Constitution Week 2021, Day Five

To honor Constitution Week 2021, the City of Vilonia has partnered with the Vilonia Area Chamber of Commerce for a coloring contest! Please see our contest page for information and a downloadable contest packet.

Today's video is The Three Branches Explained by Hip Hughes

Debating the Constitution
The delegates had been tasked by Congress with amending the Articles of Confederation; however, they soon began deliberating proposals for an entirely new form of government. After intensive debate, which continued throughout the summer of 1787 and at times threatened to derail the proceedings, they developed a plan that established three branches of national government–executive, legislative and judicial. A system of checks and balances was put into place so that no single branch would have too much authority. The specific powers and responsibilities of each branch were also laid out.
-History.com 

The Constitution of the United States is only seven articles long, although is has grown to include a host of amendments. Each day of Constitution Week, we will cover one article.

Today is Article 5, which "explains the amendment process, which is different and more difficult than the process for making laws. When two-thirds of the Senate and two-thirds of the House of Representatives vote to change the Constitution, an amendment goes to the state legislatures for a vote. Alternatively, two-thirds of the state legislatures can submit an application to Congress, and then Congress calls a national convention at which states propose amendments. Three-fourths of the state legislatures or state conventions must vote in favor of an amendment to ratify it." -archives.org Click here to see the full transcript of Article 5.

Learn more at Our Government: The Constitution on whitehouse.gov