ABSTRACT
The Constitution establishes a representative democracy, or republic, in which the people select others to govern, accountable to the people in regular elections. The Constitution also allows the people to shape national policies through regular elections to the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the presidency. Several states approved the plan without difficulty, but during the Massachusetts ratifying convention, the supporters of the Constitution, called Federalists, encountered effective resistance from its opponents, known as Antifederalists. The Supreme Court, beginning in 1925 with a series of cases, selectively incorporated the first eight amendments of the Constitution into the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth, effectively nationalizing the Bill of Rights. The Constitution divides powers of government among three branches. Article I enumerates the powers of Congress, Article II those of the president, and Article III the powers of the judiciary.
