Curriculum Portal

neurologyYou need to know

• The US Constitution was written in 1787 and ratified in 1788. It is the supreme law of the USA and sets out the powers, structures and limits of government. It is a codified constitution because it is contained in a single written document, and it is entrenched because it is difficult to change.
• The Constitution creates a system based on limited government, meaning that government power is restricted by law. It is underpinned by key constitutional principles: separation of powers, checks and balances and federalism.
• Separation of powers means that power is divided between the legislative branch (Congress), the executive branch (President) and the judicial branch (Supreme Court and federal courts). This is designed to prevent the concentration of power.
• Checks and balances means each branch can limit the power of the others. For example, the President can veto legislation, Congress can override vetoes, the Senate confirms appointments and ratifies treaties, Congress can impeach the President, and the Supreme Court can declare laws or actions unconstitutional through judicial review.
• Federalism means power is divided between national (federal) government and state governments. The Constitution gives some powers to the federal government, while others are reserved to the states, especially through the 10th Amendment. Federal powers include defence, foreign policy and currency; states have powers over areas such as education, policing and local government. Some powers are concurrent, meaning they are shared.
• The Bill of Rights refers to the first ten amendments to the Constitution, added in 1791. These protect civil liberties such as freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and the right to bear arms, as well as protections in criminal justice. Other amendments are also highly significant, especially the 14th Amendment, which has been vital in protecting rights and extending equal protection.
• The amendment process is deliberately difficult. Amendments must be proposed by a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress and ratified by three-quarters of the states. This makes change rare, helping to entrench the Constitution.
• Important debates include whether the Constitution is still effective in modern government, whether it protects liberty or creates gridlock, whether federalism remains balanced, and whether rights are best protected by the Constitution itself or by Supreme Court rulings such as Brown v Board of Education, Roe v Wade and later judgments that have revised earlier interpretations.

• Students should be able to define and use accurately the key terms: US Constitution, Bill of Rights, separation of powers, checks and balances and federalism.
• Students should be able to explain the significance of the Constitution as the foundation of US government and show why its codified and entrenched nature matters politically.
• Students should be able to describe the framework of government set out by the Constitution, including the roles of Congress, the President and the Supreme Court.
• Students should be able to explain how separation of powers and checks and balances work in practice, using examples such as vetoes, impeachment, Senate confirmation hearings and judicial review.
• Students should be able to analyse federalism, identifying the difference between federal powers, state powers and concurrent powers, and explaining how relations between the federal government and the states can involve both conflict and cooperation.
• Students should be able to outline the amendment process and explain why the Constitution changes so rarely.
• Students should be able to assess the importance of the Constitution in contemporary US politics, including arguments that it protects liberty and arguments that it can create deadlock, limit reform or make government less efficient.
• Students should be able to evaluate how rights are protected, considering the role of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, later amendments such as the 14th Amendment, and the Supreme Court.
• Students should be able to support analysis with relevant examples from constitutional practice and key Supreme Court cases.