US Constitutional Framewo
Pre-course cheat sheet
What is it?
The U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land,
meaning all laws and actions by the government must
align with it. It was created in 1787 and came into effect in
1789.
Key Principles of the Constitution
o Separation of powers - Dividing the powers of
government among the executive, legislative, and
judicial branches
o Federalism - A system in which power is divided between the national and state
governments
o Checks and balances - A system that allows each branch of government to limit
the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power
Structure:
• Preamble: Explains the purpose of the Constitution (e.g., "We the People" emphasis
democracy).
• Seven Articles: Outline how the government is organised (e.g., Article I creates Con
Article II establishes the President).
• 27 Amendments: Changes or additions to the Constitution, including the Bill of Rig
o Article 1: Legislative branch (Congress).
o Article 2 : Executive branch (President).
o Article 3 : Judicial branch (Supreme Court).
(Articles 1-3: Establish the three branches of government)
o Article 4 : Defines federalism and explains the relationship between states and the f
government.
o Article 5 : Outlines the process for amending the Constitution.
o Article 6 : Declares that federal law and treaties are supreme over state laws (Supre
Clause).
o Article 7 : Details procedures for ratifying the Constitution.
After that there have been 27 amendments. The first ten are known as the Bill of Rights, which guar
individual freedoms such as freedom of speech, religion, and protection from unreasonable searche
Later amendments address issues such as civil rights (e.g., abolition of slavery), voting rights, and c
Pre-course cheat sheet
What is it?
The U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land,
meaning all laws and actions by the government must
align with it. It was created in 1787 and came into effect in
1789.
Key Principles of the Constitution
o Separation of powers - Dividing the powers of
government among the executive, legislative, and
judicial branches
o Federalism - A system in which power is divided between the national and state
governments
o Checks and balances - A system that allows each branch of government to limit
the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power
Structure:
• Preamble: Explains the purpose of the Constitution (e.g., "We the People" emphasis
democracy).
• Seven Articles: Outline how the government is organised (e.g., Article I creates Con
Article II establishes the President).
• 27 Amendments: Changes or additions to the Constitution, including the Bill of Rig
o Article 1: Legislative branch (Congress).
o Article 2 : Executive branch (President).
o Article 3 : Judicial branch (Supreme Court).
(Articles 1-3: Establish the three branches of government)
o Article 4 : Defines federalism and explains the relationship between states and the f
government.
o Article 5 : Outlines the process for amending the Constitution.
o Article 6 : Declares that federal law and treaties are supreme over state laws (Supre
Clause).
o Article 7 : Details procedures for ratifying the Constitution.
After that there have been 27 amendments. The first ten are known as the Bill of Rights, which guar
individual freedoms such as freedom of speech, religion, and protection from unreasonable searche
Later amendments address issues such as civil rights (e.g., abolition of slavery), voting rights, and c
