Understanding the US Constitution

This assignment delves into the complexities of the US Constitution. It examines crucial amendments like those guaranteeing due process, freedom of speech, and the right to a fair trial. The document also analyzes key compromises, including the Connecticut Compromise, Three-Fifths Compromise, and the Slave Trade Compromise, highlighting their influence on shaping American society and government.

Running head: THE CONSTITUTION OF AMERICA
THE CONSTITUTION OF AMERICA
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

1THE CONSTITUTION OF AMERICA
Table of Contents
Answer to the question 1............................................................................................................2
Answer to the question 2............................................................................................................2
Answer to question 3..................................................................................................................2
Answer to question 4..................................................................................................................4
Answer to question 5..................................................................................................................6
References..................................................................................................................................8

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Answer to the question 1
The preamble of the US constitution is an important element of the constitution as it
defines the unification of the states. The opening words of the constitution clearly defined
that America was a nation formed by its people and the unification of its states. The preamble
of the constitution of the US acts both ways (Arnold, Doyle and Wiesehomeier 2017). Firstly,
it provides the contents and the main philosophy that was used in the time of composing the
constitution; Secondly, it acts as a bridge as to the Declaration of the Independence of the
States. It gives a clear perception about the Constitution to the reader.
Answer to the question 2
The first three articles that sets up the US Constitution, as a republic with the three
separate branches of the government is to undertake the administration of the enormous states
in the most effective manner. The branches are classified according to the requirements of the
legislation that is expected out of them. The legislative branch under the US constitution
looks after the needs and requirements of the states relating to the national laws and the
maintenance of the laws. It consists of the Congress- the House of the Representatives and
the Senate. The president undertakes the functioning of the executive branch of the US under
the framework of the constitution (Arnold, Doyle and Wiesehomeier 2017). The judicial
branch of the US administers the justice by the proper interpretation of the constitution and
the laws that are framed within the system. The process is being undertaken by the
appointment of the judges associated with the courts.
Answer to question 3
Article 1 of the US Constitution

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The article provides the power and discusses the limitations of the Congress.
Congress is the branch of the government that can formulate laws for the nation. In order to
constrain the enormous powers of the Congress this Article was formulated.
Article 2 of the Constitution
The Article makes way for the executive branch of the government. The executive
branch looks after the administration of the nation and monitors over the proper execution of
the laws in the systems.
Article 3 of the Constitution
The Article creates a judicial branch, which is the court, interprets the law, and looks
after the legislations. It helps in the formation and the actions taken by the supreme and the
other sub-divisional courts.
Article 4 of the Constitution
The Article talks about the states and the responsibilities that the states hold towards
the betterment and the progress of the nation. It defines the duties and the responsibilities of
the states in accordance to the federal government.
Article 5 of the Constitution
The Article states that the Constitution can be changed with the passage of an
amendment in the constitution. The addition of an amendment is a issue that is adhered to
only in the time of a crisis.
Article 6 of the Constitution
The article states that the debts and engagements that the nation had before the
formulation of the constitution is still valid after the framing of the constitution. The Article

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also states that the constitution of the nation is the highest state of law that must be adhered to
by every official and the judges and the constitution must be referred to before taking any
legitimate decision.
Article 7 of the Constitution
The Article states the number of the states and their individual responsibilities in
ratifying the constitution and adheres to the laws amended by the same.
Answer to question 4
First Amendment of the Bill of Rights
The very first addition to the original Constitution defines the freedom of religion and
the choice of worship of the citizens (Smith 2017). The freedom of speech, the right of the
people to get information through the proper working of the press and the freedom to meet in
groups is being defined by the amendment.
Second Amendment
The second amendment defines and encourages the people of the nation to carry arms
for their own safety and in order to maintain their own security (McNamara 2017).
Third Amendment
The third amendment states that the soldiers would not be able to take shelter in
someone else’s, in the time of peace, without the consent of the owner.
Fourth Amendment

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The fourth amendment states that the public officials cannot search the property of a
person or arrest a person without the probable cause of a crime being undertaken by the
person.
Fifth Amendment
The Fifth Amendment states that the Federal government is required to follow the law
before punishing a person (Smith 2017). It also includes the double jeopardy clause,
according to which a person cannot face a trial twice for a single and the same crime.
Sixth amendment
It states the right of the people to know about the crime they have committed. They
have the right to ask the officials about the crime for which the person is facing the trial or
the arrest.
Seventh amendment
It states the right of the person to a jury trial in a civil case.
Eighth amendment
The eighth amendment states that the government is not eligible for demanding
excessive bail or even inflicts any kind of cruel punishment.
Ninth amendment
The amendment states that the constitution does not include all the rights of the
people and the states, therefore it provides an assurance of the safeguarding the rights that are
not included in the constitution, and sees to it that the rights are not taken away from the
citizens.

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Tenth amendment
It states that the powers that the powers that the constitution does not give to the
government is given to the people and the states, unless the constitution itself limits the
powers of the states.
Answer to question 5
The compromises that the American constitution undertook are due to the Connecticut
Compromise, three-fifths compromise, commerce compromise, slave-trade compromise and
the election of the president (Smith 2017). The Connecticut compromise combined the plans
of the Virginia, which represented the population of the states; and the New Jersey plan,
which focused on the representation of the states. It was decided later that there would be two
chambers in the Congress in order to make use of the principles effectively.
The three-fifths compromise is based on the discrepancy in the representation of the
slaves in the House of Representatives (Ely 2016). The delegates from the Northern states
that did not rely on the slaves felt that slaves should not be counted, whereas the Southern
states did not feel the same. The compromise that the Northern and the Southern states had to
undertake is known as the three-fifths compromise.
The commerce compromise is based on the Northern and the Southern states where
the Northern states desired the government to impose a tax on the foreign goods for
maintaining the competition, whereas the Southern states feared the tax. Another aspect of
the compromise is the Slave-trade compromise, which is based on the conflict of the
Northern and the Southern states. The slave trade is not supported by the Northern states,
whereas the Southern states encouraged the slave trade. A compromise were undertaken
thereof. The election of the president is again another compromise that the US Constitution

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undertook and it was regarded as a compromise because the people were confused and feared
the consequences of electing an unworthy person as their president (Arnold, Doyle and
Wiesehomeier 2017).

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References
Arnold, C., Doyle, D. and Wiesehomeier, N., 2017. Presidents, Policy Compromise, and
Legislative Success. The Journal of Politics, 79(2), pp.380-395.
Ely Jr, J.W., 2016. The Contract Clause: A Constitutional History. University Press of
Kansas.
McNamara, J., 2017. The Fight to Bear Arms: Challenging the Second Amendment and the
US Constitution as a Sacred Text. European journal of American studies, 12(12-2).
Smith, K.E.I., 2017. FOR A DECOLONIZED US CONSTITUTION. Human Rights Of, By,
and for the People: How to Critique and Change the Us Constitution, p.162.