University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: The Constitution as Supreme Law
Overview of the history and structure of the U.S. Constitution as the "supreme law" of the land of which state and federal laws may not conflict and can only be changed by the American people.
Henry J. Sage
Sage American History: Constitutional Government
Article outlining the events which ultimately led to the development and ratification of the U.S. Constitution. The author explains the components of the Constitution and how those pieces were debated and agreed upon.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: State Constitutions
The success of the Revolution gave Americans the opportunity to give legal form to their ideals as expressed in the Declaration of Independence, and to remedy some of their grievances through state constitutions. As early as May 10,...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Constitutional Convention
George Washington wrote of the period between the Treaty of Paris and the writing of the Constitution that the states were united only by a "rope of sand."Disputes between Maryland and Virginia over navigation on the Potomac River led to...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Ratification and Bill of Rights
This site is provided for by the University of Groningen. Learn about the struggle for approval by the states of the U.S. Constitution, continuous disagreements after the Constitutional Convention between the Federalists and the...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Drafting the Constitution
Essay covers from the Articles of Confederation and the problems of disunity of the new states after the Revolutionary War, internally as well as externally, to the Constitutional Convention, an attempt to address the Articles' problems....
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Provisions for Amendment
Outline of the history and processes required for changing or amending the Constitution.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Ratification
This site from the University of Groningen provides a synopsis chronologically written on the ratification of the U.S. Constitution beginning with the first states who accepted the document to pressures exerted by the Federalists to...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: The Basis of the American Republic
Overview of the U.S. Constitution as the supreme law of the land enduring through changing times and ever increasing diversity over the last two centuries.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: New Nation's Economy
The U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1787 and still in effect to this day, was in many ways a work of creative genius. As an economic charter, it established that the entire nation -- stretching from Maine to Georgia, from the Atlantic...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: President Washington
One of the last acts of the Congress of the Confederation was to arrange for the first presidential election, setting March 4, 1789, as the date that the new government would come into being. One name was on everyone's lips for the new...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: The Principles of Government
Outline of the man principles of U.S. government under the constitution.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Vital Protection for Individual Liberties
Explanation of the constitutional amendments and process of amending as intentionally organized to increase protection of the civil liberties of U.S. citizens.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: The Federal System
Outline of the principles embedded in a Federal System of government attempting to balance states' rights with the need for a central government.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: The Purpose of the Bill of Rights
Text of the first ten amendments of the Constitution found in the Bill of Rights.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: The Separation of Powers
Informative discussion of the ideas behind the Constitutional principle of Separation of Powers.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Checks and Balances
Overview of the principle of checks and balances proposed in the Federalist Papers.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: The Measure of Self Government
Discussion about the measure of government effectiveness as a reflection of the electorate involvement, participation and demand.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: The Bill of Rights
Article on the history and purpose of the Bill of Rights which spelled out specific protections in the first 10 amendments of the Constitution.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: The Federal Court System
Discussion of the structure, purpose, powers and Constitutional safeguards of the Federal Court System.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: The Supreme Court
Discussion overview illustrating the structure and powers of the Supreme Court as written in the U.S. Constitution.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: To Establish Justice
Outline explaining the ideals and intentions for a newly formed nation as spelled out in the of the Declaration of Independence.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: The Responsibilities of Citizenship
Outline discusses the responsibilities and duties of citizenship that go along with the rights and freedoms expressed in the U.S. Constitution.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Debate and Compromise
The 18th-century statesmen who met in Philadelphia were adherents of Montesquieu's concept of the balance of power in politics. This principle was supported by colonial experience and strengthened by the writings of John Locke, with...