What document is considered the supreme law of the United States?

• A. Constitution
• B. Articles of Confederation
• C. Bill of Rights
• D. Magna Carta

Answer: (A)

The most important document is the Constitution because it establishes the structure of the U.S. government and sets out the powers of the national government and the rights of the people. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land by the Supremacy Clause in Article VI, which says that the Constitution and laws made under it take priority over state laws and constitutions and bind state and federal courts. The Bill of Rights is not a separate, higher law; it is the first ten amendments within the Constitution that protect individual rights within that framework. The Articles of Confederation, by contrast, created a very weak central government and were replaced by the Constitution to provide a stronger, more effective national framework. Magna Carta influenced ideas about rights and limited government, but it is not the governing law of the United States.