We the People of the United States, in Order to form a moreperfect Union, establish Justice, insure domesticTranquility, provide for the common defense, promote thegeneral Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty toourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish thisConstitution for the United States of America. Article I. Section 1.  All legislative Powers herein granted shall bevested in a Congress of the United States, which shallconsist of a Senate and House of Representatives. Section 2.  The House of Representatives shall be composed ofMembers chosen every second Year by the People of theseveral States, and the Electors in each State shall havethe Qualifications requisite for Electors of the mostnumerous Branch of the State Legislature. No Person shall be a Representative who shall not haveattained to the Age of twenty-five Years, and been sevenYears a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not,when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which heshall be chosen. [Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned amongthe several States which may be included within this Union,according to their respective Numbers, which shall bedetermined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons,including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, andexcluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all otherPersons.] The actual Enumeration shall be made within threeYears after the first Meeting of the Congress of the UnitedStates, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, insuch Manner as they shall by Law direct.  The Number ofRepresentatives shall not exceed one for every thirtyThousand, but each State shall have at Least oneRepresentative; and until such enumeration shall be made,the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse three,Massachusetts eight, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantationsone, Connecticut five, New-York six, New Jersey four,Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginiaten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgiathree. When vacancies happen in the Representation from any State,the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs ofElection to fill such Vacancies. The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker andother Officers; and shall have the sole Power ofImpeachment. Section 3.  The Senate of the United States shall be composedof two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislaturethereof, for six Years; and each Senator shall have oneVote. Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence ofthe first Election, they shall be divided as equally as maybe into three Classes.  The Seats of the Senators of thefirst Class shall be vacated at the Expiration of the secondYear, of the second Class at the Expiration of the fourthYear, and of the third Class at the Expiration of the sixthYear, so that one-third may be chosen every second Year; andif Vacancies happen by Resignation, or otherwise, during theRecess of the Legislature of any State, the Executivethereof may make temporary Appointments until the nextMeeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill suchVacancies. No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained tothe Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen ofthe United States, and who shall not, when elected, be anInhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen. The Vice President of the United States shall be Presidentof the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they beequally divided. The Senate shall chuse their other Officers, and also aPresident pro tempore, in the absence of the Vice President,or when he shall exercise the Office of President of theUnited States. The Senate shall have the sole Power to try allImpeachments.  When sitting for that Purpose, they shall beon Oath or Affirmation.  When the President of the UnitedStates is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside:  And noPerson shall be convicted without the Concurrence of twothirds of the Members present. Judgement in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend furtherthan to removal from Office, and disqualification to holdand enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under theUnited States:  but the Party convicted shall nevertheless beliable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment andPunishment, according to Law. Section 4.  The Times, Places and Manner of holding Electionsfor Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed ineach State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress mayat any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except asto the Place of Chusing Senators. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every Year, andsuch Meeting shall be on the first Monday in December,unless they shall by Law appoint a different Day. Section 5.  Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections,Returns and Qualifications of its own Members, and aMajority of each shall constitute a Quorum to do Business;but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and may beauthorized to compel the Attendance of absent Members, insuch Manner, and under such Penalties as each House mayprovide. Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings,punish it Members for disorderly Behavior, and, with theConcurrence of two thirds, expel a Member. Each House shall keep a Journal of its Proceedings, and fromtime to time publish the same, excepting such Parts as mayin their Judgment require Secrecy; and the Yeas and Nays ofthe Members of either House on any question shall, at theDesire of one fifth of those Present, be entered on theJournal. Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall,without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more thanthree days, nor to any other Place than that in which thetwo Houses shall be sitting. Section 6.  The Senators and Representatives shall receive aCompensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law,and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.  Theyshall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of thePeace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance atthe Session of their respective Houses, and in going to andreturning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate ineither House, they shall not be Questioned in any otherPlace. No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time forwhich he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office underthe Authority of the United States, which shall have beencreated, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been encreasedduring such time; and no Person holding any Office under theUnited States, shall be a Member of either House during hisContinuance in Office. Section 7.  All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate inthe House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose orconcur with Amendments as on other Bills. Every Bill which shall have passed the House ofRepresentatives and the Senate, shall, before it become aLaw, be presented to the President of the United States; Ifhe approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it,with his Objections to that House in which it shall haveoriginated, who shall enter the Objections at large on theirJournal, and proceed to reconsider it.  If after suchReconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to passthe Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, tothe other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered,and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall becomea Law.  But in all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shallbe determined by Yeas and Nays, and the Names of the Personsvoting for and against the Bill shall be entered on theJournal of each House respectively.  If any Bill shall not bereturned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted)after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall bea Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it, unless theCongress by their Adjournment prevent its Return, in whichCase it shall not be a Law. Every Order, Resolution, or Vote to which the Concurrence ofthe Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary(except on a question of Adjournment) shall be presented tothe President of the United States; and before the Sameshall take Effect, shall be approved by him, or beingdisapproved by him, shall be repassed by two thirds of theSenate and House of Representatives, according to the Rulesand Limitations prescribed in the Case of a Bill. Section 8.  The Congress shall have Power To lay and collectTaxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debt andprovide for the common Defense and general Welfare of theUnited States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall beuniform throughout the United States; To borrow money on the credit of the United States; To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among theseveral States, and with the Indian Tribes; To establish an uniform rule of Naturalization, and uniformLaws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the UnitedStates; To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreignCoin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures; To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting theSecurities and current Coin of the United States; To establish Post Offices and post Roads; To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, bysecuring for limited Times to Authors and Inventors theexclusive Right to their respective Writings andDiscoveries; To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court; To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on thehigh Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations; To declare War, grand Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and tomake Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water; To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Moneyto that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years; To provide and maintain a Navy; To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the landand naval Forces; To provide for calling for the Militia to execute theLaws of the Union; suppress Insurrections and repelInvasions; To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining theMilitia, and for governing such Part of them as may beemployed in the Service of the United States, reserving tothe States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers,and the Authority of training the Militia according to thediscipline prescribed by Congress; To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever,over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may,by Cession of particular States, and the acceptance ofCongress, become the Seat of the Government of the UnitedStates, and to exercise like Authority over all Placespurchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State inwhich the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts,Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needfulBuilding;--And To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper forcarrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all otherPowers vested by this Constitution in the Government of theUnited States, or in any Department or Officer thereof. Section 9.  The Migration or Importation of such Persons asany of the States now existing shall think proper to admit,shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Yearone thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty maybe imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollarsfor each Person. The privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not besuspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion thepublic Safety may require it. No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed. No capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless inProportion to the Census or Enumeration herein beforedirected to be taken. No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from anyState. No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerceor Revenue to the Ports of one State over those of another:nor shall Vessels bound to, or from one State, be obliged toenter, clear, or pay Duties in another. No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but inConsequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regularStatement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures ofall public Money shall be published from time to time. No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States:And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust underthem, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept ofany present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kindwhatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State. Section 10.  No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance,or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coinMoney; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold andsilver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill ofAttainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing theObligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility. No State shall, without the Consent of the Congress, lay anyImposts or Duties on Imports or Exports, except what may beabsolutely necessary for executing it's inspection Laws:and the net Produce of all Duties and Imposts, laid by anyState on Imports or Exports, shall be for the Use of theTreasury of the United States; and all such Laws shall besubject to the Revision and Controul of the Congress. No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay anyduty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time ofPeace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with anotherState, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unlessactually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will notadmit of delay. Article II. Section 1.  The executive Power shall be vested in aPresident of the United States of America.  He shall hold hisOffice during the term of four Years, and, together with theVice-President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, asfollows. Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislaturethereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the wholeNumber of Senators and Representatives to which the Statemay be entitled in the Congress:  but no Senator orRepresentative, or Person holding an Office of Trust orProfit under the United States, shall be appointed anElector. [The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and voteby Ballot for two persons, of whom one at least shall not bean Inhabitant of the same State with themselves.  And theyshall make a List of all the Persons voted for, and of theNumber of Votes for each; which List they shall sign andcertify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the Governmentof the United States, directed to the President of theSenate.  The President of the Senate shall, in the Presenceof the Senate and House of Representatives, open all theCertificates, and the Votes shall then be counted.  ThePerson having the greatest Number of Votes shall be thePresident, if such Number be a Majority of the whole Numberof Electors appointed; and if there be more than one whohave such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, thenthe House of Representatives shall immediately chuse byBallot one of them for President; and if no Person have aMajority, then from the five highest on the List the saidHouse shall in like Manner chuse the President.  But inchusing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States,the representation from each State having one Vote; A quorumfor this Purpose shall consist of a Member or Members fromtwo-thirds of the States, and a Majority of all the Statesshall be necessary to a Choice.  In every Case, after theChoice of the President, the Person having the greatestNumber of Votes of the Electors shall be the Vice President.But if there should remain two or more who have equal Votes,the Senate shall chuse from them by Ballot theVice-President.] The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors,and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Dayshall be the same throughout the United States. No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of theUnited States, at the time of Adoption of this Constitution,shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shallany Person be eligible to that Office who shall not haveattained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteenYears a Resident within the United States. In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or ofhis Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powersand Duties of the said Office, the same shall devolve on theVice President, and the Congress may by Law provide for theCase of Removal, Death, Resignation or Inability, both ofthe President and Vice President, declaring what Officershall then act as President, and such Officer shall actaccordingly, until the Disability be removed, or a Presidentshall be elected. The President shall, at stated Times, receive for hisServices, a Compensation, which shall neither be encreasednor diminished during the Period for which he shall havebeen elected, and he shall not receive within that Periodany other Emolument from the United States, or any of them. Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shalltake the following Oath or Affirmation:--``I do solemnlyswear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Officeof President of the United States, and will to the best ofmy Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution ofthe United States.'' Section 2.  The President shall be Commander in Chief of theArmy and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia ofthe several States, when called into the actual Service ofthe United States; he may require the Opinion in writing, ofthe principal Officer in each of the executive Departments,upon any subject relating to the Duties of their respectiveOffices, and he shall have Power to Grant Reprives andPardons for Offenses against the United States, except inCases of Impeachment. He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent ofthe Senate, to make Treaties, provided two-thirds of theSenators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by andwith the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appointAmbassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges ofthe supreme Court, and all other Officers of the UnitedStates, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise providedfor, and which shall be established by Law:  but the Congressmay by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers,as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courtsof Law, or in the Heads of Departments. The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies thatmay happen during the Recess of the Senate, by grantingCommissions which shall expire at the End of their nextSession. Section 3.  He shall from time to time give to the CongressInformation of the State of the Union, and recommend totheir Consideration such Measures as he shall judgenecessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions,convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case ofDisagreement between them, with Respect to the Time ofAdjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shallthink proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other publicMinisters he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfullyexecuted, and shall Commission all the Officers of theUnited States. Section 4.  The President, Vice President and all civilOfficers of the United States, shall be removed from Officeon Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, orother high Crimes and Misdemeanors. Article III. Section 1.  The judicial Power of the United States, shall bevested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts asthe Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shallhold their Offices during good Behaviour, and shall, atstated Times, receive for their Services a Compensationwhich shall not be diminished during their Continuance inOffice. Section 2.  The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, inLaw and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws ofthe United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be madeunder their Authority;--to all Cases affecting Ambassadors,other public Ministers and Consuls;--to all Cases ofadmiralty and maritime Jurisdiction;--to Controversies towhich the United States shall be a Party;--to Controversiesbetween two or more States;--between a State and Citizens ofanother State;--between Citizens of differentStates;--between Citizens of the same State claiming Landsunder Grants of different States, and between a State, orthe Citizens thereof, and foreign States, Citizens orSubjects. In all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministersand Consuls, and those in which a State shall be Party, thesupreme Court shall have original Jurisdiction.  In all theother Cases before mentioned, the supreme Court shall haveappellate Jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with suchExceptions, and Under such Regulations as the Congress shallmake. The trial of all Crimes, except in Cases of Impeachment,shall be by Jury; and such Trial shall be held in the Statewhere the said Crimes shall have been committed; but whennot committed within any State, the Trial shall be at suchPlace and Places as the Congress may by Law have directed. Section 3.  Treason against the United States, shall consistonly in levying War against them, or in adhering to theirEnemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.  No Person shall beconvicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of twoWitnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in OpenCourt. The Congress shall have power to declare the Punishment ofTreason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruptionof Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Personattained. Article IV. Section 1.  Full Faith and Credit shall be given in eachState to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedingsof every other State.  And the Congress may by general Lawsprescribe the Manner in which such Acts, records andProceedings shall be proved, and the Effect thereof. Section 2.  The Citizens of each State shall be entitled toall Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the severalStates. A person charged in any State with Treason, Felony, or other

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