The Constitution

Essay by baybieeskittoezJunior High, 8th gradeA+, December 2002

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The Preamble establishes important goals of the constitution. The Preamble explains the purpose for writing the Constitution and the main ideas to be carried out by the government and the people in order to make a more perfect union. The preamble, justifies the rights of the American citizens. It declares that "men are created equal...are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." That sentence still remains a truth with the Americans today. Jefferson wrote the preamble with the help of John Locke. Within the preamble Jefferson writes that the people, "to secure these rights...whenever any form of government becomes destructive...it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it." It gives the people of America the freedom to impeach untrustworthy rulers if they wish to. The freedom that Thomas Jefferson gave us is still in use today.

The writers of the constitution also provided a system of checks and balances to prevent any branch from becoming too powerful. Each branch is controlled by the other two in some ways. For example, the president may veto a law passed by Congress. but Congress could override that veto with a vote of two-thirds of both houses. Another example is that the Supreme Court may check Congress by declaring a law unconstitutional. The power is balanced by the fact that members of the Supreme Court are appointed by the president. Those appointments have to be approved by Congress. Providing checks and balances system would allow a strong central government to preserve states' rights.

Article I establishes qualifications of a senator and representatives and includes powers of the legislative branch. A representative must be 25 years of age, has been a citizen of the United States for seven years, and...