US Constitution

The framers of the Constitution designed the amendment process to be difficult, requiring significant popular support to make foundational changes to the country’s governance. Since 1879, lawmakers and advocacy groups have proposed over 10,000 amendments, many repeats of the same policy change, including a ban on burning the US flag or rescinding the 16th amendment, which legalized income tax. See highlights of these failures here.

The Congressional Research Service is a nonpartisan group dedicated solely to responding to questions and providing deeply researched explanations to members of Congress and their staff. The overview lays out the establishment of the US Agency for International Development in 1961, legal restrictions on its elimination, and options to restructure or fold USAID into other departments.

Alexander Hamilton played a large role in creating the federal system of government we still use today. From 1787 to 1788, Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay anonymously published a collection of essays known as “The Federalist” to promote the new Constitution. Of the 85 essays that proved pivotal to the eventual ratification of the document, Hamilton wrote 51. Explore Hamilton’s role in the creation of the Constitution here.

The United States Constitution was an inspiration for governing documents around the world. This interactive tool from the National Constitution Center allows you to explore how countries globally incorporate the rights found in the US Constitution. Select specific rights to see which nations have similar provisions and gain an insight into how constitutional principles are implemented worldwide.

Today, you can see the original United States Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and more at the National Archives in Washington, DC. For the first 150 years of their existence, these docs dwelled elsewhere, managed for a long time by the State Department, and then moved for a few decades to the Library of Congress. Learn the story of how preservationists advocated to have an exhibit built into the new National Archives building in the 1930s to showcase these docs, and how it became one of the most popular sites in the capital.

In 1787, the US Constitution introduced a new system of governance, emphasizing separation of powers and enshrining freedoms like speech, press, and religion. While it inspired democratic movements worldwide, its rigidity has made it less of a modern model, as nations now embrace more adaptable frameworks.

The US government made nearly half of its total revenue last year from individual income taxes, and this year is shaping up to be similar. The US makes money from a variety of other sources, including Medicare taxes and corporate income taxes. But the deficit continues to grow: The US spent $1.82T more than it made in fiscal 2024. To learn more, check out the federal government’s revenue counter.

The Bill of Rights include the first ten amendments to the US Constitution and form the basis for the rights of individuals in the United States. Explore the resources of the Library of Congress to see the documents as they were originally written. The webpage includes digital resources relating to the debates surrounding the amendments and additional related online resources.

The crafting of the US Constitution was an arduous process that included a complex web of hundreds of drafts and suggestions from the states. This resource from the National Constitution Center displays the process that created each of the amendments found in the Bill of Rights.

The US Constitution has been amended 27 different times since its ratification. Dive deeper into each amendment with resources provided by the National Constitution Center. This website includes podcasts, videos, and other web resources for each of the amendments, exploring their creation and impact on today’s political and social landscape.