What Is the Definition of the Constitution?
The word ‘constitution’ means the way in which a thing is made up. It can refer to the organization of a corporation, the components of a machine, the physical makeup of a person (a strong constitution) or species (genetic constitution). But more commonly, it means the way in which a government is set up, and it refers to a specific document that lays out this system.
The word ‘constitution’ comes from a Latin word meaning ‘an important law.’ This kind of law was generally declared by a Roman emperor, the highest authority in the land. Our use of the word today is not much different. We use the word ‘constitution’ to describe the makeup of a substance, a person or an organization, but even with that definition, we are still referring to what governs that substance, person or organization - what gives it the properties it has, what makes it what or who it is. The Constitution of the United States is the name of a specific document that does the same thing; it defines the United States of America.
The U.S. Constitution
When the Founding Fathers of the United States first declared independence from Britain, they wrote a document called the Articles of Confederation to establish their system of government. It wasn’t long, however, before they began to realize that the original Articles of Confederation would not be sufficient to govern a growing country in the years, decades and centuries to come. So they decided to get together and make some revisions.
Each state (there were thirteen at the time) sent representatives to Philadelphia to work on the revisions, but as they discussed and debated what changes were necessary, they decided that they didn’t need to revamp their old system of government; they needed a whole new system. All of this took place in 1786.
The following summer (1787), representatives from the states (with the exception of Rhode Island) convened once again in Philadelphia, bringing with them their ideas and suggestions for how to restructure their government.
Over the course of five months, in closed sessions so that everyone could be completely honest and speak his mind, the delegates drafted the Constitution of the United States of America. It consisted of a short preamble and seven articles, which laid out the rights, duties and powers of the three branches of the federal government, the states, the citizens, and the Constitution itself.
In the 200 years since the Constitution was ratified, there have been 27 changes, or amendments, to it. Each amendment serves to more clearly define our rights and limitations as well as the process by which the government runs.