Articles of Constitution order

Question

What does the organization of the articles (1-7) reveal about the priorities of the Framers? Does our modern government reflect the same priorities in your opinion? Discuss one way (citing a specific example from the Constitution) our government is in alignment with the intentions of the Framers, and one way (cite example) in which our government operates in a different manner than the Framers intended. 

Answer 1

If I were teaching this question, I would start with structure before opinion.

The organization of Articles I–III reveals that the Framers prioritized representative lawmaking over executive enforcement. Article I, which establishes Congress, is listed first and is the longest and most detailed article in the Constitution. That is not accidental. The Framers had just fought a war against a monarch, so they intentionally placed the legislative branch — the branch closest to the people — at the center of power. Article II (the presidency) is shorter and more limited in its original design, reflecting their fear of concentrated executive authority.

One way modern government still aligns with the Framers’ intentions is Congress’s continued control over taxation and spending under Article I, Section 8. Even today, the president cannot spend money without congressional appropriation, preserving legislative supremacy in fiscal matters.

However, modern government also diverges from the Framers’ structure. The growth of executive orders and administrative agencies has expanded presidential influence far beyond what was originally envisioned. Agencies exercise quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial powers, blending functions in ways the Framers did not explicitly design.

When I teach this, I tell students: the order of the articles is not decorative — it is ideological. The Constitution’s structure is an argument about power.