Per the Encyclopedia Britannica, the Constitution of the United States of America is the "oldest written national constitution in use" anywhere in the world. It is the written pact that established the U.S. federal government and vested it with certain powers. The Constitution is "the supreme Law of the Land," and all federal, state, and local government officials and judges are "bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support" it. Per James Madison, the "father" of the Constitution and primary author of the Bill of Rights: "If men were angels, no government would be necessary," and thus, "you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself."