What is Article 6 of the Constitution?
Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution first says that any debts or engagements that the country was involved in before the Constitution was put into action are still valid. Article 6 also says that the United States Constitution is the highest law of the country and that all state and federal officers and judges have to uphold the Constitution and all of its rules.
How is Article 6 Broken Down?
While many other Articles of the Constitution are broken down into sections and clauses, Article 6 of the United States Constitution is just three clauses long.
Text of Article 6 of the Constitution
The text of Article 6 is as follows:
“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.
This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States”
Clause 1 of Article 6: Debts
Clause 1 of Article 6 says that if there were any debts before adopting the Constitution, they are still valid and have the same terms as if they were still under the Articles of Confederation.
Clause 2 of Article 6: the Supremacy Clause
Clause 2 of Article 6 is known as the Supremacy Clause. In this clause, the Constitution says that any federal laws that are made according to the Constitution are the supreme laws. That means that state laws that go against federal laws are not valid. Even state courts must follow federal law before state law.
Clause 3 of Article 6: Oaths
Clause 3 of Article 6 is the final clause of Article6. It says that executive officers, judges, and state and federal legislators must follow an oath saying that they will support the Constitution.