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concept

Constitution

The fundamental law of a state — usually written — that defines the structure of government, allocates power, and (typically) lists protected rights.

Origin

Most modern constitutions follow the model of the US Constitution (1787) and the post-1789 French ones: a written document with a preamble, separation-of-powers articles, and a bill of rights. The UK is the great exception — its 'constitution' is uncodified, a patchwork of statutes, court rulings, and convention going back to Magna Carta. South Africa's 1996 constitution is widely admired for its rights catalogue. The shortest in force is Monaco's; the longest is India's (146,000 words). Every modern coup is followed by a new constitution that almost no one outside the ruling group reads.

Modern usage

'Constitutional' as a word doing a lot of work in US politics — 'unconstitutional' is the strongest available legal-political condemnation. 'Constitutional crisis' is the standard phrase for any moment when the rules themselves are in dispute. Many countries have a 'Constitution Day.' The pocket-sized US Constitution is a familiar prop.

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Related

concept

Politics & Statecraft

Magna Carta

The 1215 English charter — extracted from a reluctant King John by his barons — that for the first time put a king under written law.

concept

Politics & Statecraft

Separation of Powers

The constitutional principle that the legislative, executive, and judicial functions of government should be exercised by separate institutions, so each can check the others.

phrase

Politics & Statecraft

Habeas Corpus

The legal principle, dating from Magna Carta and codified by the 1679 English Habeas Corpus Act, that a person held by the state has the right to be brought before a court that can rule on whether the detention is lawful.

event

Politics & Statecraft

The American Revolution

The 1775–1783 war by which Britain's thirteen North American colonies broke away and founded the United States — and the model for a new kind of constitutional republic.

concept

Politics & Statecraft

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the US Constitution, ratified in 1791, listing the basic rights — speech, religion, arms, due process, jury trial — that the federal government may not infringe.

concept

Politics & Statecraft

Declaration of Independence

The 1776 document, drafted mostly by Thomas Jefferson, by which the thirteen American colonies broke from Britain and which set 'all men are created equal' loose on the world.

concept

Politics & Statecraft

Napoleonic Code

The 1804 French civil code commissioned by Napoleon — the first modern, rationally organized civil code, and still the backbone of civil law across much of Europe, Latin America, and the formerly French colonial world.