Question

Rephrase each passage from the U.S. Constitution in your own words:

1. Article I, Section 7 – Revenue Bills, Legislative Process, Presidential Veto
“All bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.”

2. Article I, Section 8 – Powers of Congress
“The Congress shall have Power To Lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts…but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States.”

3. “To borrow money on the credit of the United States; to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes…uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;

4. “To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;”

5. Article VI – Debts, Supremacy, Oaths
“All Debts contracted and Engagements entered into, before the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation.”

6. Amendment XIV, Section 4
“The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.”

7. Amendment XVI
“The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.”

Answer 1

To rephrase these passages with our own words, first we should get what they say and then explain it:

1. Talks about ways to collect public money: Every project for increase the income of the government will be created in the House of Representatives, but the Senate can propose or agree with Amendment as well as on other projects.

2. How taxes are collected in every state: The Congress will have the necessary power to establish and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises to afford its Debts, but all the Duties, Imposts and Excises must be equal across the whole country.

3. How to take debt and financial laws: To ask for credits in the States, to regulate and control the commerce with other countries and between different states as well as with Indian Tribes… Laws referring to Bankruptcies must be the same in the whole country.

4. how to measure things: To issue money, control the value of it and of the foreign money and set the rules of Weight and Measures

5. How consider previous debts: The debts and engagements contracted before the creation of this constitution will be legal against the US considering what is written in this constitution, as well as the Confederation.

6. Which debts are legal: The public debt validated by law, including the ones contracted for afford the pensions and recompense for services in the suppression of insurrection or rebellion, will not be quizzed. But in the country or in a state will be assumed the payments of the debt or duty to help the enemies of the US during rebellion not even a claim for lost or freedom of any slave but all those will be consider as illegal and invalidate.

7. Taxes for income: The Congress is able to set a tax on income, on what the people earn, from any source they have, without sharing it among the different states and without considering any census or something similar.