er confederation; grant letters of marque and reprisal; coin money; emit bills of credit; make any thing but gold and filver coin a tender in payment of debts; pass any bill of attainder, ex poft facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts, or grant any title of nobility. No ftate fhall, without the consent of the Congrefs, lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports, except what may be abfolutely neceffary for executing its infpection laws; and the net produce of all duties and impofts, laid by any state on imports or exports, fhall be for the use of the treasury of the United States; and all fuch laws fhall be fubject to the revifion and controul of the Congrefs. No ftate fhall, without the confent of Congress, lay any duty of tonnage, keep troops, or fhips of war in time of peace, enter into any agreement or compact with another state, or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in fuch imminent danger as will not admit of delay.

Sect. 1. The executive power fhall be vested in a Prefident of the United States of America. He fhall hold his office during the term of four years, and, together with the Vice-Prefident, chofen for the fame term, be elected as follows:

Each state fhall appoint, in fuch manner as the legiflature thereof may direct, a number of electors, equal to the whole number of Senators and Reprefentatives to which the state may be entitled in the Congress; but no Senator or Representative, or perfon holding an office of truft or profit under the United States, fhall be appointed an elector.

The electors fhall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for two perfons, of whom one at least fhall not be an inhabitant of the fame state with themfelves. And they shall make a lift of all the persons yoted for, and of the number of votes for each; which lift they shall fign and certify, and transmit, fealed, to

the feat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The Prefident of the Senate fhall, in the prefence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates, and the votes fhall then be counted. The perfon having the greatest number of votes fhall be the President, if fuch number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have fuch majority, and have an equal number of votes, then the House of Reprefentatives fhall immediately chufe by ballot one of them for President; and if no person have a majority, then from the five highest on the list the faid House fhall in like manner chufe the President. But in chufing the President, the votes fhall be taken by ftates, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose fhall confift of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be neceffary to a choice. In every cafe, after the choice of the President, the person having the greatest number of votes of the electors fhall be the Vice-Prefident. But if there fhould remain two or ́more who have equal votes, the Senate fhall chufe from them by ballot the Vice-Prefident.

The Congrefs may determine the time of chufing the electors, and the day on which they fhall give their votes; which day fhall be the fame throughout the United States.

No perfon except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of Profident; neither shall any perfon be eligible to that office who fhall not have attained to the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen years a refident within the United States.

In cafe of the removal of the Prefident from office, or of his death, refignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of the faid office, the fame fhall devolve on the Vice-Prefident; and the Congress may by

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law provide for the cafe of removal, death, refignation, or inability, both of the Prefident and Vice-Prefident, declaring what officer fhall then act as Prefident; and fuch officer fhall act accordingly, until the disability be removed, or a Prefident fhall be elected.

The Prefident fhall, at stated times, receive for his fervices, a compenfation, which fhall neither be increased nor diminished during the period for which he fhall have been elected; and he fhall not receive within that period any other emolument from the United States, or any of them.

Before he enter on the execution of his office, he fhall take the following oath or affirmation :

"I do folemnly fwear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of Prefident of the United States; and will, to the best of my ability, preferve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Sect. 2. The Prefident fhall be commander in chief of the army and navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states, when called into the actual fervice of the United States; he may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive departments, upon any fubject relating to the duties of their respective offices, and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offences against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.

He shall have power, by and with the advice and confent of the Senate, to n.ake treaties, provided two-thirds of the Senators prefent concur; and he fhall nominate, and by and with the advice and confent of the Senate, fhall appoint ambaffadors, other public minifters and confuls, judges of the fupreme court, and all other officers of the United States, whofe appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which fhall be established by law. But the Congrefs may by law veft the appointment of fuch inferior officers, as they think proper, in the Prefident alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments.

The Prefident fhall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recefs of the Senate, by granting commiffions which fhall expire at the end of their next feffion.

Sect. 3. He fhall from time to time give to the Congrefs imformation of the ftate of the Union, and recommend to their confideration fuch measures as he fhall judge neceffary and expedient: He may, on extraordinary occafions, convene both Houses, or either of them; and in cafe of difagreement between them, with refpect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them to fuch time as he fhall think proper: He fhall receive ambassadors and other public minifters: He fhall take care that the laws be faithfully executed, and fhall commiffion all the officers of the United States.

Sect. 4. The President, Vice-President, and all civil officers of the United States, fhall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and mifdemeanors..

ARTICLE III.
TI

Sect. 1. The judicial power of the United States, shall be vested in one fupreme court, and in fuch inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The judges, both of the fupreme and inferior court, fhall hold their offices during good behaviour; and fhall, at stated times, receive for their services, a compenfation, which fhall not be diminished during their continuance in office..

Sect. 2. The judicial power shall extend to all cafes, in law and equity, arifing under this Conftitution, the laws of the United States, and treaties made, or which fhall be made, under their authority; to all cafes affecting ambaffadors, other public ministers, and confuls; to all cafes of admiralty and maritime jurifdiction; to controverfies to which the United States fhall be party; to controverfies between two or more states,

between a state and citizens of another ftate, between citizens of different states, between citizens of the fame ftate, claiming lands under grants of different states, and between a state, or the citizens thereof, and foreign states, citizens, or fubjects.

In all cafes, affecting ambaffadors, other public ministers, and confuls, and those in which a state fhall be party, the fupreme court fhall have original juris diction. In all the other cafes before mentioned, the fupreme court shall have appellate jurifdiction, both as to law and fact, with fuch exceptions, and under fuch regulations, as the Congrefs fhall make.

The trial of all crimes, except in cafes of impeachment, fhall be by jury: and fuch trial fhall be held in the state where the faid crimes fhall have been committed; but when not committed within any state, the trial fhall be at fuch place or places, as the Congrefs may by law have directed.

Sect. 3. Treafon against the United States, fhall confift only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No perfon fhall be convicted of treafon unless on the teftimony of two witnesses to the fame overt act, or on confeffion in open court.

The Congress fhall have power to declare the punishment of treafon : but no attainder of treason fhall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture, except during the life of the perfon attainted.

ARTICLE IV.

Sect. 1. Full faith and credit fhall be given, in each ftate, to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state. And the Congress may, by general laws, prescribe the manner in which fuch acts, records, and proceedings fhall be proved, and the effect thereof.

Sect. 2. The citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the feveral ftates.