpretation of which there has been constant disagreement to make laws necessary and proper for execution of these powers and of all other powers vested in tho the government or in any of its departments or officers sect 9 0 enumerates the powers denied to the united states government the prohibition of the slave trade before 1608 suspension of the hie writ of habeas corpus except for public safety in rebellion or invasion the passage of any bill of attainder or ex post facto law tile the lev ing of a direct tax not based on oh population or of any export tax commercial preference for one port over another or levying duties on vessels silling from one state to another the draft of money except by legal appropriation and the granting of any title of nobility or permitting the receipt without consent of congress of any present or title from a foreign state by persons holding under the government sect 10 enumerates the powers denied to the states some of these in the nature of a bill of right eg e g that there be no bill of attainder or ex post facto law ure repeated from the list of powers denied to tile the federal government others deny to the states nhat has apen granted in the preceding cedi selections to the federal government ARTICLE 11 II deals with the executive power vested in a 11 president resident who abo with alth a vice president Is elected for four bears ears by electors chosen by the states the number of electors for each being equal to the total number of senators and representatives from the states tile the twelfth amendment 1803 4 0 to the constitution ution makes the choice of president and vice president ilent separate provides that no elector vote tor for candidates tor for both offices from the same state and stipulates that it if there la Is no choice by a majority of the electors the house bouse of representatives voting by states shall choose by majority a president from the three highest candidates for the office and the senate choose by majority a vice president from the two highest candidates sects 2 and 3 detail the powers of the elie 1 exceptions as congress shall make sect 3 provides that treason against the united states shall consist only in levying war or in adhering to its enemies giving them aid and comfort that no person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses or on confession in open court and that congress shall have power to declare punishment of treason but no attainder of treason shall extend beyond the life of the person at tainted ARTICLE IV deals with interstate and territorial relations among its provisions are those for the guarantee by the united states of a republican form of government to every state thus thua giving congress some check on the constitutions of would bastates be states for repelling invasion of the states by federal power and for their protection against domestic violence upon application by the state legislature or it if it be not in session of th the state executive ARTICLE V provides for the adoption of amendments to the constitution amendments are to be proposed either by a two thirds vote of both houses of congress or by a convent loA called on the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the tha states proposed amendments must then be ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the states or by conventions in three fourths fourth a ARTICLE VI provides that the constitution and the laws and treaties made shall be tile the supreme law of the land ARTICLE VII provided that the ratification of the conventions of nine states shall be sufficient lelent for the establishment of this constitution amendments ARTICLE I 1 declares that congress shall make no law respecting the establishment or the free exercise of rell religion lon abridging the freedom of speech or the press or the right of petition ARTICLE 11 II holds that a well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a tree free state the right ot 0 the people to keep and bear arms shall not lie be infringed ed ARTICLE IV affirms the right of the people to be secure in their person and property against unreasonable seizure end and search and that no warrants shall issue but ifton pon probable cause and under oath ARTICLE V decrees that no person shall 1 be e held to answer for a serious crime except on indictment of a grand jury nor be twice put in jeopardy of life for the same of fence nor compelled to be a witness against himself nor be deprived of life liberty or happiness without due process of law and that private property shall not be taken tor for public use without just compensation ARTICLE VI provides that in criminal prosecutions the accused shall have a speedy public trial in the district where the alleged crime was committed shall lie informed of the nature of the accusation cusa tion and shall have the assistance of counsel and of witnesses in his favor ARTICLE vill VIII says excessive ball shall not be required nor excessive fines imposed nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted ARTICLE X reads the powers not delegated to tile the united states by the constitution nor prohibited by it to the states are reserved to the states respectively or to the people from 1803 to the civil war no DO amendments were added three were then adopted as part of the federal governments reconstruction policy article XIII prohibits sl slavery aNery article XIV denies to the states the power to abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens or to deprive any person of life liberty or property without due process of 0 law article XV denies to the states the power to abridge orf account ot of race color or previous condition ot of servitude the right of citizens to vote in 1913 the ind seventeenth amendments were adopted they provide for the levying of an income tax and the direct election of senators the eighteenth amendment providing tor for national prohibition became eff effective ettive by ratification jan jail 10 1919 1019 the nineteenth amendment providing for woman suffrage became effective by ratification august 20 26 1010 1920 many movements looking to the further amendment of the constitution are arc under way for example one provides for the prohibition of child labor it has jut just been passed by congress and must now be ratified by the states A second fostered by the national womans comans party would put women on an equal tooling with men before yx tc law A third would allow congress con gresa to irv in ID opinion of unconstitutionality by the supreme court by re passing the act in question |