Dear ciao,
For each of the seven Articles of the Constitution, I have composed
both a brief sentence describing the general purpose of the respective
Article, and a longer phrase including some more details on the
Article's content:
ARTICLE I describes Congress - the legislative branch - and outlines
its powers and limits.
The Article vests all law-making powers in the House of
Representatives and the Senate, giving those legislative bodies the
right to raise taxes, borrow money, regulate interstate commerce,
conscript military forces, and declare war; each legislative body was
given power to determine its own rules of procedure, and as an
additional check on the executive branch, the House was authorized to
instigate impeachment proceedings against the chief executive officer,
the President, and the Senate to adjudicate them.
ARTICLE II describes the presidency, the executive branch.
The Article vests executive power in the hands of the President,
including responsibilities as the chief executive officer,
commander-in-chief of the military forces, and with treaty-making
power (with the approval of two-thirds of the Senate); the President
is also given power of appointment for positions within the Federal
government, upon approval of the majority of the Senate.
ARTICLE III describes the court system - the judicial branch -,
including the Supreme Court.
The Article puts judicial power in the hands of the courts and defines
the Supreme Court of the United States as mandated as the final court
of appeal from the lower state and federal courts; the courts
interpret the Constitution - that is, they have the power of judicial
review.
ARTICLE IV defines the relationship between the states and the
federal government and the rights of citizens of the states.
The Article mandates that all states will honor the laws of all other
states, guarantees that citizens of one state be treated equally and
fairly like all citizens of another, regulates admittance of new
states and the control of federal lands, ensures a republican form of
government and guarantees that the federal government will protect the
states against invasion and insurrection.
ARTICLE V deals with the procedures to amend the Constitution.
The Article defines that Amendments to the Constitution may be
proposed by a 2/3 vote of both houses of Congress, or by a
Constitutional convention called by Congress upon the appeal of 2/3 of
state legislatures; any proposed amendments must be ratified by 3/4 of
state legislatures or by Constitutional conventions called by the
states.
ARTICLE VI deals with public debt and final and establishes the
Constitution and the laws and treaties of the United States made in
accordance with it as the supreme law of the land.
The Article guarantees that the United States under the Constitution
would assume all debts and contracts entered into by the United States
under the Articles of Confederation, sets the Constitution and all
laws and treaties of the United States to be the supreme law of the
country, and finally, it requires all officers of the United States
and of the states to swear an oath of allegiance to the United States
and the Constitution when taking office.
ARTICLE VII describes the method of ratification of the Constitution.
The Article details the method for ratification, or acceptance, of the
Constitution: of the original 13 states in the United States, nine had
to accept the Constitution before it would officially go into effect.
Sources:
Library of Congress: About the Constitution of the United States
http://memory.loc.gov/const/abt_const.html
The U.S. Constitution Online
http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html
Wikipedia: United States Constitution - Articles of the Constitution
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Constitution#Articles_of_the_Constitution
Search terms used:
united states" constitution articles
://www.google.de/search?q=%22united+states%22+constitution+articles&hl=de&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&start=0&sa=N
Hope this helps!
Regards,
Scriptor |
