Becca’s GED Social Studies Blog

Hi there! Last time, I talked a little bit about the Declaration of Independence…and there’s a question on the Declaration of Independence in Maria’s blog too. She mentions it, but she doesn’t really talk about what it is. I think the two most important documents in U.S. history are the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, and sometimes people don’t really understand what they are and which is which. So, I thought I’d talk about it.

The Declaration of Independence was written in 1775 by the people who wanted to form the United States. It basically listed the reasons why they thought that the English government, and the English king, were mistreating the American colonies (that’s the states before they were states). And it said why they believed they had the right to form their own government. Basically, the Declaration of Independence is a letter to the King of England saying that the colonies are going to kick out England and form their own country, and why. Think of it like a break-up letter. Hey, King George III! You can’t keep treating us this way! We’re out of here! But, hopefully, your ex-boyfriend doesn’t send his army after you to keep you from leaving.

Last time, I explained some of the language of the Declaration of Independence in simple English. The Declaration of Independence talks about some of the American founding fathers’ ideas about government, but it doesn’t say what the U.S. government will be like. That’s the job of the Constitution…a completely different document. The Constitution says what the U.S. government is. Basically, it lays out all the rules of how the government works. So, it’s like a rule book.

The Constitution has different parts, and it’s important to know what they are.

1. Preamble. The preamble is just a fancy word for the beginning…the preamble introduces the constitution.
2. Article I. Instead of parts or chapters, the Constitution has “Articles.” Don’t let it confuse you…it’s just a fancy word for parts. And they’re numbered with Roman numerals. The first article tells all the powers of Congress. That’s the Senate and the House of Representative…they’re called “Legislative” because they’re the ones that make the laws.
3. Article II. The second article tells all about the powers of the President. The President is called the “Executive” branch because he “executes” the laws, or makes sure they’re enforced. He’s basically in charge of running the government according to the laws, but the President is pretty powerful because he can veto, or say no to, a law passed by Congress.
4. Article III. The third article is about the courts. It sets up the Supreme Court. The courts are called the “Judicial” branch, because they judge things. The judicial branch settles questions about what the law means, and whether a law breaks a higher law. The Constitution is the highest law, and so Congress can’t make laws that are against the Constitution.
5. Article IV. The fourth article is about the states, and what the states’ role is in the United States. How do the states get along with each other? How does the federal government affect the states?
6. Article V. The fifth article describes how the Constitution can be changed. So, if the Constitution isn’t working right, or if the world changes, and new laws are needed, the Constitution can be changed, or amended. It’s hard to change the constitution. Most of the people in congress and most of the states all have to agree in order to change the constitution.
7. Article VI. The sixth article declares the Constitution the highest law of the land.
8. Article VII. The seventh article describes how the Constitution was ratified, or approved. Nine of the thirteen initial states had to agree on the Constitution.
9. Signatures. After the articles, there are signatures from the people who made and approved the Constitution.
10. Amendments. At the end of the Constitution, there are twenty-seven amendments, or changes that have been made to the Constitution over time. The amendments that you’ll need to know most are the first ten. These amendments are called the “Bill of Rights,” and they were added to the Constitution in 1791, to make sure people’s rights were honored by the government.

Well, that’s a lot of information! I think I’ll write some more next time, since the Constitution is pretty important in GED social studies…. good luck with your GED studying!

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