least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as VicePresident, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice-President, and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate ; The President of the Senate shall, in presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted;- The person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a President whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of the President. - The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed, and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to

the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.

(ARTICLE XIII.)

SECTION 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

SECT. 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

(ARTICLE XIV.)

No

SECTION 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States, and of the State wherein they reside. State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

SECT. 2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States, according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for president and vice-president of the United States, representatives in Congress, the executive and judicial officers of a State, or the members of the legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion or other crimes, the basis of representation shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens, twenty-one years of age, in such State.

SECT. 3. No person shall be a senator or representative in

Congress, or elector of president or vice-president, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States or under any State, who having previously taken an oath as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each house remove such disability.

SECT. 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States, nor any State, shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations, and claims shall be held illegal and void.

SECT. 5. The Congress shall have power to enforce by appropriate legislation the provisions of this article.

(ARTICLE XV.)

SECTION 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States, or by any State, on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

SECT. 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

CHAPTER I.

THE PREAMBLE.

THE Constitution is the fundamental law of the country. It may be written in one document, as in our case, or it may be made up of judicial decisions, legislative acts, concessions from the crown to the people, etc., as in the case of Great Britain. Our written constitution gives us great advantages over those countries where the constitution does not consist of one written document. Our government is necessarily more systematic and uniform in its operations than would be possible without the written constitution.

This constitution enumerates the principles embodied in the government, the political rights of the citizens, and analyzes the powers of the government, showing how they are organized, distributed, and administered.

Any act of congress and any act of a state legislature, which should be pronounced by the supreme court of the United States contrary to the constitution, would be null and void. The constitution is "the supreme law of the land."

THE PREAMBLE. - The constitution commences with the following declaration: "We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do

ordain and establish this constitution for the United States of America."

This part of the constitution is termed the “Preamble." This term is sometimes applied to the enacting clause of a statute or law. In that case it declares the design or motive of the law, and is substantially the enacting clause; for instance, in Michigan, it may be: "The people of the state of Michigan enact," or, in the case of the congress: "Be it enacted by the senate and house of representatives of the United States in congress assembled." In Rhode Island the form observed is: "It is enacted by the general assembly as follows."

This preamble is a part of the constitution itself, and not merely an enacting clause. It contains several important lessons for us to study.

In the first place, it should be observed that the source of power is here perfectly authoritative, being the people: "We, the people of the United States, do ordain and establish this constitution." The language is explicit and peremptory: "ordain and establish." It is definite in regard to the subject: "this constitution." It is broad, extensive, and distinct in its purposes and ends, -"justice," "tranquillity," "defence," "welfare," "liberty."

To summarize, we have here:

(1) The authority, "We, the people of the United States."

(2) The ends for which the constitution was made. These ends are given in six particulars.

(3) The ordaining and establishing this constitution. (4) The nation by name, for which this constitution