Hello everyone from “History in 3 Minutes Podcast.” Welcome back! Today, let’s take a look at the “U.S. Constitution.” The Constitution is the most important document of the United States. The Constitution protects the right of each individual to govern themselves. In order to protect this right, each citizen needs to understand their rights and responsibilities.

The Constitution provides a framework for our government. Congress is made up of senators and representatives. It has the power to make laws and decide how to spend the federal tax dollars. The Judicial Branch is made up of Supreme Court Justices. It was created to interpret the laws according to the intent of the Constitution. The Executive Branch is made up of the president, vice-president, and his cabinet. The president is commander-in-chief of the military and negotiates treaties with other nations.

The beauty of this system is that each branch can check the other one. For example, the president can veto a law sent from congress. Congress can override a veto. The president appoints federal judges. These judges decide which lawsuits to hear or dismiss.

The basic purpose of the Constitution and Bill of Rights is to protect each citizen with certain basic rights. Each citizen has the right to an attorney and the right to due process under the law.

The First Amendment gives each citizen freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and the right to petition. This means the First Amendment gives each citizen the right to criticize the government, in speech or in the press, without fear of punishment.

However, there are limits on our rights. For example, in order to peacefully march on a city street, a permit may be required. All citizens have the responsibility to obey the laws of the land. Each citizen also has a duty to vote for those individuals and laws that best represent them.

So, Homeschoolers: your vocabulary words to look up today are speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition.

Younger students: print each vocabulary word 5 times. Draw a picture. Write a sentence using your vocabulary word.

Older students: Write each vocabulary definition 5 times. Sketch an illustration and write a short summary. Imagine you are a senator. Write down what you would do for a day.

All students – read out loud what you wrote.  You can look for a future word search for review.

That’s all folks. Bye. Bye!