Topic 7 - The Preamble to the Constitution

Topic 7 - The Preamble to the Constitution

The Constitutional Convention 1787

• After Shays Rebellion the United States realized the Articles were not working

• They met in 1787 to come up with a new plan of government

• That plan would be the modern US Constitution

• At the beginning of the document, they included a Preamble to explain the purpose of their government

• "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

We the people of the United States

• In the United States, the people come first

• The government gets its power from the people, as they are the ones writing this Constitution

• This idea is called Popular Sovereignty

In order to form a more perfect Union

• The previous Union under the Articles were not working and the country was not going to survive

• The new government will do a better job of uniting the States and holding them together

Establish Justice

• The Articles had no national court

• The new Constitution will establish a national court system

• The court will ensure that laws are fair and solve disputes between states

Insure domestic tranquility

• Shays Rebellion was an example of domestic violence

• The new government would keep the peace at home within the states

Provide for the Common Defense

• Great Britain was threatening to attack the States and try to take them back

• Other European nations were also waiting for their chance to attack

• The new Constitution would create an Army to protect from foreign attacks

Promote the general Welfare

• The central government under the Articles could not tax

• The new government would be able to tax

• Taxes would be used to benefit everyone

• For example, they would pay for the Army

secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity

• The new Constitution would be a long -lasting document that would hold the Union together

• The blessings of liberty are people's natural rights

• The Constitution will protect your natural rights

Multiple Choice

The Preamble to the United States Constitution

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

What Enlightenment idea is reflected in the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution?

• All men and women are created equal.

• The government's power comes from the people.

• A system of checks and balances is necessary.

• Power should be divided among three branches.

Multiple Choice

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, ____________, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence

Which phrase fills in the blank?

• establish justice

• ensure sovereignty

• guarantee rights

• extend freedom

Multiple Choice

According to the Preamble to the United States Constitution, our nation needed to form a "more perfect union." Which document had been the "law of the land" since 1781 and now needed to be replaced in 1787?

• The Virginia Plan

• The Bill of Rights

• The New Jersey Plan

• The Articles of Confederation

Multiple Choice

According to the Preamble to the United States Constitution, what was NOT a concern of the Founding Fathers?

• establishing a nation where all people could be safe

• establishing a nation with kind and thoughtful leaders

• establishing a nation where all people had access to justice

• establishing a nation where freedom was available to all people

Multiple Choice

What event might have been an example of why the framers of the Constitution included the phrase "insure domestic tranquility?"

• Shays Rebellion

• Intolerable Acts

• French Revolution

• Stamp Act

Multiple Choice

The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution called for a new system of government that could "provide for the common defence." Which of these is the BEST example of that role of our government?

• America's declaration of war against Great Britain in 1812

• The creation of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970.

• The preservation of all citizen's rights to free speech and religion.

• The establishment of a court system that offers due process rights to all citizens.

Multiple Choice

The Preamble lists the ___ of the United States Constitution.

• grievances

• unalienable rights

• purposes

• weaknesses

Multiple Choice

Which goal of the Preamble is being demonstrated in the following statement...
The Department of War was established in 1789 and later became known as the Department of Defense.

• Form a more perfect union
• Promote the general welfare
• Establish justice
• Provide for the common defense

Multiple Choice

Which goal of the Preamble is being demonstrated in the following statement...
The Department of Justice was created in 1870 to help interpret our nation’s laws.

• Promote the general welfare
• Insure domestic tranquility
• Provide for the common defense
• Establish justice