The seventh section prescribes the methods which congress shall follow in making laws.
The eighth section contains the powers of congressthat is，the kinds of lawswhich congress may make.
The ninth section contains prohibitions on congressthat is，the kinds of lawswhich congress may not make.
The tenth section contains prohibitions on the states that is，the things whichneither the constitutions nor the laws of the states must permit.
①The full text of the Constitution may be found in almost any school textbook on the history of the United States or on civil government.
Article II
This article treats of the enforcement of federal laws.It is divided into four sections.
The first section provides for the federal executive that is，the president of the United States （p.119）.It prescribes the mode of his election，what sort of person may be elected，what shall be done in case of the president‘s death，and other matters.
The second section contains the powers of the presidentthat is，the thingswhich he has a right to do.
The third section contains the duties of the presidentthat is，the things whichhe must do.①The fourth section prescribes what shall be done in case the president，or any ofthe officers under him，shall misbehave in office.
Article III
This article treats of the way in which the federal laws and Constitution are explained ，and of how justice is done in case of dispute about the meaning of these laws，or in case they are broken.It is divided into three sections.
The first section provides for the federal courts （p.192）“one supreme court，and ...such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.”
The second section contains the powers of the federal courtsthat is，what sortsof lawsuits they may decide.
The third section defines the crime of treason ，and prescribes how it may，and how it may not，be punished.
Article IV
This article treats of the states .It is divided into four sections.
The first and second sections detail some duties of the states to one another.
①In this section there is one thing which is rather a power than a duty ，and which therefore might better have been put in the second sectionthe power to summon congress in special session，and to adjourn it under certain circumstances.
The third section prescribes how new states may be admitted into the Union（p.91），and gives congress the control of the federal territory （p.96）.
The fourth section details some duties of the Union to the separate states.
Article V
This article treats of the way in which the federal Constitution may be amended that is，changed in any way by alteration or addition.It is in the way here prescribed that the fifteen amendments （p.241，243）have been adopted.
Article VI
This article （in three sections）contains some miscellaneous agreements.
The most important is the second section，which provides that the Constitution，laws，and treaties of the United States “shall be the supreme law of the land，”and that no state may make any law which shall conflict with them，or with any part of them.
Article VII
This article provided that as soon as nine of the thirteen states should accept theConstitution，the government for which it provided should at once go into effect.
It has been said that the convention which framed the Constitution met at Philadelphia in 1787.General Washington presided.The work was finished in the early autumn，and the congress at once sent the proposed plan of government to the states.They approved it，and so，as provided in the seventh article，the new government was formed.Senators and representatives were elected from the several states，and George Washington was unanimously elected president.The new congress met at New York on the 4th of March，1789.Thus this is the date，every second year，of the beginning of the term of a new congress，and every fourth year of the inauguration of a new president.
THE AMENDMENTS
From time to time changes and additions have been made in the way prescribedin Article V.There are now fifteen of these amendments .
The first ten amendments were all adopted in the first term of Washington aspresident，and are further prohibitions on congress，or on the federal courtsthatis，they contain a list of things which neither congress nor the courts may do.
The eleventh amendment，adopted in 1798，is another prohibition on the federalcourts.
The twelfth amendment changes the way of electing the president and vicepresident.The old way，as provided in Article II，was found to be very clumsy，so this amendment was made （in 1804）.
The last three amendments were adopted after the civil war.The thirteenth prohibits slavery.The fourteenth has several sections relating to citizenship，elections，public office，and the public debt.The fifteenth amendment is a prohibition on the states，with reference to elections.
