THE IOWA CONSTITUTION:
The three Iowa constitutions all had a “Bill of Rights” clearly modeled after the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The new constitution was drafted over 39 days in February and March 1857. It was narrowly approved at a referendum in August and went into effect by proclamation of the governor on September 3, 1857. Since that time, Iowa’s Constitution has been amended 46 times but the basic document still remains. It is now one of the older state constitutions in America still in force.
>>DOWNLOADS: History of Iowa Constitution The Iowa Constitution
THE BILL OF RIGHTS:
The Bill of Rights is the collective name for the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, which limit the power of the U.S. federal government. These limitations serve to protect the natural rights of liberty and property including freedoms of religion, speech, a free press, free assembly, and free association, as well as the right to keep and bear arms.They were introduced by James Madison to the 1st United States Congress as a series of legislative articles, were adopted by the House of Representatives on August 21, 1789, formally proposed by joint resolution of Congress on September 25, 1789, and came into effect as Constitutional Amendments on December 15, 1791, through the process of ratification by three-fourths of the States.
>>DOWNLOADS: The Bill of Rights
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES:
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three Articles of the Constitution establish the three branches of the national government: a legislature, the bicameral Congress; an executive branch led by the President; and a judicial branch headed by the Supreme Court. They also specify the powers and duties of each branch. All unenumerated powers are reserved to the respective states and the people, thereby establishing the federal system of government.
The Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787, by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and ratified by conventions in each U.S. state in the name of “The People”. It has been amended twenty-seven times; the first ten amendments are known as the Bill of Rights.
>>DOWNLOADS: The Constitution of the United States
THE FEDERALIST PAPERS:
The Federalist Papers were written and published during the years 1787 and 1788 in several New York State newspapers to persuade New York voters to ratify the proposed constitution.
In total, the Federalist Papers consist of 85 essays outlining how this new government would operate and why this type of government was the best choice for the United States of America. All of the essays were signed “PUBLIUS” and the actual authors of some are under dispute, but the general consensus is that Alexander Hamilton wrote52, James Madison wrote 28, and John Jay contributed the remaining five.
>>DOWNLOADS: The Federalist Papers
