The U.S. Constitution

The U .S. Constitution. Written by Lola Gomez. Focus question. What is the U .S. Constitution and why is it important?

美国宪法。 罗拉·戈麦斯 著。 思考问题。 什么是美国宪法，它为什么很重要？

What is the U .S. Constitution? The U .S. Constitution is an important set of rules for the United States. It explains how the government works. It also helps protect the rights of all Americans.

什么是美国宪法？ 美国宪法是一套适用于美国的重要规则。 它说明了政府的运作方式。 它还帮助保护所有美国人的权利。

Creating the Constitution In 1776, the thirteen American colonies felt they had been treated unfairly by Great Britain. They began to call themselves the United States of America. They fought a war with Great Britain to become free. The United States won the war in 1783. After the states won the war, they needed to make a new government. They knew they didn't want to be ruled by a king again.

起草宪法 1776年，13个美洲殖民地认为英国对他们不公。 他们开始以美利坚合众国自称。 他们为了获得自由和英国开战。 美国在1783年打赢了这场战争。 赢得战争后，各州需要建立一个新政府。 他们不想再被国王统治了。

In 1787, important people from each state met to talk about the new government. They had to decide what its parts should be and how it should work. They shared their ideas all summer and then wrote the Constitution. The states approved the Constitution, and it became the law. George Washington was elected the nation's first president.

1787年，各州的重要人士齐聚一堂讨论新政府。 他们需要确定政府的组成和运作方式。 他们整个夏天都在交流想法，随后起草了宪法。 各州批准了宪法，宪法正式成为法律。 乔治·华盛顿当选为美国第一任总统。

What's in the Constitution? The Constitution has seven parts called Articles. The first three Articles explain how the United States government should work. It splits the government into three branches or parts. Those parts are the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, and the Judicial Branch.

宪法里写了什么？ 宪法分为七个部分，叫做条款。 前三款条款说明了美国政府的运作规则。 它把政府分成三个不同的分支。 这三个分支分别是行政分支、立法分支和司法分支。

The Constitution makes the President the head of the executive branch and the nation's top leader. The President is also in charge of the armed forces. To run for President, a person must have been born in the United States. He or she must also be at least 35 years old.

宪法规定总统是行政分支首长，也是美国最高领导人。 总统同时还掌管国家武装部队。 参选总统的人必须出生在美国。 还必须年满35周岁。