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The Constitution
of the United States |
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Charters
of Freedom - The Constitution of the United States
Article.
II.
Section.
1. The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the
United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the
Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen
for the same Term, be elected, as follows
Each
State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof
may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of
Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled
in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person
holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States,
shall be appointed an Elector.
[The
Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot
for two Persons, of whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant
of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a List
of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number of Votes for
each; which List they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed
to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directed
to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall,
in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open
all the Certificates, and the Votes shall then be counted. The
Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President,
if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors
appointed; and if there be more than one who have such Majority,
and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives
shall immediately chuse by Ballot one of them for President;
and if no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest
on the List the said House shall in like Manner chuse the President.
But in chusing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States,
the Representation from each State having one Vote; A quorum
for this Purpose shall consist of a Member or Members from two
thirds of the States, and a Majority of all the States shall
be necessary to a Choice. In every Case, after the Choice of
the President, the Person having the greatest Number of Votes
of the Electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should
remain two or more who have equal Votes, the Senate shall chuse
from them by Ballot the Vice President.]6
The
Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and
the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall
be the same throughout the United States.
No
Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United
States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall
be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any person
be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the
Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident
within the United States.
[In
Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death,
Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties
of the said Office, the Same shall devolve on the Vice President,
and the Congress may be Law provide for the Case of Removal,
Death, Resignation or Inability, both of the President and Vice
President, declaring what Officer shall then act as President,
and such Officer shall act accordingly, until the Disability
be removed, or a President shall be elected.]7
The
President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a
Compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished
during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he
shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from
the United States, or any of them.
Before
he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following
Oath or Affirmation:--"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that
I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United
States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect
and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Section.
2. The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and
Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several
States, when called into the actual Service of the United States;
he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer
in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating
to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have
Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the
United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.
He
shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate,
to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present
concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and
Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public
Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other
Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein
otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law:
but the Congress may by law vest the Appointment of such inferior
Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the
Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.
The
President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may
happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions
which shall expire at the End of their next Session.
Section.
3. He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information
of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration
such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may,
on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of
them and in Case of Disagreement between them with Respect to
the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as
he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other
public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully
executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United
States.
Section.
4. The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the
United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for,
and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and
Misdemeanors.
Article.
III.
Section.
1. The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in
one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress
may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both
of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Officer
during good Behaviour, and shall at stated Times, receive for
their Services, a Compensation, which shall not be diminished
during their Continuance in Office.
Section.
2. The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity,
arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States,
and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority,
--to all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers
and Consuls; --to all Cases of admiralty and maritime Jurisdiction,
--to Controversies to which the United States shall be a Party;
--to Controversies between two or more States, --[between a State
and Citizens of another State;]8 between Citizens of different
States, --between Citizens of the same State claiming Lands under
Grants of different States, [and between a State or the Citizens
thereof, and foreign States, Citizens or Subjects.]9
In
all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls,
and those in which a State shall be Party, the supreme Court
shall have original Jurisdiction. In all the other Cases before
mentioned, the supreme Court shall have appellate Jurisdiction,
both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such
Regulations as the Congress shall make.
The
Trial of all Crimes, except in Cases of Impeachment; shall be
by Jury, and such Trial shall be held in the State where the
said Crimes shall have been committed but when not committed
within any State, the Trial shall be at such Place or Places
as the Congress may by Law have directed.
Section.
3. Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying
War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them
Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless
on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on
Confession in open Court.
The
Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason,
but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or
Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.
Article.
IV.
Section.
1. Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the
public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other
State; And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner
in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be proved,
and the Effect thereof.
Section.
2. The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges
and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.
A
Person charged in any State with Treason, Felony, or other Crime,
who shall flee from Justice, and be found in another State, shall
on Demand of the executive Authority of the State from which
he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having Jurisdiction
of the Crime.
[No
Person held to Service or Labour in one State, under the Laws
thereof, escaping into another, shall, in Consequence of any
Law or Regulation therein, be discharged from such Service or
Labour, but shall be delivered up on Claim of the party to whom
such Service or Labour may be due.]10
Section.
3. New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union;
but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction
of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of
two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of
the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.
The
Congress shall have rower to dispose of and make all needful
Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property
belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution
shall be construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United States,
or of any particular State.
Section.
4. The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union
a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them
against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of
the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against
domestic Violence.
Article.
V.
The
Congress, whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary,
shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application
of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall
call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which in either Case,
shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution,
when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several
States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one
or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress;
Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year
One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect
the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first
Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived
of it's equal Suffrage in the Senate.
Article.
VI.
All
Debts contracted and Engagements entered into, before the Adoption
of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States
under this Constitution, as under the Confederation.
This
Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be
made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall
be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the
supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall
be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any
State to the Contrary notwithstanding.
The
Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members
of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial
Officers, both of thc United States and of the several States,
shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution;
but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification
to any Office or public Trust under the United States.
Article.
VII.
The
Ratification of the Conventions of nine States, shall be sufficient
for the Establishment of this Constitution between the States
so ratifying the Same.
Done
in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States present
the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one
thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven and of the Independence
of the United States of America the Twelfth In Witness whereof
We have hereunto subscribed our Names,
G.o
Washington - Presd.t and deputy from Virginia
The
signers of the Constitution as displayed in the original document.
Delaware
Geo: Read
Gunning Bedford jun
John Dickinson
Richard Bassett
Jaco: Broom |
New
Hampshire
John Langdon
Nicholas Gilman
Massachusetts
Nathaniel Gorham
Rufus King |
Maryland
James McHenry
Dan of St. Thos.Jenifer
Danl Carroll |
Connecticut
Wm. Saml. Johnson
Roger Sherman
New
York
Alexander Hamilton |
Virginia
John Blair--
James Madison Jr. |
New
Jersey
Wil: Livingston
David Brearley
Wm. Paterson
Jona: Dayton |
North
Carolina
Wm. Blount
Richd. Dobbs Spaight
Hu Williamson |
Pennsylvania
B Franklin |
South
Carolina
J. Rutledge
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
Charles Pinckney
Pierce Butler |
Thomas
Mifflin
Robt Morris
Geo. Clymer
Thos. FitzSimons
Jared Ingersoll
James Wilson
Gouv Morris |
Georgia
William Few
Abr Baldwin |
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