Article VI — Federal Supremacy and Oaths

Verbatim

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.

Plain English

All debts and obligations entered into before this Constitution was adopted remain valid against the United States under this Constitution, just as they were under the Articles of Confederation.

This Constitution, the federal laws made under it, and all treaties made under U.S. authority, are the supreme law of the land. Judges in every state are bound by them, even if state constitutions or state laws say otherwise.

Senators, Representatives, members of state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers — both federal and state — must take an oath or affirmation to support this Constitution. No religious test can ever be required as a qualification for any federal office or public trust.

About

Article VI does three things, each consequential.

The Debts Clause (first paragraph) ensured continuity from the previous government. Under the Articles of Confederation, the federal government had accumulated significant Revolutionary War debts. By explicitly carrying these debts into the new constitutional system, the founders established that the change in government did not erase its financial obligations.

The Supremacy Clause (second paragraph) is one of the most important sentences in the Constitution. It establishes the hierarchy of American law: federal Constitution, federal laws made under it, and treaties — all of these are supreme over state constitutions and state laws. When state and federal law conflict, federal law wins. This clause is the textual foundation for federal preemption doctrine, which determines when state laws are overridden by federal ones, and for the principle that no state can nullify federal law.

The Supremacy Clause is also the textual basis often cited for judicial review, the Supreme Court's power to declare laws unconstitutional. The clause requires judges to be bound by the Constitution above conflicting laws, which means judges must determine when laws conflict with the Constitution.

The Oaths Clause and No Religious Test Clause (third paragraph) require all federal and state officials to swear loyalty to the Constitution, but explicitly forbid religious tests for federal office. The No Religious Test Clause was significant in 1787, when several states still had religious tests for state office, and remains the only direct mention of religion in the original Constitution (the First Amendment's religion clauses came four years later in the Bill of Rights). The clause does not apply to private organizations or to the religious beliefs of voters; it restricts only government-imposed qualifications for office.