US Constitution: Preamble

US Constitution: Preamble

By Don Stevens

Preamble

​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.

A preamble is an introductory statement.

Multiple Choice

Had the United States already been established as a nation before this constitution was written?

• Yes

• No

The "people" didn't write this statement, but they agreed to it via their representatives. Nine states had to ratify the U.S. Constitution for it to take effect.

​Did "we" write this?

People is capitalized because in this form it is a proper noun, as in a title. We are a corporate group and we are making a statement as a people group.

​Why is it capitalized?

People of the United States

​Delaware was the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

​in Order to form a more perfect Union

Have you noticed that Odd words are Capitalized when read the U.S. Constitution. That's done more for emphasis than anything else. Order and Union are important words. The formation of the union is the chief objective of this document. It was born out of the failure of the Articles of Confederation. The union that the members of the Constitution Convention established was to be one that moved towards perfection, they were seeking to be better.

More perfect just means "better than" or "moving towards."​

Multiple Select

Why are seemingly random words capitalized?

(There are more than one answers and they all must be selected.)

• There were no formal capitalization rules.

• Certain words were capitalized for emphasis.

• There's no reason for it.

• Only capitalized words were legally binding words.

​- Mr. Stevens

" What if you wanted a hot dog that was hot, had mustard and ketchup, and was on a bun, but you just got a cold hot dog on a piece of bread? " 

That hot dog might be hot, on a bun, and have mustard on it, but it's not perfect. There's no ketchup, but it is more perfect.

​

So try to be more perfect!​

A more perfect hot dog?

Multiple Choice

"More perfect" means?

(Select the more perfect answer.)

• Striving to be better.

• Done without flaw.

• Impossibly good

Trying for a better nation!

​The objective was to be better.

The colonies were under the rule of the British Crown and the Parliament. The people of the American colonies were at best subjects of the crown, but because they lived on the American continent they didn't have a vote in the House of Commons. Laws were passed with no input from the people. It's better to have representation!

​They believed that a people should have a say in picking their leaders!

Multiple Choice

The British Colonies in America had representation in the British Parliament.

• True

• False

establish Justice

Can justice be served if there are no trials?

Justice is just behavior or treatment and can be applied to different things in different ways. There is a lack of fair treatment if a people have no say in the construct of their laws. If a people can be taxed, have their money forcefully taken from them, by government without having a representative then they have been harmed by that government. What if they can be sent to prison with no trial?

In most historical monarchies there was only justice for the rulers.​

Multiple Choice

Could British Subjects in the Americas be sent to prison with no trial, or kept in jail for a long time before trial?

• Yes.

• No.

• I'm not sure.

Some people then felt that it was unjust to take from someone even if they were represented, but it is clearly more just than without. Right?

Is it more just?

If the assumption is made that if we must have government then should we have a say in that government? The founding fathers thought so.

Is it just to take?

No Taxation Without Representation!

We still argue about taxation to this very day!​

Poll

Do you believe it is justified for the federal government to directly tax their citizens?

• Yes

• No

• Yes, but if the citizens have a say in who governs them.

• No, even with elected representatives they do not have the right to take what is mine.

Colonial Subjects Had No...

rights against the crown and its governors!

If they were accused of a crime they could be imprisoned, there was no time limit, and often they never received a trial. The government could force its subjects to house soldiers. Free trade was restricted and so could travel. The government could take away property and the subject had no recourse!

Those same subjects in England had more rights than those here.​

Multiple Choice

All citizens of England and its colonies were subjects of the crown, but did they all have a say in their representation?

• Yes

• No

insure domestic Tranquility

The tranquility the preamble is referring to is keeping the peace within the boarders of the United States. The British Crown and Parliament didn't take steps to make sure the colonies were peaceful, and in a large part were an element of unrest. The lack of representation, the laws pressed upon the colonial subjects, and the enforcement of those law made for violent times.

Although the British military did fight for and not just with the colonies.​

Multiple Choice

Domestic tranquility means:

• Peace from an other country's attacks.

• Peace with other countries.

• Keeping the peace within your own country's boarders.

• Using the military to force your own citizens to do anything you want.

provide for the common defense

If there were attacks from without!

First there must be peace within, like domestic tranquility. Then there is a nation from which to protect from others. Being able to defend the nation from other nations was a priority of the newly formed government. A government that can't protect its people from other nations is a weak government that will fall to the aggression of others.

Notice that domestic tranquility comes before this in the preamble!​

Multiple Choice

Providing for the common defense means:

• Making sure the country is safe from the inside.

• Making sure everyone pays their taxes on time.

• Making sure that the country is safe from over regulation.

• Making sure the country is safe from other nation's attacks.

promote the general Welfare

To promote is not to ensure and we'll learn about the government's limits​!

It was the hope that the government outlined in the constitution would make choices that would be good for the people and nation.

Promote?

Any act anything tending to improve or benefit or contribute to the safety or well being of the general public.

What is "welfare"

Multiple Choice

Pick the correct statement:

• promote the general Welfare

• Ensure the general welfare.

• Promote the individual welfare.

• Make sure everyone has everything they want.

and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity

to ourselves and our Posterity?

Liberty is the ability to practice your freedom without the restraint of government on your actions, or a limited restraint. One who has liberty has rights, like the ones we'll learn about when we go over the Bill of Rights. The capitalization of "Posterity" over "ourselves" indicates that the writers prioritized the future over even themselves. Perhaps!

That is if the capitalization is truly related to emphasis. ​

Multiple Choice

If capitalization is an indicator of emphasis then did the founding fathers put more emphasis on themselves or the future?

• "ourselves"

• "Posterity"

do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Ordain- ​to officially order or decree something.

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Establish-​ setup on a firm or permanent basis.

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They may have "ordained" and "established" it, but who had to approve it?​

Multiple Choice

The Constitution of the United States had to be approved by the states to take affect, it had to be ratified by at least nine states. The first state to ratify it was?

• Delaware

• Missouri

• California

• New Hampshire