What Are the Main Parts of the Constitution?
The U.S. Constitution has three main parts: the Preamble, the seven Articles, and the 27 Amendments. Together, they explain the purposes of American government, create its structure, and protect important rights and liberties.
The Preamble
The Preamble is the Constitution's introduction. It explains the purposes of the new government in one famous sentence beginning with "We the People."
The six purposes stated in the Preamble are:
- To form a more perfect Union.
- To establish Justice.
- To insure Domestic Tranquility.
- To provide for the Common Defense.
- To promote the General Welfare.
- To secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.
In plain English, the Preamble says that the Constitution was created to build a stronger country, create justice, keep peace at home, provide security, promote the common good, and preserve liberty for future generations.
The Seven Articles
The seven Articles make up the original Constitution that took effect in 1789. The first three create the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, while the rest address relations among the states, amendment, national supremacy, and ratification.
Article I: Legislative Branch
Creates Congress, made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. It gives Congress lawmaking powers and places important limits on those powers.
Article II: Executive Branch
Creates the presidency. It describes the powers and duties of the president and establishes the executive branch's role in carrying out the laws.
Article III: Judicial Branch
Creates the Supreme Court and authorizes Congress to establish lower federal courts. It gives the judicial branch authority to decide cases arising under the Constitution and federal law.
Article IV: Relations Among the States
Explains how the states are to relate to one another. It also addresses the admission of new states and guarantees each state protection against invasion and certain domestic disturbances.
Article V: Amendment Process
Explains how the Constitution can be amended. It provides the formal process for proposing and ratifying amendments.
Article VI: Supreme Law
Recognizes debts carried over from the earlier government, declares the Constitution and federal laws to be the supreme law of the land, and requires public officials to support the Constitution.
Article VII: Ratification
Explains how the Constitution would take effect. It provided that the new Constitution would be established after ratification by conventions in nine states.
The Amendments
The Constitution has been amended 27 times. The first ten amendments are known as the Bill of Rights, and the later seventeen deal with a wide range of subjects, including voting rights, slavery, presidential succession, and congressional pay.
The Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments were ratified in 1791 to protect individual liberty and reassure Americans that the new national government would have limits.
Amendment 1: Protects freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition.
Amendment 2: Protects the right to keep and bear arms.
Amendment 3: Prevents the peacetime quartering of soldiers in private homes without the owner's consent.
Amendment 4: Protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.
Amendment 5: Protects against self-incrimination and double jeopardy, requires due process of law, and requires just compensation when private property is taken for public use.
Amendment 6: Protects rights of the accused in criminal prosecutions, including the rights to a speedy trial, a public trial, an impartial jury, and counsel.
Amendment 7: Preserves the right to a jury trial in many civil cases.
Amendment 8: Forbids excessive bail, excessive fines, and cruel and unusual punishments.
Amendment 9: Makes clear that the people retain rights beyond those specifically listed in the Constitution.
Amendment 10: Reserves powers not delegated to the federal government, nor prohibited to the states, to the states or the people.
Later Amendments
The remaining seventeen amendments were ratified between 1795 and 1992. They expanded rights, refined government structure, and addressed national issues that arose over time.
Amendment 11 (1795): Limits certain lawsuits against states in federal court.
Amendment 12 (1804): Revises the process for electing the president and vice president.
Amendment 13 (1865): Abolishes slavery.
Amendment 14 (1868): Defines citizenship, protects due process and equal protection, and includes other post-Civil War provisions.
Amendment 15 (1870): Prohibits denying the right to vote on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Amendment 16 (1913): Authorizes a federal income tax.
Amendment 17 (1913): Provides for direct election of U.S. senators.
Amendment 18 (1919): Established Prohibition.
Amendment 19 (1920): Prohibits denying the right to vote on account of a person's sex.
Amendment 20 (1933): Sets the beginning and ending dates for presidential and congressional terms.
Amendment 21 (1933): Repeals the Eighteenth Amendment.
Amendment 22 (1951): Limits the president to two elected terms.
Amendment 23 (1961): Gives the District of Columbia electors in presidential elections.
Amendment 24 (1964): Prohibits taxes on people to vote in federal elections.
Amendment 25 (1967): Provides rules for presidential succession and vice-presidential vacancies.
Amendment 26 (1971): Lowers the voting age to 18.
Amendment 27 (1992): Delays congressional pay changes until after the next House election.
See How It All Fits Together
The People's Guide to the United States Constitution walks through every Article and Amendment in plain English, with no political spin.
Buy Now on Amazon (opens in new tab)