Establishment Part I

The Founding Fathers worked hard to come up with a Constitution that could stand the test of time. They had both the foresight and humility to know that with changing times there would be a need to change the charter for the US government. Beyond that, the Declaration of Independence had asserted the People possessed a Right of Revolution. Including the amendment process provided a method to exercise that right without the resort to arms.

The United States federal government is divided into three branches, separating government’s principal powers among different actors. The Constitution defines the powers of each branch. Article I defines the legislative, or congress. Article II defines the executive, or presidency. Article III creates broad outlines for the judicial, primarily the Supreme Court. Article IV defines the relations between the states and the federal government.

“[W]e must never forget that it is a constitution we are expounding.” Reviewing the 200 years of “expounding” the Constitution has undergone can be quite confounding. There have been hundreds of Supreme Court opinions. Legal scholars, lawyers, and judges engage in continuing debate over the proper method to understand the Constitution’s meaning.