US Constitutional Law/Introduction

In 1787 the Constitutional Convention drafted a proposed new charter for the government of the United States. The Constitution was designed to make the federal government a more effective means to avoid wasteful tariff competition among the 13 states and to pay off the national debt. The Articles of Confederation's shortcomings led to the question to be settled is "Who gets the last word?" In the pre-amble it clearly states "We the People" and that is the understanding that led to the use of separate ratifying conventions in each state.

While some view Constitutional law, like Larry Kramer, as more than just the courts's review of the actions of government, most people limit the topic to just the work of the courts and mainly the United States Supreme Court at that.

After covering the origin of Judicial Review, there are two main areas of ConLaw: Rights of persons and citizens - and - powers of government.