What is a constitution very short answer? A constitution is a statement of the basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or group, such as the U.S. Constitution. Another very common meaning of constitution is the physical makeup of a person.
Full Answer
What is a short summary of the US Constitution?
Summary of the Constitution. The Constitution was a spare document, providing few details about how the U.S. government would run itself. It explained the rough organization of the three branches, how they would interact with the states, and how the document could be amended. Filling in the details was left to future leaders.
What is the characteristic of good constitution?
Characteristics of a good constitution -. 1) Adaptability. 2) Responsibility and accountability. 3) Separation of powers of the government. 4) Representation of the people in the government. 5) Comprehensiveness. 6) Protection of the fundamental human rights of the citizens. 7) Clarity. 8) Independence of the judiciary.
What are the Six Articles of the Constitution?
Articles of Confederation; Federal; Ratification; Sovereignty; Great Compromise; Republic; 3/5 Compromise; Learning Steps: 1: Orientation to the Constitution - Mapping the Text (45 minutes) To understand the Six Big Ideas which underpin the Constitution students need to be familiar with the text itself.
What is an example of a constitution?
this is an example of a constitution The Constitution of a New Organization at the University of California, Los Angeles Article I - General Provisions 1. The name of this organization shall be the New Organization at UCLA. 2. The membership of this organization shall consist of any UCLA student, undergraduate or graduate. 3.
What is a constitution in short words?
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
What is a constitution definition for kids?
A constitution is a set of rules that guides how a country, state, or other political organization works. The constitution may tell what the branches of the government are, what powers they have, and how they work. It may also state the rights of citizens.
Who made constitution Short answer?
Dr. Bhimrao Ramji AmbedkarDr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is known as the father of the Indian Constitution. He was the then Law Minister who introduced the final draft of the Constitution in the Constituent Assembly.
What is a constitution Class 7?
A constitution is defined as the set of written rules, that are accepted by all the people living together in a country. It determines the relationship between the people and the government.
What is the constitution?
1 a : the basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or social group that determine the powers and duties of the government and guarantee certain rights to the people in it. b : a written instrument embodying the rules of a political or social organization. 2 a : the physical makeup of the individual especially ...
What is the British Constitution?
A constitution now usually contains the fundamental law and principles with which all other laws must conform. Unlike the U.S. Constitution, the British Constitution is not set down in a comprehensive document, but is found in a variety of statutes (as the Magna Carta) and in common law.
What is the definition of a government?
1 : the basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or social group that determine the powers and duties of the government and guarantee certain rights to the people in it.
What is the definition of a nation?
3 : the basic beliefs and laws of a nation, state, or social group by which the powers and duties of the government are established and certain rights are guaranteed to the people or a document that sets forth these beliefs and laws.
What is the definition of a constitution?
A constitution may be defined as an organization of offices in a state, by which the method of their distribution is fixed, the sovereign authority is determined, and the nature of the end to be pursued by the association and all its members is prescribed. Laws, as distinct from the frame of the constitution, are the rules by which ...
What is the Constitution?
Constitution. The fundamental law, written or unwritten, that establishes the character of a government by defining the basic principles to which a society must conform; by describing the organization of the government and regulation, distribution, and limitations on the functions of different government departments;
What is the difference between nominal and normative constitutions?
Constitutions such as that of the former Soviet Union are called nominal constitutions, whereas those that function more truly as prescriptive documents, such as the Constitution of the United States, are called normative constitutions.
Why are constitutional governments called limited governments?
Such constitutional governments are also called limited governments because the constitution restricts the scope of their power over the people.
What is the process of evolution of the Constitution?
Their evolution generally involves changes in judicial interpretation or in themselves, the latter usually through a process called amendment. Amendment of a constitution is usually designed to be a difficult process in order to give the constitution greater stability.
What is the ideal form of a constitution?
In its ideal form, a constitution emanates from the consent and will of the people whom it governs. Besides establishing the institutions of government and the manner in which they function toward each other and toward the people, a constitution may also set forth the rights of the individual and a government's responsibility to honor those rights.
What is a legislative charter?
A legislative charter by which a government or group derives its authority to act.
What is the meaning of the Constitution?
constitution. A constitution is a statement of the basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or group , such as the U.S. Constitution. Another very common meaning of constitution is the physical makeup of a person.
When was the Constitution written?
the constitution written at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 and subsequently ratified by the original thirteen states. type of: law. legal document setting forth rules governing a particular kind of activity. noun. the way in which someone or something is composed.
What is the definition of colonization?
the act of colonizing; the establishment of colonies. population. the act of populating (causing to live in a place) type of: beginning, commencement, start. the act of starting something. noun. law determining the fundamental political principles of a government. synonyms: fundamental law, organic law.
What is the act of constituting a political unity out of a number of separate states or colonies or provinces?
the act of constituting a political unity out of a number of separate states or colonies or provinces so that each member retains the management of its internal affairs. colonisation, colonization, settlement. the act of colonizing; the establishment of colonies. population.
What is the act of forming labor unions?
act of forming labor unions. collectivisation, collectivization. the organization of a nation or economy on the basis of collectivism. communisation, communization. the organization of a nation of the basis of communism. federation.
What is the purpose of a constitution?
A constitution is a set of rules that guides how a country, state, or other political organization works. The constitution may tell what the branches of the government are, what powers they have, and how they work. It may also state the rights of citizens.
Which country has no constitution?
Many have had several in their history. One country without a written constitution is Saudi Arabia. It uses the Koran and other Islamic teachings as its highest law. The most famous example of a country without a written constitution is the United Kingdom.
What was the name of the document that the landowners of England signed to guarantee them certain rights?
They banded together and forced the king to sign a document that guaranteed them certain rights. The document was called the Magna Carta.
Who were the first people to think about constitutions?
The first people to think about constitutions were the ancient Greeks. They established a form of democracy, in which some of the people had a say in how the government was run. For hundreds of years after this, however, most people were ruled by kings or queens.
Can the government disagree with the Constitution?
It may also state the rights of citizens. The government’s other laws are not allowed to disagree with its constitution. The constitution may be amended, or changed, but this is generally more difficult to do than passing an ordinary law.
Do all constitutions come from the people?
Not all constitutions come from the people of the country. For example, the United States set up the Japanese constitution of 1947 after it defeated Japan in World War II. And even the finest constitution does not guarantee that the government will follow it. Dictators, or rulers who take unlimited power, often ignore their country’s constitution.
What is the Constitution?
Introducing Constitution. The constitution of a country (or a state) is a special type of law document that tells how its government is supposed to work. It tells how the country’s leaders are to be chosen and how long they get to stay in office, how new laws are made and old laws are to be changed or removed based on law, ...
What is the Constitution of South Africa?
Just as in Nigeria and Ghana, the Constitution of South Africa is the supreme law of the Republic of South Africa. It provides the legal foundation for the existence of the republic, sets out the rights and duties of its citizens, and defines the structure of the government.
How many articles are there in the Indian Constitution?
The Indian constitution of 1950 is the longest ever written constitution in the world. It has 448 Articles and 12 Schedules in it, with 5 appendices and 98 amendments.
What is the meaning of limits in the Constitution?
Limits are put on the government in how much power they have within the Constitution. On the other hand, countries with repressive or corrupt governments frequently do not stick to their constitutions, or have bad constitutions without giving freedom to citizens and others. This can be known as dictatorship or simply “bending the rules”. A Constitution is often a way of uniting within a Federation.
When was the Constitution of Ghana enacted?
The current constitution was enacted on 29 May 1999, inaugurating the Nigerian Fourth Republic. The Constitution of Ghana is the supreme law of the Republic of Ghana. It was approved on 28 April 1992 through a national referendum after 92% support.
Is the UK constitution written down?
The UK’s constitution is not written in one single document like many other countries’ are. In fact, the UK’s constitution is not completely written down at all. Some of it can be found in writing, starting with the Magna Carta of 1215 and the Bill of Rights Act 1689 and including more modern Acts of Parliament.
What is the Constitution of the United States?
Constitution of the United States of America, the fundamental law of the U.S. federal system of government and a landmark document of the Western world. The oldest written national constitution in use, the Constitution defines the principal organs ...
What was the purpose of the Constitution?
The Constitution was the product of political compromise after long and often rancorous debates over issues such as states’ rights, representation, and slavery. Delegates from small and large states disagreed over whether the number of representatives in the new federal legislature should be the same for each state—as was the case under the Articles of Confederation—or different depending on a state’s population. In addition, some delegates from Northern states sought to abolish slavery or, failing that, to make representation dependent on the size of a state’s free population. At the same time, some Southern delegates threatened to abandon the convention if their demands to keep slavery and the slave trade legal and to count slaves for representation purposes were not met. Eventually the framers resolved their disputes by adopting a proposal put forward by the Connecticut delegation. The Great Compromise, as it came to be known, created a bicameral legislature with a Senate, in which all states would be equally represented, and a House of Representatives, in which representation would be apportioned on the basis of a state’s free population plus three-fifths of its enslaved population. (The inclusion of the enslaved population was known separately as the three-fifths compromise .) A further compromise on slavery prohibited Congress from banning the importation of enslaved people until 1808 (Article I, Section 9). After all the disagreements were bridged, the new Constitution was signed by 39 delegates on September 17, 1787, and it was submitted for ratification to the 13 states on September 28.
Where is the original copy of the Constitution?
Original copy of the U.S. Constitution, housed in the National Archives in Washington, D.C. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Who painted the Constitution?
U.S. Constitution. The signing of the U.S. Constitution by 39 members of the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787; painting by Howard Chandler Christy. Architect of the Capitol. Britannica Quiz.
How many amendments were proposed in 1789?
Because ratification in many states was contingent on the promised addition of a Bill of Rights, Congress proposed 12 amendments in September 1789; 10 were ratified by the states, and their adoption was certified on December 15, 1791.
What is a Constitutional Convention?
A constitutional convention refers to the meeting up of individuals who are interested in either creating a new constitution or making edits to the one currently in existence. For example, the Constitutional Convention that gathered in the U.S. in 1787 created the Constitution that courts still refer to today when making decisions in civil and criminal cases. Not all constitutional conventions are the Constitutional Convention, however those that gathered in the U.S. met for the sole purpose of discussing and developing the Constitution.
Where was the Constitution signed?
The signing of the Constitution took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 17, 1787. Present at the signing of the Constitution were 39 delegates representing 12 states. The signing of the Constitution came after the convention had spent the previous four months tightening it up.
What is the Philadelphia Convention?
The term “constitutional convention,” also known as the “Philadelphia Convention,” refers to the gathering of a group of purpose for the purpose of either drafting a new constitution or editing an existing one. For example, a constitutional convention gathered in May and September of 1787 to discuss the creation ...
Why are the necessary and proper clauses necessary?
The Necessary and Proper Clause, or “ elastic clause ,” provides Congress with the authority to make laws, so long as those laws serve the purpose of helping the other branches of government carry out their powers as well.
When did the Constitutional Convention come together?
However, the government did not have the power to levy taxes or control the economy. As such, the Constitutional Convention came together in 1787 to throw away the Articles of Confederation.
What was the purpose of the Articles of Confederation?
The Articles of Confederation was the U.S.’ first version of the Constitution. Under the Articles of Confederation, the states functioned independently, and Congress’ role was solely as a last resort if the states could not resolve disputes on their own.
When did the Constitutional Debate start?
Constitutional debate emerged in 1787, when the constitutional convention came together to ratify the Articles of Confederation. Specifically, the constitutional debate centered on slavery and the executive branch of government, which was new at the time. The constitutional debate continued for four months before the delegates finally reached ...
