The Constitution contains seven articles Most of the Constitution deals with the legislature or Congress Article I The founders considered Congress to be the primary branch of the new government as opposed to the presidency Records of the Constitutional Convention show that most of the time was spent dealing with Article I Most of the details about the executive the president in Article II deal with the Electoral College and many of those details have been amended over the years There is minimal job description provided for the president and most of his powers are checked by Congress or open to interpretation The Founders did not intend to create a powerful presidency Article III of the Constitution deals with the judiciary and like Article II does not contain much detail There is a minimal description of the Supreme Court and an outline of the process by which new federal courts can be created if the need arises Much of the article deals with how judges are appointed and how they can be removed from office Articles IV V and VI These articles describe how the states interact how amendments can be created and establish the legal status of the federal government Article IV contains the Full Faith and Credit clause meaning that the states must respect the laws of the other states Article VI gives the Constitution its supremacy status Article VII This article deals with ratification Amendments 1 First Amendment deals with freedom of religion speech press assembly and petition 2 Second Amendment deals with the right to bear arms 3 Third Amendment prohibits the forced quartering of troops 4 Fourth Amendment prohibits unreasonable search and seizure 5 Fifth Amendment concerns indictments the probation on double jeopardy being tried twice for the same crime and just compensation 6 Sixth Amendment guarantees a speedy public trial the right to confront witnesses and to seek counsel 7 Seventh Amendment guarantees a jury in civil trials 8 Eighth Amendment concerns excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishments 9 Ninth Amendment specifies the rights that are retained by the people 10 Tenth Amendment specifies the rights that are retained by the states basically all those not enumerated in the Constitution 11 Eleventh Amendment the rules for lawsuits against states 12 Twelfth Amendment concerns separate votes for president and vice president 13 Thirteenth Amendment abolishes slavery 14 Fourteenth Amendment makes former slaves citizens and entitles them to due process and equal protection under the law 15 Fifteenth Amendment guarantees voting rights for former slaves 16 Sixteenth Amendment establishes a federal income tax 17 Seventeenth Amendment concerns the direct election of senators 18 Banned drinking in America 19 Nineteenth Amendment gives women the right to vote 20 Twentieth Amendment gives a new starting date for federal terms 21 Allowed drinking in America 22 Twenty Second Amendment establishes a two term limit for presidents 23 Twenty Third Amendment gives Washington D C three electoral votes 25 Twenty Fifth Amendment establishes rules for succession of the president who dies in office or becomes incapacitated 27 Twenty Seventh Amendment establishes Congressional pay rises Foundational Documents Federalist 10 Factions are good because there would be so many of them that no one could seize power Federalist 51 Separation of Powers would prevent tyranny from emerging Brutus 1 Federal government was bad because it had too much power and would give states no power necessary and proper clause Federalist 70 Single executive would be good as it s easier for one person to be watched than a group and that it would allow for a strong leader Federalist 78 Said the judiciary wouldn t have money or soldiers so it wouldn t be a threat Also introduced judicial review Letter from Birmingham Jail Direct action is necessary to force white people to confront racism and start conversations Civil disobedience is also ok against bad laws