The Constitution

The rulebook for the whole country.

The first page of the handwritten U.S. Constitution, beginning “We the People.” — The real thing · The U.S. Constitution, page 1 (1787), National Archives. Public domain.

Remember this

Split the power three ways so no one person is the boss.

✏️A big open book titled “We the People,” with a quill resting on it.

Illustration

After the country was free, it needed rules. So the leaders wrote a rulebook. It begins with three words: “We the People.” The country belongs to everyone, not to a king.

✏️A see-saw / triangle with three seats: a dome (Congress), a house (President), a gavel (Courts), all balanced.

Illustration

To keep anyone from becoming too powerful, they split the government into three parts.

✏️Three friendly cartoon buildings: the Capitol dome, the White House, and a courthouse, each with a job label.

Illustration

One part MAKES the rules (Congress). One part LEADS and carries them out (the President). One part decides if the rules are fair (the Courts).

✏️The three buildings each holding a rope, keeping a crown from landing on any one of them.

Illustration

Each part can check the others. That’s called checks and balances. It means no one gets to be king again.