Requirement 2
Requirement
Citizenship in the Nation
What is the Preamble
List the six purposes for creating the United States Constitution set forth in the Preamble to the Constitution. How do these purposes affect your family and community?
The Preamble of the Constitution
The Preamble of the Constitution is the introduction to the constitution.
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure 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.
The preamble clearly affirms that the people — not the states, not the federal government —have the sovereign (supreme and absolute) authority to ordain (establish) the Constitution as the supreme law of the land.
What Does the Preamble Really Mean? Learn More Here
The Six Purposes of the Constitution (from the Preamble)
1. To form a more perfect union
Create a stronger, united country instead of separate, competing states.
Effects on family and the community:
- States must work together under one nation. Citizens are allowed to move, work, travel, and trade freely across all state lines.
2. To establish justice
Create fair laws and communities
Effects on family and the community:
- The court system protects people’s rights, resolves disputes fairly, and that all laws apply equally to every citizen.
3. To insure domestic tranquility
Maintain peace and order at home.
Effects on family and the community:
- Police, courts, and emergency services help keep neighborhoods safe and respond to conflicts or emergencies.
4. To provide for the common defense
Protect the nation from foreign threats.
Effects on family and the community:
- The military and national security protect the country, keeping families safe from dangers.
5. To promote the general welfare
Support the well-being of the people.
Effects on family and the community:
- Government programs support education, roads, public health, disaster relief, and services that improve daily life.
6. To secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our prosperity.
Protect freedom now and for the future generations.
Effects on family and the community:
- Freedoms like speech, religion, and privacy allow families to live according to their own values and pass those freedoms on for generations.
Do You Know What Led to the Ratification of the Constitution?
The Articles of Confederation was an agreement among the 13 original states that created a very loose national government and served as the nation’s governing document from 1781 to 1789. The states kept most of the power, while the national (federal) government remained weak. This structure reflected the colonies’ fear of creating another strong central authority like the British monarchy they had just broken away from.
The Articles of Confederation was an agreement among the 13 original states that created a very loose national government and served as the nation’s governing document from 1781 to 1789. The states kept most of the power, while the national (federal) government remained weak. This structure reflected the colonies’ fear of creating another strong central authority like the British monarchy they had just broken away from.
Now that you know about the Preamble to the Constitution,
find out more about the three branches of government.
