A constitution is the legal document that defines a country’s main institutions and sets out the rules for their operation. It also places limits on power and protects citizens’ rights. It is sometimes called a living document because it can be amended to fit changes in the world around it, although amendments have been few in number (only 27) over two centuries.
The Constitution of the United States was written in 1787 at a Convention in Philadelphia. Its framers separated and balanced governmental powers to safeguard the interests of majority rule and minority rights, of liberty and equality. Today, the Constitution is more a concise statement of national principles than a detailed plan of governmental operations, but it remains effective because its framers succeeded in making it responsive to changing conditions.
Article III
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States. Section 2. The right of citizens to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the Congress, or by any State, on account of race, color, sex, or previous condition of servitude.
The Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes, in order to provide for the general welfare of the United States. Section 3. The Congress, when sitting in Recess, shall have the power to authorize War, to raise and support Armies, to grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, to make all Laws necessary for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and for other Purposes.