The Constitution - The Preamble
8th Grade Informational Reading Texts
We know much about the creation and implementation of the Constitution as the law of the land because of the extensive writings of James Madison. Because of this, Madison is referred to as the Father of the Constitution, due to the detailed amount of notes he took during the convention. The framers of the Constitution designed three branches of government. The role of the legislative branch was to make the laws, the role of the executive branch was to enforce the laws and the judicial branch was to interpret the laws. The constitution is set up in seven sections or articles and also has an introduction called the preamble.
The Constitution starts with the Preamble and it explains why the founding fathers thought a Constitution was needed. The interesting thing is that the Preamble was added at the last minute. It was never discussed at the convention and was written by Governor Morris from Pennsylvania. Also, the wording of the Preamble has no legal standing or laws to back it in court. Still, it effectively introduces the principles that are outlined within the Constitution itself.
The 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."
To best understand the Preamble, it is helpful to break down each of the key phrases. "We the People" refers to all the citizens in the United States. Even though this means all, women, Indigenous Peoples, and slaves were left out of this document. It would take many years (more than any of our founding fathers were alive to see) for this phrase to apply to everyone legally living within the United States. "in Order to form a more perfect Union" was included to emphasize the belief that the Framers held about the importance of developing a new document (as opposed to the Articles of Confederation) that would be a better way to govern the country.
The phrase, "establish Justice" was included as a reminder of the injustices that colonists had endured under the British crown before declaring independence and was to serve as a lasting guarantee that justice would also be the key to a successful democratic government. Shay's Rebellion was fresh in everyone's mind, so to ensure peace inside the country's borders the phrase; "to insure domestic tranquility" was added. In order to address the concern that the new nation was still vulnerable to foreign attack, the phrases," provide for the common defense" was included. The phrase, "promote the general Welfare" was added to insure to citizens that the well-being of the general citizenry would be taken care of by the federal government.
The point of the next phrase, "secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity" was to protect the nation's hard-earned rights and core democratic values such as liberty, freedom from a tyrannical government, and from unjust laws. The last phrase of the Preamble, "ordain and establish the Constitution for the United States of America" is a powerful statement reinforcing the principle of democracy--that the people of the country give the government its power.
The Constitution starts with the Preamble and it explains why the founding fathers thought a Constitution was needed. The interesting thing is that the Preamble was added at the last minute. It was never discussed at the convention and was written by Governor Morris from Pennsylvania. Also, the wording of the Preamble has no legal standing or laws to back it in court. Still, it effectively introduces the principles that are outlined within the Constitution itself.
The 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."
To best understand the Preamble, it is helpful to break down each of the key phrases. "We the People" refers to all the citizens in the United States. Even though this means all, women, Indigenous Peoples, and slaves were left out of this document. It would take many years (more than any of our founding fathers were alive to see) for this phrase to apply to everyone legally living within the United States. "in Order to form a more perfect Union" was included to emphasize the belief that the Framers held about the importance of developing a new document (as opposed to the Articles of Confederation) that would be a better way to govern the country.
The phrase, "establish Justice" was included as a reminder of the injustices that colonists had endured under the British crown before declaring independence and was to serve as a lasting guarantee that justice would also be the key to a successful democratic government. Shay's Rebellion was fresh in everyone's mind, so to ensure peace inside the country's borders the phrase; "to insure domestic tranquility" was added. In order to address the concern that the new nation was still vulnerable to foreign attack, the phrases," provide for the common defense" was included. The phrase, "promote the general Welfare" was added to insure to citizens that the well-being of the general citizenry would be taken care of by the federal government.
The point of the next phrase, "secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity" was to protect the nation's hard-earned rights and core democratic values such as liberty, freedom from a tyrannical government, and from unjust laws. The last phrase of the Preamble, "ordain and establish the Constitution for the United States of America" is a powerful statement reinforcing the principle of democracy--that the people of the country give the government its power.