The U.S. Constitution: A Blueprint for Democracy

19 January 2012

The U.S. Constitution is the blueprint for American democracy. It establishes the rights of U.S. citizens, as well as the rights and authorities of the individual states and the powers of the federal government. The U.S. Constitution also outlines the relationships among the three branches of the federal government and stipulates that the president must report to Congress on the state of the U.S. union. More than any other document, it has guided the law and political culture of the United States. As the oldest national constitution in continuous use, the U.S. Constitution has influenced the thinking of leaders of many countries as they framed their own national laws and political institutions.

The U.S. Constitution has been translated into many languages, from Latin to Vietnamese. The Federal Judicial Center, an agency of the federal government, provides online access to 17 translated versions of the U.S. Constitution.