How to Make Constitution Soup

1
How to Make Constitution Soup

• A Recipe for Great Government

2
Begin with the Basics

• A hot kitchen in Philadelphia in 1787.
• 55 hungry delegates from all over the country,
  led by Chef George Washington.
• Create a fire with flames of foreign debt, the
  heat of disorganization, the instability of
  Shayss Rebellion, and the pressure of the
  failing Articles of Confederation.

Independence Hall
3
Use High-Quality Ingredients

• Start with ideas about Greek Democracy and the
  Roman Republic.
• Stir in the Magna Carta (1215), English Bill of
  Rights (1689), Virginia House of Burgesses
  (1619), the Mayflower Compact (1620), and
  Articles of Confederation (1777).

4
Slowly Add

• Enlightenment ideas like Lockes Natural Rights
  (1690) and Montesquieus Separation of Powers
  (1748).
• Great Awakening notions of equality and freedom
  of religion from the 1740s.
• Unifying experiences that brought the nation
  through the American Revolution in the 1760s and
  1770s.

5
Mix in
The White House

• A blend of national government powers and state
  powers called Federalism.
• Three branches of government to do the work
  Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.
• A system of Checks and Balances so that no single
  branch is too powerful.

The Capitol
The Supreme Court
6
Final Touches

• Pepper in individual protections like the right
  to remain silent and jury trials.
• Garnish with basic rights and freedoms like
  speech and religion.
• Season to taste with ways to change the
  Constitution by adding Amendments from time to
  time.
• Cook for 220 years and enjoy. Voila!