The constitution of a country is a set of written rules that are accepted by all people living together in a country. Constitution is the supreme law that determines the relationship among people living in a territory (called citizens) and also the relationship between the people and government.

A constitution does many things:

• First, it generates a degree of trust and coordination that is necessary for different kind of people to live together;

• Second, it specifies how the government will be constituted, who will have power to take which decisions;

• Third, it lays down limits on the powers of the government and tells us what the rights of the citizens are; and

• Fourth, it expresses the aspirations of the people about creating a good society.

All countries that have constitutions are not necessarily democratic. But all countries that are democratic will have constitutions. After the war of Independence against Great Britain, the Americans gave themselves a constitution. After the Revolution, the French people approved a democratic constitution. Since then it has become a practice in all democracies to have a written constitution.

Read: Why do we need a constitution?

Further Explanation:

In a democracy the rulers are not free to do what they like. There are certain basic rules that the citizens and the government have to follow. All such rules together are called constitution. As the supreme law of the country, the constitution determines the rights of citizens, the powers of the government and how the government should function.