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Lisa Garza

Professor Powers

English 1301 - 207

16 February 2022

The Constitution

The United States Constitution is a huge part of an American Citizens life because it

mentions the national government, fundamental rights, and basic rights. The Constitution is

organized into three different major sections. The Preamble is the first section which is the

purpose of the Constitution. The second section of the Constitution consists of the 7 articles

which are the legislative branch, the executive branch, the judicial branch, state relations,

amending the Constitution, supremacy rule, and ratification. The amendments are the last section

of the United States Constitution which are designed to protect individual rights and liberties.

This essay speaks briefly of the exigency, audience, constraints, and rhetors of each section in the

Constitution. Analyzing each section of the constitution helps to better understand the genre of

the Constitution.

To begin, the purpose of the preamble is to show the intent of the framers and the point of

the Constitution. Framers are the delegates who helped draft the Constitution. The preamble is

important to United States citizens because it lets the people know what to expect throughout the

rest of the Constitution, it is like a summary. The audience of the preamble is any United States

citizen who wants to acknowledge the Charter and the powers it awards to the Federal

Government. Moreover, the charter is an important document that defines and states the powers

of a city government. The tone of the preamble is very assertive because it is straight to the point

and sounds very confident. The preamble was written at the Constitutional Convention in 1796,
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by Gouverneur Morris. According to Day Al-Mohamed, “ Over the three months of the

convention, a fiery Morris gave 173 speeches, more than any other attendee. This is especially

impressive when you consider that he was away on family business for one of those months”

(Al-Mohamed 2020). Due to Morris’ impressive speeches and not being afraid of saying

anything he thought, he was one of the writers of the Constitution.

The purpose of the 7 articles is to show how the Government is organized and the ways

that the Constitution can be changed. This document is important to United States citizens

because it shows how we can change the Constitution and how the federal government interacts

with citizens. The audience of the 7 articles is all United States citizens referred to as “We the

People” in the preamble. This document is organized into 7 sections: the legislative branch, the

executive branch, the judicial branch, state relations, amending the Constitution, supremacy rule,

and ratification. These articles are meant to certify, empower and clarify the federal government.

The tone of the 7 articles is clear because it wants to make sure that we the people understand it

and are able to abide by it. Furthermore, there were many authors involved in the making of this

document but the main ones were the founding fathers. Some of the founding fathers are John

Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison,

and George Washington. The founding fathers were and still are well respected because of the

legacy that they left behind that has formed the world that we live in today.

The amendments are the last section of the Constitution, the purpose of the amendments

is to give laws to protect the federal government and the United States citizens from unfairness

and discrimination. No state is allowed to pass any law that violates any of the amendments

meaning that no state can pass a law that opposes laws that are already made. The Constitution is

the supreme law of the land. These amendments are important to all citizens because they
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guarantee freedom and protection especially because a long time ago there was no freedom or

protection for any citizens. There are 27 amendments, the first 10 being the Bill of Rights; the

first ten amendments were ratified on December 15, 1792. The Bill of Rights ranges from

freedom of speech and religion to the right to bear arms. According to the Legal Information

Institute, “The right to freedom of speech allows individuals to express themselves without

government interference or regulation.” (LII) Freedom of religion is the right to choose whatever

religion and not be affected by it. The right to bear arms is the right to carry weapons in order to

protect yourself or your property. The tone of the amendments is very direct and professional in

order for citizens to know their significance. For example, The first amendment states that

“Congress can make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free

exercise, or abridging the freedom of speech or press or the right to assemble and petition for

redress of grievances.” we can see that it is very straight forward and easy to analyze. James

Madison was the author of the amendments. Madison wrote the amendments to give people

rights; he even ignored suggestions that would change the government (National Archives).

“Madison had helped to develop Virginia’s constitution 11 years earlier, and it was his “Virginia

Plan” that served as the basis for debate in the development of the U.S. Constitution.”

In conclusion, the Constitution is organized into three sections: the preamble, the 7

articles, and the amendments. These sections come together and make up the Constitution. Each

section of the Constitution was analyzed by the exigency, audience, constraints, and rhetors to

find the genre. Moreover, analyzing this genre helps the reader understand the purpose of this

document and to who it applies, which is all the United States citizens. The readers of this essay

should understand the details of the Constitution and what it entails after reading it.
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Works cited

The 7 articles. US Constitution. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2022, from

https://mmssamapriyad7.weebly.com/the-7-articles.html

“Bill of Rights (1791).” Bill of Rights Institute,

https://www.billofrightsinstitute.org/primary-sources/bill-of-rights.

“The Bill of Rights: A Transcription.” National Archives and Records Administration, National

Archives and Records Administration,

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/bill-of-rights-transcript#:~:text=Ten%20of%20t

History.com Editors. “Articles of Confederation.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 27

Oct. 2009,

https://www.history.com/topics/early-us/articles-of-confederation#:~:text=Benjamin%20

Franklin%20wrote%20the%20first,probably%20a%20revision%20of%20Deane's.

“The U.S. Constitution: Preamble.” United States Courts,

https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/about-educational-o

utreach/activity-resources/us#:~:text=The%20preamble%20sets%20the%20stage,govern

ment%20powers%20or%20individual%20rights.

“Gouverneur Morris: Playboy and Penman of the American Constitution.” PBS, Public

Broadcasting Service, 17 Feb. 2021,

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/blog/gouverneur-morris-playboy-and-penma

n-of-the-american-constitution/.
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James Madison's Contribution to the Constitution,

https://www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/madison/aa_madison_father_1.html.

“First Amendment.” Legal Information Institute, Legal Information Institute,

https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/first_amendment.