The United States' Constitution, Various Authors [free children's ebooks online .TXT] 📗

common Defence

and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises

shall be uniform throughout the United States;

 

To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;

 

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States,

and with the Indian Tribes;

 

To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws

on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;

 

To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin,

and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

 

To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities

and current Coin of the United States;

 

To establish Post Offices and Post Roads;

 

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing

for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right

to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

 

To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;

 

To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas,

and Offenses against the Law of Nations;

 

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal,

and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

 

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use

shall be for a longer term than two Years;

 

To provide and maintain a Navy;

 

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

 

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union,

suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

 

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for

governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the

United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment

of the Officers, and the Authority of training the militia according

to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

 

To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever,

over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may,

by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress,

become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to

exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent

of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be,

for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, Dockyards,

and other needful Buildings;—And

 

To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying

into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested

by this Constitution in the Government of the United States,

or in any Department or Officer thereof.

 

Section 9. The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any

of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not

be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight

hundred and eight, but a Tax or Duty may be imposed on such Importation,

not exceeding ten dollars for each Person.

 

The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless

when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.

 

No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.

 

No Capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless in Proportion

to the Census or Enumeration herein before directed to be taken.

 

No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State.

 

No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerce or Revenue

to the Ports of one State over those of another: nor shall Vessels bound to,

or from, one State, be obliged to enter, clear, or pay Duties in another.

 

No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence

of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account

of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be

published from time to time.

 

No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States;

and no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall,

without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument,

Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince,

or foreign State.

 

Section 10. No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or

Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money;

emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender

in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law,

or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility.

 

No State shall, without the Consent of the Congress, lay any Imposts or Duties

on Imports or Exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing

it’s inspection Laws: and the net Produce of all Duties and Imposts,

laid by any State on Imports or Exports, shall be for the Use of the Treasury

of the United States; and all such Laws shall be subject to the Revision

and Controul of the Congress.

 

No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of

Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any

Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or

engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger

as will not admit of delay.

 

ARTICLE 2

 

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 lie 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.

 

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 by 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.

 

The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services,

a Compensation, which shall neither be encreased 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 THREE

 

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 Offices during good behavior,

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