The flag of the United States of America circa 2033
The Constitution of the United States of America was the governing document that outlined the structure of the government of the United States of America on Earth.
The Constitution was originally written in 1787 after the government provided for in the first governing document, known as the Articles of Confederation proved to be too weak to be truly effective. The Bill of Rights, a series of amendments to the Constitution was considered especially important. An enduring document, the Constitution was considered one of the most important documents in human history, along with other documents such as the Magna Carta. (TOS episode: "Court Martial")
The Constitution's First Amendment included protections for the rights to freedom of speech and of the press. In 2020, Alice Fontana told Zoe Querez to stick her First Amendment rights. (TOS novel: The Rings of Time)
The United States Constitution would later influence the United Earth Constitution and the Articles of the Federation. The Fifth Amendment's protections against self-incrimination influenced the Articles' Seventh Guarantee, and the First Amendment influenced the U.E. Constitution's freedom of the press provisions. (TNG episode: "The Drumhead"; ENT - The Romulan War novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing)
External links[]
- Constitution of the United States of America article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- United States Constitution article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.