KEY PRINCIPLES OF THE US

CONSTITUTION

By:

Abdelhak Belatreche

APUSH

Period 1

The Preamble of the U.S. Constitution

http://www.schooltube.com/video/da7c83c3b3d701831c15/The-Preamble

The Preamble of the U.S. Constitution was a basic overview of the Constitution.

It was the background goals, dreams and hopes of the people creating the Constitution. “The meaning behind the text.”

What the Founding Fathers thought that the Constitution stood for.

School House of RockPreamble of the U.S. Constitution

This is a video of the School House of Rock version of the Preamble to the Constitution.

http://www.schooltube.com/video/03f9c858260a4da9b582/School-House-Rock-The-Preamble

BACKGROUND OF THE CONSTITUTION The Constitutional Convention consisted of all sorts of people from

all over the 13 states. Delegates from every state except Rhode Island came to this

Convention. The delegates were mostly all young, white, rich, Christian, and

aristocratic men. Even though the Constitution is one of the most balanced, and preserved form of “order.” It still was in a way biased because of the one, main, similar group of people that created it.

The writers of the Constitution used the failures of European constitutions, the colonial period under which England ruled them, and political life under the Articles of Confederation to create the U.S. constitution.

They also used the theories, and rational thinking that came about from the Enlightenment, adopting John Locke’s views on the Social Contract, and so on.

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The Constitution has many words in it that go under the theme of politics. This is because the Constitution is a political document that explains the laws, and rules that people need to follow. This wordle companies the most important words in a piece of document established to give a nation a set of rules, and guidelines to live by. Some of these words are connected because they are necessary in a document such as this. Words like “government, right, laws, vote, citizens , states president, and freedom.”

Key Principles of the U.S. Constitution

The key principles of the U.S. Constitution are different for each person. Everything in the Constitution is KEY, but it depends on each person for the most important principles.

The adoption of the Bill of rights is a key principle in the Constitution because it gives people, and states the necessary freedom to live in a very diverse and “free” country.

Many other laws are important as well. The laws for separation of powers, checks and balances, and even, the rule of law, keep the nation from going corrupt. It provides a sense of defense that the country uses well.

A key component and principle in the US

constitution is the creation of the bill of rights. This bill, not only protects the general rights of every citizen, and resident, in the US, but it also protects the state powers and sovereignty.

People gain freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, trial by jury, no search without a warrant and so on and so forth.

All laws that don’t go to Congress, go to the states, including slavery. (This conflict generally leads to the civil war, and even to the Civil Rights Movements

The Bill of Rights

NECESSARY AND PROPER CLAUSE&CHECKS AND BALANCES

• The necessary and proper clause is also called the “elastic clause”. It stated that congress had the right to create laws that shall keep the country going without corrupting it. "make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this constitution.” (Constitution)

• The Checks and balances are important in keeping the country from going corrupt because they check and overrule the one of the three branches if an unjust law is passed or the President doesn’t want a law, even though it should be passed. These checks and balances come into play.

The Louisiana Purchase (Jefferson)

The Louisiana Purchase is an important part in the early actions of the U.S. This purchase was to stop a conflict between France and the U.S. Thomas Jefferson, the president at the time, decided to purchase the Louisiana territory from Napoleon in order to avoid conflict. Jefferson paid $15 million dollars at the time to gain all of Louisiana. The conflict for this event was that Jefferson was a strict constructionist. He believed that anything that wasn’t in the constitution didn’t exist. Purchasing from France wasn’t in the Constitution, therefore it was a matter of loose construction. Jefferson didn’t want to ruin his beliefs. In the end, Congress Justified his ordeal, and he concluded that the nation had enough morals to fix itself if this land purchase turned against their will.

Louisiana Purchase (Part 2)

In the end the US not only got New Orleans, but all of the Louisiana territory, and is significant because it is part of the US today.

Marbury v. Madison

One of the most important cases ever held by the Constitution.

This established the powers and “boundaries” of the Judicial Branch.

Basically, the Supreme Court concluded that the only thing that the Judicial branch, can do is to decide whether a law is constitutional or not. If not, then they can dismiss that law.

The Judicial Branch could not, enforce the law. That was the Executive Branch.

The 1st National Bank:

This was a widely talked about, and debated topic at the time.

Alexander Hamilton, proposed an idea of establishing a national bank that held and managed the US treasury. It was to be above all state or private banks.

This is a key principle because it brought about the idea of loose construction vs. strict construction. It wanted to prove whether or not elements that weren’t stated in the constitution, didn’t exist.

The debate was: Was this creation of a bank allowed? Will it harm the nation?

Strict Constructionists believed that it will corrupt the government and others said the contrary. In the end, it was established and allowed.

Resources: Bibliography

http://c4.libsyn.com/media/18772/const-summary.pdf?nvb=20101022160640&nva=20101023161640&sid=8a7cc2dc60c4de58b13260d7fbf0ecc7&l_sid=18772&l_eid=&l_mid=1708620&t=0b86f89b4c2e5aa35fec0

http://www.honortheusa.com/preamble%20to%20the%20constitution%202.jpg

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Q1Elc7__CN8J:facultyweb.wcjc.edu/emclane/Government%25202301/Constitution.doc+constitution+background&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

http://law.onecle.com/constitution/article-1/49-necessary-and-proper-clause.html