Constitutional Foundations

The Constitution is the foundation of American government: it creates the branches of the federal government, divides power between the states and the federal government, and sets out the rights that protect individuals from government overreach. Everything else in government, from how laws are made to how courts decide cases, traces its authority back to this document and the ways it has been read and amended over time.

The text and its changes. The Constitution’s original articles and the amendments added to it define the structure of government and the rights citizens hold. Readers curious about specific provisions, how amendments came to be, or what the Constitution says about relations between states can start with U.S. Constitution and Amendments, including questions like Who Was Originally Included in “We the People”?.

How power is organized. Beyond the text itself, a set of enduring principles shapes how government actually functions: the separation of powers among branches, the checks each branch holds over the others, and the growth of agencies that carry out much of the day-to-day work of governing. Constitutional Principles explains these structural ideas and why they still generate disagreement about where authority properly lies.

Who decides what it means. The Constitution’s brief, often general language leaves plenty of room for dispute, which is why courts play such a central role in applying it. Constitutional Interpretation covers how judges approach that task and how their decisions ripple through the rest of government. Related processes shaped directly by constitutional rules, such as how the Electoral College works, show how these founding rules still govern everyday political life.