Constitution Facts

• We can say that Christopher Columbus discovered America, because just like the many before him and the many after him, he did literally discover the new land for himself, even if he was not the first to do so. What was important about his discovery was that it led to the colonization of the territory that is now called the United States of America when he reported his findings back to Queen Isabella of Spain.

• There are two main reasons that most of us do not know about the presidents before Washington. The first is that because the presidents under the Articles of Confederation did not have very much power so they did not accomplish much. The second reason is because the Articles of Confederation were a failure, people put them in their past, and began fresh with the presidents under the Constitution since it has proved itself successful.

• The original 13 colonies were much like reluctant roommates because while it was best for them to be a unified territory, each of the colonies wanted to be somewhat independent. This is why the number of federal laws and requirements falls well short of each state's local laws and requirements.

• An example of a state law that differs from a federal law but does not contradict it, is if a state wants to change speed limits on its roads, or to change the legal drinking age for alcohol. An example of a state law that differs from a federal law but does contradict it, is if a state wants to change the legal age to vote. Since this is in the Constitution, and is a federal law, it is not allowed.

• The three branches of government are the legislative branch which makes the laws, the executive branch which executes the laws, and the judicial branch which enforces the laws. They are like a basketball game in that the legislative branch is similar to the basketball league which makes the rules of the game. The executive branch is similar to the players which are executing the plays. The