The U.S. Constitution

government · history · democracy · rules

The ultimate rulebook. The Constitution is the most important law in the United States. Everything the government does has to follow what it says, and no other law can break its rules.

Written long ago. Fifty-five leaders called delegates met in Philadelphia in 1787 and wrote the Constitution together. They signed it on September 17, 1787, and it officially became the law on March 4, 1789.

Three branches of power. The Constitution splits the government into three parts so no one person gets too much power. The President runs things, Congress makes the laws, and the courts decide if laws are fair.

Your basic freedoms. The first ten additions to the Constitution, called the Bill of Rights, protect important freedoms like freedom of speech, religion, and the right to a fair trial. These are rights every American gets automatically.

Can be updated. The Constitution can be changed through a careful process called an amendment, and it has been changed 27 times since 1789 to fix problems and protect new rights.