Transcript Preamble to the U.S. Constitution

Preamble to the
Constitution
What the Preamble Contains
The Preamble provides knowledge of:
 Who established the government
- “we the people”

For what purpose we established the
government
- “to form a more perfect union…and secure the
Blessings of Liberty”

The benefits of our action
- “ourselves and our posterity”
Constitution Writers
The Constitution was written by many
committees, but the committee most responsible
for it was the “Committee of Stile and
Arrangement”
 The committee was tasked with getting all of the
articles and clauses agreed by the Convention
and then putting them into logical order
 The members were: Alexander Hamilton,
William Johnson, Rufus King, James Madison,
and Governor Morris
 The text in the Preamble and much of the other
parts of the Constitution are credited to
Governor Morris

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."
Implies the supreme nature of our country
 Speaks to the “common man”
 The Framers knew that if they made the
nation up of elite men, and not the
common man, then there would be a
revolution
 It shows that the Constitution was not
made by a god or king- but by the people
of the nation

“in order to form a more perfect Union”
The Framers wanted what was best for the
nation
 The Articles of Confederation was at first
good quality, but soon started to break down.
So, the Framers wanted to make the nation
more perfect than before
 The Articles of Confederation is a document
that was our country’s first
constitution. It was about unity
among the 13 states,
while allowing each state to
remain independent

“establish justice”
In 1787, unfairness was a great fear with
the citizens of the U.S.
 People wanted courts to be equal
 They wanted fair trade within and outside
of the borders of our country

“insure domestic tranquility”



One of the events that caused the Convention was
Shay’s Rebellion, where Massachusetts farmers
revolted
Many people were shocked that war veterans
revolted against the government
Most people were concerned about the tranquility
at their homes, so the Framers hoped that the
powers given to the federal government would
prevent rebellions in the
future.
“provide for the common defense”
The new nation was fearful of attacks
from Britain and Spain
 No one state could fend off an attack
from land or sea, so they decided they
needed each other to survive

“promote general welfare”
Conclusion to everything said before it in the
preamble: tranquility, justice, and defense was to
promote general welfare
 Allows every state and every citizen of those
states to benefit from what the government can
provide
 Framers wanted the expansion of land holdings,
industry, and investment, and they knew that
having a strong national government would be
the start of it

“secure the Blessings of Liberty to
ourselves and our Posterity”
Framers looked forward to the blessings
of liberty because they had fought for it
for so long
 They were concerned that they were
creating a nation in which citizens were
looking out for the interests of the “king”
or president, instead of looking forward to
freedom

“do ordain and establish this
Constitution for the United States
of America”
Finishes the “we the people” thought
 The Constitution being “ordained”
shows that there is a higher power involved
- not of a single human, but as a nation
together
