Linked from

The 91 pages that link to Constitution of the United States, each with the reason it gives.

• American RevolutionRelated: Its adoption replaced the wartime confederation with a stronger federal system.

• John LockeRelated: Lockean ideas about rights and constrained authority entered the political tradition surrounding its formation.

• SecularismRelated: Its First Amendment bars religious establishment and protects free exercise.

• Judicial reviewRelated: Its allocation of governmental powers frames the U.S. case for constitutional review.

• George WashingtonRelated: It created the presidency Washington occupied under the new government.

• Benjamin FranklinRelated: At age 81, Franklin urged compromise among delegates at the 1787 Constitutional Convention.

• United StatesRelated: It establishes the framework shared by the federal government and the states.

• United States SenateRelated: The Constitution creates the Senate and specifies its composition, powers, and procedures.

• Magna CartaRelated: American constitutional arguments drew on liberties associated with Magna Carta, though the charter was not its direct blueprint.

• American Revolutionary WarRelated: The weaknesses of the postwar confederation helped prompt its creation.

• Louisiana PurchaseRelated: The Constitution did not explicitly specify a process for acquiring foreign territory, prompting Jefferson’s doubts.

• United States House of RepresentativesRelated: The Constitution creates the House and sets its membership, qualifications, and core powers.

• PhiladelphiaRelated: Delegates drafted and signed it in Philadelphia in 1787.

• Thirteen ColoniesRelated: It replaced the confederation that had governed the former colonies.

• MontesquieuRelated: Its separation of governmental powers reflects ideas commonly associated with Montesquieu.

• United States Declaration of IndependenceRelated: It established a durable national government after independence, addressing a problem the declaration did not resolve.

• United States customary unitsRelated: It gives Congress authority to fix standards of weights and measures.

• Federalist PartyRelated: Ratification disputes over the Constitution helped organize Federalists as a political force.

• ImpeachmentRelated: Its provisions define federal impeachment grounds, roles, and possible penalties.

• United States Department of StateRelated: The Constitution’s executive structure provided the framework for a cabinet department handling foreign affairs.

• Argentine Constitution of 1853Related: Its federal structure and presidential system strongly influenced the Argentine text.

• Whiskey RebellionRelated: The rebellion tested the stronger taxing and enforcement powers created by the Constitution.

• Anti-FederalismRelated: Its proposed distribution of authority was the central subject of Anti-Federalist criticism.

• United States Armed ForcesRelated: Its provisions divide military authority between Congress and the president.

• Virginia Declaration of RightsRelated: The declaration’s insistence on limited government helped shape later American constitutional expectations.

• Civic RepublicanismRelated: Its designers drew on republican concerns about representation, faction, and restraints on power.

• Constitution of 1824Related: Its federal structure influenced Mexican constitutional debates, though Mexico adopted distinct institutions.

• PennsylvaniaRelated: Pennsylvania ratified it on December 12, 1787, becoming the second state to do so.

• Newlands ResolutionRelated: Debate over whether Congress could annex territory by resolution turned on constitutional authority.

• Abigail AdamsRelated: Adams followed the debates and political conflicts surrounding the new national government.

• Edward CokeRelated: Coke’s constitutional writings influenced English legal traditions later drawn upon by American constitutional thinkers.

• PardonRelated: Its Article II grants the president federal pardon authority, with specified limits.

• Lysander SpoonerRelated: Spooner disputed that the Constitution could bind people who had not individually consented to it.

• Province of New HampshireRelated: New Hampshire’s ratification in 1788 made it the ninth state needed for the Constitution to take effect.

• Daniel ShaysRelated: The rebellion intensified calls for a stronger national government during the Constitution’s framing.

• Federal government of the United StatesRelated: It creates the branches and supplies the legal basis for their authority.

• History of PennsylvaniaRelated: Philadelphia’s role in the convention tied Pennsylvania’s history to the federal government’s creation.

• James BryceRelated: Bryce examined how its written rules operated alongside political customs and institutions.

• Oath of officeRelated: It requires federal and state officials to support the Constitution while barring religious tests for federal office.

• Henry Steele CommagerRelated: Commager wrote and spoke extensively about the Constitution’s history and principles.

• History of VirginiaRelated: Virginia’s ratification debate and political thinkers influenced the Constitution’s adoption and amendments.

• Jefferson MemorialRelated: The memorial’s inscriptions present Jefferson’s constitutional-era political thought alongside his declaration of rights.

• Politics of the United StatesRelated: It sets the basic rules and boundaries for political institutions.

• Shays's RebellionRelated: The Constitution expanded federal authority, though the rebellion was one influence among several.

• United States of AmericaRelated: It creates the national framework that binds the states and establishes the branches of government.