Constitution 101: America's Blueprint

The Supreme Law Of the Land

The U.S. and N.Y. Constitutions are the supreme law. EVERY PART OF OUR SOCIETY, that exists today, exists, because the Constitution permits it. It is literally viewed as a living and breathing thing. And in a way it is. It birthed our country, established democracy, and controls our society as much today, as it did since it was ratified in 1788.The bigger point though, is that the Government's power comes from this document. The Government only exists because of this document. Therefore, the Government is, and always will be, bound by the Constitution.

We The People Consented to Democracy

The Constitution was written by the people. There was no government yet. Thus, the people created a blueprint for American society. Generally, it sets forth the structure of government, the powers of the government, and the people's rights. In a way, the Constitution is a contract that the founders created to govern the new society they were building. They consented to a Government of the people, by the people, for the people. Today, we are the people. Let's take a brief detour

The American Revolution Was Fought To End Tyranny

As an English Colony, the original colonies were controlled by the British Monarchy. Well, the colonists did not like tyranny. So they rebelled. See this nice conciseTimeline of the America Revolution. The Stamp Act, Townshend Acts, tea taxes etc., are similar to these mandates.

The New York State Constitution

The State Constitution mirrors the United States Constitution. For our purposes, we are concerned with how the government is seperated into three co-equal branches. The Bill of Rights is not the focus.