Preamble to the United States Constitution
Introduction
The Preamble to the United States Constitution is a brief introductory statement of the Constitution's fundamental purposes and guiding principles. It states in general terms, and courts have referred to it as reliable evidence of the Founding Fathers' intentions regarding the Constitution's meaning and what they hoped the Constitution would achieve.
Text
The text of the Preamble is as follows:
"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."
Interpretation
The Preamble serves solely as an introduction, and does not assign powers to the federal government, nor does it provide specific limitations on government action. Due to its limited nature, it has rarely been used as a decisive factor in Supreme Court decisions, with the Court instead relying on the Articles and Amendments of the Constitution in establishing legal precedents.
Historical Background
The Preamble was placed in the Constitution during the last days of the Constitutional Convention by the Committee on Style, which wrote its final draft. It was not proposed or discussed on the floor of the convention beforehand. The initial wording of the preamble did not refer to the people of the United States, rather, it referred to people of the various states, which was the norm during the Articles of Confederation.
Purpose and Effect
The Preamble has been used in a limited number of court cases, but it is often used as an argumentative tool by legal scholars and others who interpret the Constitution. It does not define government powers in a substantive manner, but rather, it provides a statement of the Constitution's fundamental purposes and guiding principles, which have been cited by the Supreme Court as evidence of the Founding Fathers' intentions regarding the Constitution's meaning and what they hoped the Constitution would achieve.