| | The United States Constitution has been successful longer than any other written legal document in the history of the world - nearly 230 years. This Constitution is relatively short, less than 5,000 words, and can be read easily in less than hour. It contains only seven separate Articles (entitled Article I, Article II, Article III, etc.) Subsequent to the adoption (ratification) of the Constitution, 27 Amendments have been added to it, pursuant to Article V which sets the rules for amendments. The Constitution is the greatest legal document ever written, and this course will enable you to understand and use it beneficially. | | The United States Constitution has been successful longer than any other written legal document in the history of the world - nearly 230 years. This Constitution is relatively short, less than 5,000 words, and can be read easily in less than hour. It contains only seven separate Articles (entitled Article I, Article II, Article III, etc.) Subsequent to the adoption (ratification) of the Constitution, 27 Amendments have been added to it, pursuant to Article V which sets the rules for amendments. The Constitution is the greatest legal document ever written, and this course will enable you to understand and use it beneficially. |
| | + | What is the most valuable thing in the world? The [[Bible]] would rank first. But what is second? Some might say the "Mona Lisa" painting by the Christian painter Leonardo da Vinci; others might say the Hope Diamond, which is in the Smithsonian museum in Washington, D.C. The patents on the iPhone might rank high today in value, but they will expire. |
| | + | Yet few people today have even read the Constitution, less than 1% of the public understands it. In this course you will acquire knowledge and appreciation of the Constitution that will assist you throughout your life. The Constitution is there to help us, and the more we can understood, the more useful it becomes. |
| | The "United States of America" existed before the Constitution was written and approved. Written in 1777 (a year after the Declaration of Independence) and adopted by all 13 colonies by 1781, the "Articles of Confederation" brought together the 13 colonies while they were still fighting in the American Revolution to win independence from the King of England. The Articles of Confederation had 13 Articles, but did not establish a federal executive branch (now led by the president) or a federal judiciary. Instead, nearly all the power remained in the hands of the States, the former colonies. Each State had equal power in the Continental Congress established by the Articles of Confederation. <ref>http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/artconf.asp</ref> | | The "United States of America" existed before the Constitution was written and approved. Written in 1777 (a year after the Declaration of Independence) and adopted by all 13 colonies by 1781, the "Articles of Confederation" brought together the 13 colonies while they were still fighting in the American Revolution to win independence from the King of England. The Articles of Confederation had 13 Articles, but did not establish a federal executive branch (now led by the president) or a federal judiciary. Instead, nearly all the power remained in the hands of the States, the former colonies. Each State had equal power in the Continental Congress established by the Articles of Confederation. <ref>http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/artconf.asp</ref> |