Question

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, 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.”


Preamble to the United States Constitution, 1787



In your response, be sure to address all parts of the question. Use complete sentences; an outline or bulleted list alone is not acceptable.

Using the excerpt, answer (a), (b), and (c).

(a) Briefly describe ONE historical development illustrated by the Preamble.

(b) Briefly describe ONE way in which a historical development illustrated by the Preamble compares with the ideas expressed in the Declaration of Independence.

(c) Briefly explain ONE point of view of the authors of the Preamble.

USE SIMPLE WORDS

Answer 1

(a) The Preamble shows the historical move after the American Revolution to create a stronger national government, which led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and the replacement of the weak Articles of Confederation with the U.S. Constitution.

(b) The Preamble and the Declaration of Independence both stress the importance of liberty and the rights of the people, but they differ in focus: the Declaration explains why the colonies broke from Britain and stresses natural rights, while the Preamble explains how Americans planned to build a working government to protect those rights and promote order and the common good.

(c) The authors of the Preamble believed that political power comes from the people and that government must serve the public by securing justice, peace, defense, welfare, and liberty for both present and future generations.