Name one thing the U.S. Constitution does.

What does this answer mean?

The Constitution is the plan for the national government. USCIS accepts four answers, and you only need one: it forms the government, defines the powers of government, defines the parts of government, or protects the rights of the people.

It forms the government and defines its parts in its first three articles. Article I creates Congress, Article II creates the presidency, and Article III creates the Supreme Court and lets Congress set up other federal courts. Those articles also define each part's powers, such as Congress's power to make laws and the president's power to veto bills.

It protects the people's rights mainly through its amendments. The first ten, called the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and protect freedoms such as speech, religion, and the press.

The Constitution was signed in 1787, and its last article said approval by nine states was enough for it to take effect. Today it has 27 amendments.