Outline of the Constitution

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Article I - The Legislative Branch

- Section 1 - Congress with Senate and House

- Section 2 - The House of Representatives

- Section 3 - The Senate

- Section 4 - Elections

- Section 5 - Powers and Duties of Houses

- Section 6 - Rights and Disabilities of Members

- Section 7 - Legislative Process

- Section 8 - Powers of Congress

- Section 9 - Powers denied to Congress

- Section 10 - Powers denied to States

Article II - The Executive Branch

- Section 1 - President, VP, election

- Section 2 - Powers and duties of president

- Section 3 - duties of president

- Section 4 - Impeachment

Article III - The Judicial Branch

- Section 1 - Courts

- Section 2 - Judicial Cases

- Section 3 - Treason

Article IV - Relations Between States

- Section 1 - State - State relations

- Section 2 - State - Citizen relations

- Section 3 - New States

- Section 4 - Government's duties to States

Article V - Amendment Process

Article VI - debts, supremacy, Oath of Affirmation, no religious tests

Article VII - Initial Ratification Procedure (completed 1787-1789)

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MORE DETAILED

Article I - The Legislative Branch

Section 1

Clause 1 - Congress with Senate and House

Section 2 - The House of Representatives

Clause 1 - Members chosen every 2nd yeat

Clause 2 - Requirements for Members - 25 years-old, 7 years citizen

Clause 3 - *changed* by 14th Amendment (3/5 Clause); # of representatives per State

Clause 4 - dealing with vacancies - Writs of Election

Clause 5 - choose speaker and other officers; power of Impeachment

Section 3 - The Senate

Clause 1 - *changed* by 17th Am - Election of Senators; 2 senators, 6 years, 1 vote (Also in 17th Am)

Clause 2 - *changed* by 17th Am - Vacancies; 1/3 of Senate changed every 2nd year

Clause 3 - requirements for members - 30 y-o, 9 year citizen

Clause 4 - VP is the president with NO vote - unless senate is equally divided

Clause 5 - choose officers and president pro tempore

Clause 6 - they try impeachments

Clause 7 - definition of Impeachments

Section 4 - Elections of congressmen

Clause 1 - State Legislature chooses time and place of election (congress can change time)

Clause 2 - *changed* by 20th Am - the date; congress assembly

Section 5 - Powers and Duties of the Houses

Clause 1 - Congress is judge of elections; majority = quorum - can do business with minority and "quorum call"

Clause 2 - Can set own rules, punish and expel (2/3 majority)

Clause 3 - Journal - published "from time to time" - parts can be kept secret with discretion; vote recorded if 1/5 agree

Clause 4 - houses need to consult each other to meet for 3+ days and change meeting place

Section 6 - Rights and Disabilities of Members

Clause 1 - Treasury pays them; above law and questioning about what goes on during sessions

Clause 2 - can't work in another government office while in congress

Section 7 - Legislative Process

Clause 1 - revenue bill starts in the House

Clause 2 - after passing the houses, the bill goes to president - objections are recorded; then 2/3 of each house can pass law anyway; process if president doesn't do anything

Clause 3 - joint resolutions also go to president

Section 8 - powers of congress

Clause 1 - taxes, pay debts, defense -> taxes uniform throughout country

Clause 2 - borrow money

Clause 3 - regulate commerce

Clause 4 - Rule of Naturalization, and laws on bankruptcy

Clause 5 - standard weights and measures; regulate and coin money

Clause 6 - punishment for counterfeit

Clause 7 - establish post offices and post roads

Clause 8 - copyright

Clause 9 - constitute inferior courts

Clause 10 - punish offenses against laws of nations; define + punish piracy and felonies

Clause 11 - declare war; letter of Marque (hire pirates); rules on capture

Clause 12 - raise and support armies (can support them for up to 2 years)

Clause 13 - provide and maintain navy, rules for naval forces

Clause 14 - call forth militia - to execute laws and defend nations

Clause 15 - control over part of militia, states control the other part

Clause 16 - establish the capital; power over military buildings

Clause 17 - elasticity clause or "necessary and proper" clause

Section 9 - Powers denied to congress

Clause 1 - the international slave trade can't be outlawed until 1808

Clause 2 - Writ of Habeas Corpus (can't be held without trial) can't be denied unless for public safety (in invasions and rebellions)

Clause 3 - bill of attainder (states that a certain people are guilty of a crime and should be punished) and ex post facto laws (passed after the action was done) can't be passed

Clause 4 - *changed* by 17th Amendment - taxes with basis on state pop. not personal income allowed only

Clause 5 - no taxes on exports

Clause 6 - no preference to ports of 1 state over another; ships can't be forced to stop and pay duties

Clause 7 - only a law can draw money from Treasury; expenditures have to be published "from time to time"

Clause 8 - no nobility or titles from the US or other nations

Section 10 - Powers denied to states

Clause 1 - no treaties, alliances, confederations, letters of Marque, coining money, emitting bills, change what's allowed as money; no bill of attainder, ex post facto law or nobility

Clause 2 - no duties on imports or exports, unless completely necessary, then money goes to national treasury

Clause 3 - no troops or ships during peacetime, no alliances with other states or foreign nations; no entering war unless being under attack

Article II - The Legislative Branch

Section 1 - President, VP, election

Clause 1 - President, VP, 4-year term

Clause 2 - Electors for a State = its Senators + its Representatives

Clause 3 - *changed* by 12th Amendment - no there's 2 ballots; election - 1st place is president, 2nd place is VP

Clause 4 - congress chooses date of choosing electors and electors voting (have to be the same in all of US)

Clause 5 - requirements for president - natural born citizen, 35 years old, 14 years in the US

Clause 6 - *changed* by 25th Amendment - presidential succession

Clause 7 - President is payed by the gov. - pay doesn't change

Clause 8 - Oath of Affirmation

Section 2 - Powers and duties of President

Clause 1 - Commander in Chief of Army; can ask opinion of Senate and House, can grant pardons

CLause 2 - Make treaties (w/ 2/3 senate majority); appoint ambassadors, judges of the Supreme Court and other offices

Clause 3 - can fill vacancies

Section 3 - Duties of President

Clause 1 - State of the Union report; can bring things up for congress to discuss; make sure laws are faithfully executed

Section 4 - Impeachment

Clause 1 - can be Impeached for Treason, Bribery, and other "high crimes and misdemeanors"

Article III - The Judicial Branch

Section 1 - Courts

Clause 1 - A Supreme Court, and inferior courts appointed by Congress; judges with life in office who are payed

Section 2 - Judicial Cases and Powers

Clause 1 - *changed* by 11th Am - relations between states; judicial power to all cases

Clause 2 - with Ambassadors/public ministers and states - Supreme Court has original jurisdiction; otherwise - it has appellate jurisdiction - exceptions dictated by congress

Clause 3 - trial by jury (except impeachment) in state where crime was committed

Section 3 - Treason

Clause 1 - Treason is levying war against US or aiding enemy; can only be punished if 2 witnesses or confession

Clause 2 - Congress decides punishment but only to person, not to family

Article IV - Relations Between States

Section 1 - State - State relations

Clause 1 - State recognizes other states' laws

Section 2 - State - Citizen Relations

Clause 1 - citizens of other states have the same privileges and immunities that citizens of that state

Clause 2 - if person runs from justice, they can be captured and deported back

Clause 3 - Same but with service (Fugitive Slave Act) *changed* by 13th Am - now invalid

Section 3 - New States

Clause 1 - New states can be admitted, but not inside other states

Clause 2 - congress makes laws for US territories

Section 4 - Gov's duties to the States

Clause 1 - Republican gov for all states; gov. protects states against invasion and internal problems

Article V - Amendments

Clause 1 - 2 ways - 2/3 of both Houses propose it, or 2/3 of states call for constitutional convention - for both then, it's ratified by 1/4 of states; amendment can't deprive states of equal suffrage in senate

Article VI - debts, supremacy, oath of affirmation, religious tests

Clause 1 - debts before constitution still valid

Clause 2 - Supremacy clause

Clause 3 - officers of the 3 branches - Oath of Affirmation; no religious tests

Article VII - Initial Ratification Procedure (completed 1787-1789)

Clause 1 - 9 States needed to ratify this constitution