What does the Constitution do?

The Constitution is the foundational document of the United States that establishes the framework for the government and outlines the rights and freedoms of its citizens. By setting up the structure of the government, the Constitution delineates the roles and responsibilities of the three branches: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. This organization ensures a system of checks and balances, preventing any single branch from becoming too powerful.

Additionally, the Constitution protects the basic rights of Americans, primarily through the Bill of Rights, which guarantees freedoms such as speech, religion, the press, and the right to bear arms, among others. This dual purpose of establishing government structure and safeguarding individual rights is central to the functioning of American democracy, ensuring that the government operates within a legal framework designed to protect the liberties of its citizens.

Other options focus on aspects that are not the primary purpose of the Constitution. Creating state laws is the responsibility of state legislatures, not the Constitution itself. While the Constitution does provide a broad framework for regulating interstate trade, this function is more a detail of governance rather than the overall purpose of the document. Lastly, while the Constitution does address treaties, its primary role is not as a guideline specifically for international treaties but rather as the supreme law of the land that governs all