The Constitution

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The Constitution

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The United States Constitution is provides basis for the government structure and responsibilities. The Constitution defines three main principles:

• Inherent rights of anyone living in the United States
• Government by the people
• separation of powers between branches of the government including Executive, Legislative and Judicial

Although the Constitution was originally written in 1787, it has had many changes over the last 200 years. The Constitution consists of three parts: the Preamble, the Articles and the Amendments. The Preamble defines the philosophy on which the government is based. The Articles define the government duties and responsibilities. The Amendments, or Bill or Rights, defines individual rights and also fixes problems that have come about since the document was written.

The Constitution guarantees the United States people their freedom and rights such as:

• Freedom of religion
• Freedom of speech
• Right to bear arms
• Right to a trial when accused of a crime, and to know what crime one is accused
• Right to own property and to expect the government to help protect private property

For the complete document, see "The Constitution" in the reference library section on the American Revolution.

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