Discover the Power of the Constitution: America's Foundation of Freedom

My commitment to our Constitution is deeply personal, inherited from a family legacy of honoring its principles. My son, training at West Point, and I share this bond, ready to defend our freedoms. As I step forward to serve Arizona, I promise to fiercely protect our constitutional way of life against all threats. This mission is vital not only to me but to our nation. Here, I offer an insight into why the Constitution remains our democracy's foundation.

George Washington: "The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon." James Madison: "The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny." Thomas Jefferson: "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

Alexander Hamilton: "The Constitution shall never be construed to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms." Benjamin Franklin: "A Republic, if you can keep it." John Adams: "To be ignorant of the means of defending our rights is to be on the road to slavery." James Wilson: "The first and governing maxim in the interpretation of a statute is to discover the meaning of those who made it."

John Jay: "The people who own the country ought to govern it." George Mason: "To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them." Patrick Henry: "The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government." Samuel Adams: "The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil constitution, are worth defending against all hazards: And it is our duty to defend them against all attacks."

The Constitution Summarized

Preamble

The introduction states the Constitution's purpose: to form a better government, ensure peace, provide defense, promote welfare, and secure freedom for all.

Articles of the Constitution

Article I: Legislative Branch

Creates Congress (House of Representatives and Senate) to make laws.
Details how members are elected, their powers, and how laws are made.

Article II: Executive Branch

Establishes the Presidency to enforce laws.
Outlines presidential powers, election process, and duties.

Article III: Judicial Branch

Sets up the Supreme Court and other federal courts to interpret laws.
Explains the jurisdiction of the courts and the trial process for crimes.

Article IV: States' Powers and Limits

Addresses state powers, interstate relations, and guarantees every state a republican form of government.

Article V: Amendment Process

Describes how to amend the Constitution.

Article VI: Federal Powers

Establishes the Constitution as the supreme law of the land.
Requires officials to swear an oath to the Constitution.

Article VII: Ratification

Details the process for ratification of the Constitution.

Bill of Rights (First 10 Amendments)

Freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition.
Right to bear arms.
No quartering of soldiers in homes without consent.
Protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.
Rights in criminal cases, including due process and protection against self-incrimination.
Right to a fair trial, including the right to a lawyer and an impartial jury.
Right to a jury trial in civil cases.
Protection against cruel and unusual punishment.
Recognition that people have rights beyond those listed in the Constitution.
States or people have all powers not given to the federal government.

Amendments 11-27

11th Amendment (1795)

States cannot be sued by individuals from other states or countries in federal court.

12th Amendment (1804)

Changes the procedure for electing the President and Vice President, requiring separate votes for each.

13th Amendment (1865)

Abolishes slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime.

14th Amendment (1868)

Grants citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S., provides equal protection under the laws, and ensures due process.

15th Amendment (1870)

Prohibits denying a citizen the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

16th Amendment (1913)

Allows the federal government to collect income tax without apportioning it among the states.

17th Amendment (1913)

Establishes the direct election of U.S. Senators by popular vote.

18th Amendment (1919)

Prohibits the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcoholic beverages (Prohibition). Repealed by the 21st Amendment.

19th Amendment (1920)

Grants women the right to vote.

20th Amendment (1933)

Changes the dates of congressional and presidential terms, known as the "Lame Duck Amendment."

21st Amendment (1933)

Repeals the 18th Amendment, ending Prohibition.

22nd Amendment (1951)

Limits the President to two terms in office.

23rd Amendment (1961)

Grants voters in Washington D.C. the right to vote for President and Vice President.

24th Amendment (1964)

Prohibits poll taxes in federal elections.

25th Amendment (1967)

Clarifies presidential succession and procedures for dealing with presidential disabilities.

26th Amendment (1971)

Lowers the voting age from 21 to 18.

27th Amendment (1992)

Delays changes in congressional pay until after the next election of representatives.