A: Principles of American Democracy
1. What is the supreme law of the land?
Answer:
The Constitution
Explanation:
Back in 1787, more than 200 years ago, the United States of America didn’t exist the
way it does today. There were just 13 states, and after they gained independence
from Great Britain, they had a very weak government. They struggled to survive (or
continue to exist) for several years with this weak government, but they had many
problems. So the 13 states decided to work together and write a newdocument(or
written record) to make the country stronger and moreunified(or as one group), so
they could work better together as one nation. They called this new document the
Constitution.
The word “Constitution” comes from the verb to constitute, meaning to put things
together. The Constitution joined (or put together) the 13 states into a new country.
Since that time, the Constitution has been thesupreme(or highest) law in the
United States. Everyone who lives in the United States mustobey(or follow) the
Constitution. If there is a disagreement over whether something is legal (agrees with
the law) or illegal (against the law), we use the Constitution to help usto resolve(or
decide) the issue. That’s why it is the highest and most important legal document in
the country.
The Constitution was written during the summer of 1787 at a meeting called the
Constitutional Convention in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was a long,
hot summer that year when the 55delegates(or representatives) met to write this
new set of laws. Everyone had a different opinion (or thought or belief) about how
the new government should be organized. This is not surprising, since the
delegates had many different experiences and backgrounds. They were lawyers,
teachers, doctors, and military men, and more. The delegates also had some things
in common: they were all white men (no women or non-whites were allowed to
participate in the Constitutional Convention), and they were allwealthy(or had a lot
of money) and owned land. The president (or leader) of the Convention was the
famous military general, George Washington, who later became the first president of
the United States.
The delegates discussed and argued for many weeks, but they finally agreed on a
set of laws that wouldform(or create) their new government. The document they
produced (or made) is what we call the Constitution.
English as a Second Language Podcast
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Introduction to the United States
The Complete Course: Questions 1 – 100
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2
Glossary
1. What is the supreme law of the land?
document –a written record; a report, policy, law, essay, or anything else that is
written down to share information
* We had to sign a lot of documents when we bought our home.
unified –as one group; together
* Environmental groups would be stronger if they were unified, but in reality, they
fight with each other too much.
Constitution –the most important legal document in the United States, describing
the national government and how it should work
* The first three words of the U.S. Constitution are "We the People."
supreme –highest; most powerful; most important; best; the biggest possible
* The supreme challenge for the future is finding a good source of energy other than
oil.
to obey –to follow; to listen to; to do what one is told to do
* When you were a teenager, did you obey your parents?
to resolve –to find a solution to a problem; to decide something; to bring an end to
a problem or situation
* After fighting for two weeks, they resolved their disagreement and became friends
again.
delegate –representative; a person who is sent to a meeting or other event by and
for another person
* I couldn't go to the meeting of nations last week, but I sent my assistant as a
delegate.
wealthy –rich; with a lot of money
* She believes that wealthy people should give some of their money to poor people.
to form –to create; to make; to establish
* That organization was formed by a group of scientists in 1932.
