The Articles of Confederation failed miserably. The Constitution was to establish a new form of federal government so that there would be no more discontent.
In the Preamble, the Constitution lays out the purpose of the federal government:
establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty (The Original Constitution)
Article I of the original Constitution establishes the legislative branch of the federal government. Congress is to have two houses.
Article I, §2 establishes the House of Representatives. The representatives are elected every 2 years. To be a representative, one has to be 25 years old and a US citizen and a resident of the state he/she wants to represent for at least 7 years. The representatives and taxes are proportionate to the population of each state, including indentured servants and slaves. Slaves were counted as 3/5 a person (notice that they weren’t completely recognized as chattel under the Constitution). Indians were not counted as part of the population (was that the beginning of tribal sovereignty?). Each state was entitled to at least 1 representative. When a state loses a representative, the executive power of that state (i.e. the governor) determines when to hold a special election to fill the seat. The representatives chose the Speaker of the House and other officers as necessary.
Article I, §3 establishes the Senate. Each state’s legislature chooses the senators. The senators get a term of 6 years and each senator gets 1 vote. There are 3 groups of senators, and 1/3 of the senate gets elected every 2 years. To be a senator, one has to be 30 years old and a US citizen and a resident of that state for 9 years. The Vice President of the US is the president of the Senate, and the senators elect all other officers.
Article I states that the Congress has the power of impeachment. The Chief Justice presides of the trial. The President can be removed from office and barred from other elected offices. Once impeached, the president is also liable and subject to trial, judgment, and punishment. 2/3 of the Congress has to agree for impeachment to occur.
Article I, §4 provides that the states’ legislatures determine how and why members of Congress are elected and that Congress may change the rules. Congress is to convene on the 1st Monday of December at least once a year.
More to follow....
