What are the differences between the Declaration and the Constitution?

Answer 1

Declaration of Independence, signed in 1776, was pretty much just what it says it was. A formal declaration by the original 13 colonies that they would now be independent of King George and Great Britain. Except for being persuasive authority as to the intent of the framers, the Declaration of Independence is NOT the law of the land. On the other hand, the Constitution was adopted in 1789 and is the principal law of the United States federalist system - and it is the law from which all other laws in the United States is derived. If an individual state passes a law, it has to conform to the United States Constitution. If the Congress passes a law, it must also be in conformity with the minimum Constitutional guarantees of liberty or risk being struck down by the courts as being unconstitutional. (See Marbury v. Madison)

Answer 2

The Declaration of Independence states that we are free and independent form the British, our former rulers. Our nation no longer depends on the British people. The document declares our independence. The Constitution of the United States says what we as a nation follow and it has the Bill of Rights in there which states our basic rights in this country. The Declaration of Independence is just that, a statement announcing to the world that the thirteen colonies were no longer suibject to Great Britain but were free and independent states. It was written by Thomas Jefferson and edited by the Continental Congress. It was adopted unanimopusly by the Congress on July 4, 1776. That's why we celebrate that day. The only person to sign the Declaration of Independence on July 4th was John Hancock, that is why his signature is so large. It was not officially put into affect until August 2, 1776. It lays out a philosophy of government that says all people are equal and entitled to certain inalienable rights including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It says a government which does not have the consent of the people or which tramples on those rights is illegitimate and can be changed in favor of one the people think is better. It lists a long series of charges against the King of England to show that he had trampled on our rights. The Constitution is the document which defines how the government works. It specifies that there will be a congress and a president and a supreme court and tells how each is to be chosen and what there powers are. It says what the powers of the federal government are and says all other powers are reserved to the states. It spells out in some detail what the rights of citizens of the United States are. It was written in 1787 by a convention of the states called for the purpose of recomending changes in the old government which was defined by the Articles of Confederation which had been adopted during the War for Independence. George Washington was a delgate to the convention and served as its president. After the convention the new Constitution was submitted to the states for ratification, that is, approval, and went into effect in 1789. The Declaration of Independence states that we are free and independent form the British, our former rulers. Our nation no longer depends on the British people. The document declares our independence. The Constitution of the United States says what we as a nation follow and it has the Bill of Rights in there which states our basic rights in this country. The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson. It was a document that was signed and approved on July 4, 1776 by Congress. This document states the reasons why the 13 American colonies wanted to be free of Great Britain's government. It was written to prove to the King of England that the American colonies should be free and able to form a free nation. The Declaration of Independence also states that the powers of the government come from the consent of the governed and that all people are equal. Every person has the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Constitution was written in 1787 at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia and was then ratified by the original 13 states. The Constitution was created to form a more unified government. It states the basic principles of our society and the basic laws of our nation. The Constitution also states how our nation is organized including the powers and authorities of our government between the different political units. It guarantees certain rights to the people and it defines and limits the powers of our government's different branches. Let's not forget...

The D of I is just a charter of freedom, not a legal document like the Constitution. The only real similarities between these documents are the authors of both and the basic topics of the two. The Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776 as a declaration of American independence from Great Britain. It made no plans for a unified American government and was a way of separating from Great Britain diplomatically. The Constitution was ratified in 1789 as an improvement over the Articles of Confederation, which had been the US government basis for the first ten years of American Independence.

Answer 3

The US Constitution is the document that created the present government of the United States of America. It has the force of law and is the supreme law of the land. The Declaration of Independence is an open letter to the world announcing that the former colonies now considered themselves independent from the rule of Great Britain and giving the reasons for it. It has no force of law at all.

Answer 4

The Constitution was written way after the Declaration. The Constitution was written to replace the Articles of Confederation, which was causing all the colonists to revolt and fight each other. The Declaration was to declare Independence from the rule of King George of Great Britain.

The Constitution is centuries old, but the Declaration is a lot older.

Answer 5

The difference is that the US constitution, has articles and the declaration doesn't.

Answer 6

constitution- the do's and don't *****ss

declaration of independence- all men are equal