Preamble To The United States Constitution Quote

“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.”


Ratings and Comments


bob, colville washington

this is a perfect constitution

Ben, Orem, UT

Not perfect, but certainly adequate for a freedom-loving people. Its just too bad this doesn't say "We the States" instead of people.

J Carlton, Calgary

Word for word beautiful...

Jim, Stone Mountain, GA

The words get 5 stars, but the application gets no stars, i.e. nice words, but total hypocrisy in application. Unfortunately, it is a missing an "*", in that the nice words applied only to white men who were land-owning, Christian, and straight. In practice, others were simply excluded at that time in our history. The same criticism applies to nice words in our Declaration of Independence; nice words but hypocritical in application. Let us not forget our terrible history of injustice for so many Americans that were excluded by the tyrannical majority who wrote the nice words.

Mike Furci, Cleveland, Ohio
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Mike Furci, Cleveland, Ohio Jim, Stone Mountain, GA 5/2/21

Maybe you should learn your history.  A good start would be the Federalist Papers.  From the beginning there was fighting for and against slavery.  The Constitution is an extraordinary, first of it's kind document paving the way of liberty for all men.  It was genious that even the Founders who owned slaves, wrote the Constitution as a tool to move forward out of slavery.  Let us remember, it was white Christian men, both wealthy and poor, who fought to end slavery and won.  Let's also not forget, slavery was world wide at that time; the only way to form a United Sates was to save that battle for another day.    

Ken, Mississippi

Historically valuable. But..."We the people..."? Hardly. "We, the elite..." more likely. That was then, this is now, yet little has changed. Tyrannical majority and hypocrisy are still alive and well in our congress regardless of political party. Yes, we still have a two party system; the powerful and the powerless.

E Archer, NYC

While I agree that the few men who wrote the Constitution cannot truly speak for all the People, it was genius to write it as a declaration of the People so that anyone could claim it as their declaration and the ideology for which they stand. According to this declaration, it is the People establishing the administration of government and the rules thereof. The rules come from the People to the government administrators and employees. The Constitution grants no rights because the Declaration of Independence already acknowledges that our Liberty is not granted by anyone --it is an inalienable right. And the purpose of establishing this government was to prevent a man or coterie of men from subjugating the people as is the nature of powerful men throughout time. The Constitution was to define the limits, to keep power in check, balanced in different spheres, distributed among the people, counties, and states. The Constitution will be revived when there are enough people who include themselves in the 'We' of 'We the People' and do something about it.

Ken, MS
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    Ken, MS    9/17/09

    One thing WE could do is to demand that every public educational system at the college level have a mandatory course in that great document. I'm aware of but one which does.

    Waffler, Smith

    Good comments y'all. I have a serious question however for those he think it should have said "We the States". I know many on the right and on this web site abhor the "state" as an albatross around the people's neck and as an instrument of socialist or dictatorial oppression but when it comes to the rights of American provinces these same folks speak up for "the state". There are times when the powers in Washington have come to the aid of individuals who have issues with "the state" as experienced in individual provinces. So for some the concept of the "state" is to be abhorred except when the concept is prefered as here over and against the concept of "the people".

    E Archer, NYC

    Eh, Waffler, could you rephrase the question? I didn't quite make it out...

    Waffler, Smith

    Some detest the "state" and then turn around and petition for more power to be given to "the states". Does not anyone see a problem with their logic? Historically the states or some of them stepped on the rights of minority individuals (native Americans. descendants of slaves) and the Feds defended individuals from the state.

    E Archer, NYC

    How can you ask about anyone seeing a problem with the logic of 'some' one unidentified, words unidentified, and a paraphrase of what no one has said? Does not anyone see a problem with your logic, Waffler? What is twisted logic is the backward misunderstanding of power and its origins in American law. First, all power and authority resides in the individual from which are created groups, communities, counties, and states. The states are not 'given more power' by anyone other than by those that have the power to give in the first place. Your 'question' is not a question, just a misinformed logic presumed upon another. The only power the government (state or federal) is to have in a constitutional republic is the power granted by the people with their consent. Any other assumed power is arbitrary and thus unlawful. Waffler consistently makes the mistake of seeing that all power resides in the government, and that is grants power (if it so chooses) to states or groups or individuals -- if they are deemed worthy. In fact, it is the other way around, and when we have lost sight of that, we get totalitarian government and the subservience of the people and their 'rights.'

    Waffler, Smith

    Okay I am constructing a problem and asking for those interested to solve it. Some on this website abhor the concept of "the state" but then support the idea of more power to "the states" and support the idea that "the state" should appoint Senators. Does no one see the dichotomy or confusion that I see in people who claim they are for liberty of the individual and against "the state" and then turn around and take the total other position of state appointed reprsentatives over the people and "We the States" rather then "We the People"?

    Joy, Hansville

    Beautiful words written by men of great wisdom who had the nearly impossible job of balancing all the various demands of the various states. That they did as well as they did is no less than a miracle. That they didn't do better is the result of their realization that they had done all they could do to get an agreement on any constitution at all. Our Constitution and Bill of Rights, if followed as it was written and intended to exercised, would provide us with a more effective, fair, and balanced government than we have today.

    Your secret lover, California

    Great. But I was looking up quotes to go along with this for a school project...and this popped up.

    US Government Class, Glen Arbor, MI

    "More perfect" implies that it's already perfect. Perfection is impossible.

    Jade, Nashville, Tennessee

    I'll never understand how anyone can hate America... when you look at the constitution, the wisdom those founding fathers must have had, its amazing.

    bob the builder, idc

    its stupid

    daddy, NYU
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    daddy, NYU    8/1/16

    Fuck all this.

    @

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