TOPIC 4: CONSTITUTION OF THE USA

the Articles of Confederation, the basic form of government, the powers and duties, the Bill of Rights, freedom of religion, freedom of speech and press, to guard, citizen, considerable, influence

The Constitution and the Bill of Rights

The former colonies, now «the United States of America», first operated under an agreement called the Articles of Confederation (1781). In 1787, delegates from the states met in Philadelphia. They wanted to revise the Articles, but they did much more. They wrote a completely new document, the Constitution, which was finished in the same year and officially adopted by the thirteen states by 1790.

The Constitution sets the basic form of government: three separate branches, each one having power («checks and balances») over the others. It specifies the powers and duties of each federal and state branch of government. The Constitution has been repeatedly amended, but it is still the «supreme law of the land». All government and governmental groups, federal, state, and local, must operate within its guidelines. The ultimate power under the Constitution is not given to the President (the executive branch), or to the Supreme Court (the judicial branch). It belongs to « We the People», in fact and in spirit.

Americans stated the first ten Constitutional Amendments; know together as Bill of Rights. Among these rights is the freedom of religion, speech, and the press, the right of peaceful assembly, and the right to petition the government to correct wrongs. Other rights guarded the citizens against unreasonable searches, arrests, and seizures of property and established a system of justice guaranteeing orderly legal procedures. This included the right of trial by jury.

These rights are seen as the natural «unalienable» rights of every American. They cannot be taken away by any government, court, official, or law.

The federal and state governments, formed under the Constitution, were designed to serve the people. Americans expect their government to serve them and tend to think of politicians and governmental officials as their servants.

Over the past two centuries, the Constitution has also had considerable influence outside the United States. Several other nations have based their own forms of government on it: The French declaration of rights, the United Nation Charter and etc.

New words and words combinations:

- to revise the Articles — пересмотреть статьи;

- to adopt — принять, утвердить (закон);

- to specify — указывать, обозначать, перечислять;

- «checks and balances» — система сдержек и противовесов;

- guidelines — ведущие положения;

- an ultimate power — необоснованно большая власть;

- the executive branch — исполнительный орган;

- the Supreme Court — Верховный Суд;

- the judicial branch — судебный орган;

- unreasonable searches — неоправданное преследование;

- a seizure of property — захват собственности;

- unalienable — неотчуждаемый, неотъемлемый.

Questions to the text:

1. When was the American Constitution adopted?

2. What did the Constitution set up?

3. Did the Constitution specify the powers and duties of each federal and state branch of government?

4. The American Constitution is still the «supreme law of the land», isn't it?

5. How must all the American governmental groups operate?

6. Whom does the ultimate power under the Constitution belong to?

7. Has the text of the Constitution ever been changed? How did it become possible?

8. What is the Bill of Rights?

9. How were the federal and state governments according to the Constitution designed?

10. Has the American Constitution also had considerable influence outside the U.S.? Give examples.

Exercise 2. Translate into Russian:

1. When the Constitution was written in 1787, there were only 13 states.

2. The Constitution of the USA is the supreme law of the United States.

3. It is the foundation and source of the legal authority.

4. The Constitution provides the framework for the organization of the United States Government.

5. The document defines the three main branches of the government: the legislative branch with a bicameral Congress, an executive branch led by the President, and a judicial branch headed by the Supreme Court.

6. The Constitution carefully outlines which powers each branch may exercise.

7. The Constitution reserves numerous rights for the individual states.

8. It is the shortest and oldest written constitution of any major sovereign state.

9. The Constitution has been amended twenty-seven times.

10. Several of ideas in the Constitution were new, and a large number og them were drawn from the literature of Republicanism in the U.S.

Exercise 3. Fill in the gaps with words given below, translate the text into Russian:

founders, proposed, Articles, law, changed, Bill of Rights, religion, speech, to meet, safe, searches, arrests, crime, jury.

When the Constitution was written in 1787, there were only 13 states. Because the _____ of the Constitution saw that the future might bring a need for changes, they _____ a method of adding _____ . Over the years 26 amendments have been added, but the basic _____ has not been _____ . The pattern of government planned so long ago for 13 states today meets the needs of 50 states and more than 57 times as many people.

The first 10 amendments to the Constitution, called the _____ . Added in 1791, they include provisions for freedom of the _____ and of _____ ; the right of citizens to _____ peacefully; the right to be _____ in one's own home against unreasonable ______ and ______ of person or property; and the right of any person charged with _____ to have a speedy trial by a _____ .

Exercise 4. Work in pairs and discuss the following questions: