Page 117 - ABCTE Study Guide_Neat

Previously Covered

Previously the causes and conditions that led to war between the colonists and Britain were reviewed.
Also covered were some of the key events of the war as well as a brief summary of the components of the
Declaration of Independence.

The Seeds of Government

After the Revolutionary War, the newly formed United States of America needed to decide what would be
its ultimate form of government. In the midst of fighting a long and hard struggle to free themselves from
the control of the British crown, the colonists also struggled with the idea of a strong central government.
The Second Continental Congress deliberated for one year before producing the Articles of Confederation
and Perpetual Union, which gathered the former colonies into a loose confederation with a weak central
government, most power remained in the hands of the states. Commonly referred to as the Articles of
Confederation, this document seemed to the delegates to be the best idea at the time, but it would prove
to be deeply flawed and would remain in force for only seven years before being replaced by the
Constitution.

Finding Its Center

After the war with Britain, the newly minted country needed to centralize its government. The Continental
Congress had difficulty getting representation from each colony, which made for a painfully slow decision-
making process. With such a loose form of centralized government, imposing taxes to pay war debts was
also a difficult task.

In 1786 and 1787, delegates from around the country met in Philadelphia, ostensibly to revise the existing
Articles of Confederation. However, the Congress agreed to create a constitution that would set the
course for a new nation.

The U.S. Constitution

Below is a review of the basic components of the Constitution. More detailed reviews of this document will
appear in other lessons.

• The Preamble
The preamble functions as an overview and mission statement for the entire document. See
the text of the preamble below:

We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice,
insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and
secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this
Constitution for the United States of America.

• The Articles
The articles define the sections of the federal government and their attendant powers. This
section establishes the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of the government.
Article Five explains the process to amend the document.
• Amendments
There are twenty-seven amendments to the Constitution; the first ten are known as the Bill
of Rights.