The Constitution is the legal foundation for the Federal Government, and establishes a republic (a system of government in which power derives from the people). It contains the Preamble, which describes its purpose; seven Articles, which outline how the Government functions; and 27 Amendments, including the first 10—known as the Bill of Rights.
The Framers sought to limit the national government while ensuring its powers would be sufficient to meet the nation’s needs and protect its citizens. They divided federal powers into three branches: the executive, vested in one President; the legislative, vested in Congress, consisting of two Houses of Representatives and the Senate; and the judicial, vested in a single Supreme Court and other federal courts created by Congress. They also prohibited treason, which is defined as levying war against the United States or adhering to their enemies and giving them aid and comfort.
The framers wrote the Constitution as a statement of principles, rather than a detailed plan for governmental operation. They hoped it could be amended as needed to reflect changes in society and address emerging issues of public concern. This approach has proved successful—the Constitution has survived more than two centuries of stress while remaining stable. Its enduring success illustrates the genius of the design. The delegates’ passionate, thoughtful deliberations helped to produce an extraordinarily broad document that has become one of the most influential and longest-lived in the world.