Key Amendments to the US Constitution
Figure 1: the ten amendments of the Bill of Rights, illustrated. Article V of the Constitution sets out how it can be amended. An amendment must first be proposed, either by a two-thirds vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or by a national convention called at the request of two-thirds of […]
The amendment process: Article V
Article V sets out the only formal route for changing the words of the Constitution. It splits the process into two stages, proposal and ratification, and each stage can happen in one of two ways. Figure 2: the two stages of the Article V amendment process, showing which routes have actually been used. Stage Method […]
The constitutional framework: powers of the branches of government
The Constitution gives each branch a defined set of enumerated powers, but it also leaves room, through the Necessary and Proper Clause, for Congress to exercise implied powers. This distinction between what is written down and what is inferred from it sits at the heart of debates about federal power. Branch Article Key enumerated powers […]
Vagueness, codification and entrenchment
The US Constitution is a codified document. Its original text, ratified in 1788, ran to roughly 4,500 words: a Preamble followed by seven Articles. It has since been extended by 27 Amendments, the first ten of which, ratified together in 1791, are known as the Bill of Rights. Codification gives the Constitution a clear, singular […]
Overview of and background to the structure of US government
Overview of and background to the structure of US government Delegates from twelve of the thirteen states met in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 to revise the failing Articles of Confederation. Instead, they wrote an entirely new Constitution. James Madison played such a central role in drafting it and defending it afterwards that he […]
The Nature of the US Constitution
Paper 3: Comparative Politics | Component 3A: The US Constitution and Federalism | Specification reference: 9PL0/3A “But no language is so copious as to supply words and phrases for every complex idea, or so correct as not to include many equivocally denoting different ideas.” James Madison, Federalist No. 37 (1788) Madison wrote those words while […]
Paper 3 of the Edexcel A-level in Politics (specification 9PL0)
Paper 3 of the Edexcel A-level in Politics (specification 9PL0) is called Comparative Politics. Students who study the USA option sit paper 9PL0/3A, a two-hour examination worth 84 marks. It counts for one third of the overall A-level grade, the same weighting as each of the other two papers. The paper has three sections: Component […]
us CONST DRAFT
The Nature of the US Constitution Paper 3: Comparative Politics | Component 3A: The US Constitution and Federalism | Specification reference: 9PL0/3A “But no language is so copious as to supply words and phrases for every complex idea, or so correct as not to include many equivocally denoting different ideas.” James Madison, Federalist No. 37 […]
The UK Constitution – Debates on further reform
Debates on further reform Previous pages examined how the UK constitution has changed since 1997. Under Labour (1997-2010), this included House of Lords reform, a wider Human Rights Act 1998, the creation of the Supreme Court under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, and the devolution Acts for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Under the Coalition […]
30 mark source question skills – 5 minute read
The 5-minute guide to Section A of Pearson Edexcel A Level Politics, Papers 1 and 2 (9PL0/01 and 9PL0/02) This is the short version of the full skills guide to the 30-mark source question that opens Section A of both papers. You will meet it as question 1(a) or 1(b), and you choose one of […]