Our Founding Fathers' Visions
An Inside Look into the Articles of Confederation
Mnemonic Device
Lazy Elephants Jump Slowly Across Sahara Rivers
Article I
The first article establishes the Legislative branch. This branch has been carried out over centuries through US Congress. Congress has the power to create laws. This article is the longest article in the entire Constitution, because the Founding Fathers knew law-making was important to elaborate on.
Article II
The second article creates the Executive branch. A President is voted to enforce the laws made by Congress. This branch of government is very difficult to achieve and it can be stressful and time consuming. The President is in charge of leading the nation and keeping the country safe.
Article III
The third article constitutes a judiciary system. This was when the judicial branch was formed and created the Supreme Court. The judges who sit on the court are in charge of interpreting the laws. A job that the Supreme Court would be administer would be looking over possible new laws and deciding whether or not they can apply to the Constitution.
Article IV
The fourth article enforces that the states should all get along and that their shall be a peaceful environment among all states. Every state must have the same form of government, run the same way, and are rid of any bad blood with a neighboring state.
Article V
The fifth article pertains to the future America. The Founding Fathers understood that this form of writing needed to be accurate many centuries later, so their solution was to come up with a way of modifying it, when needed. This article created the amendment process in which Congress is allowed to make new laws, but they must follow strict guidelines.
Article VI
The next article secures the nation's laws through the Supremacy Clause (Article VI, Clause 2) stating if there were ever a conflicting argument between state government vs. federal government, the federal government should always win.
Article VII
The last article establishes the order in which the entire Constitution, just written, would be able to become the official document of the United States. The only way the Constitution could be approved was through the ratification of nine out of thirteen states. When nine states had approved it, the Constitution was official.