The Preamble to the United States Constitution The

The Preamble to the United States Constitution

The Preamble o Introduction to the Constitution n Basic principle of American government o o Right of the people to govern themselves List six goals for the government n n n To Establish Justice To Form a More Perfect Union To Insure Domestic Tranquility To Provide for the Common Defense To Promote the General Welfare To Secure the Blessings of Liberty

To Form a More Perfect Union o States needed to agree n to operate as a single country n to co-operate on major issues

To Establish Justice o Provide a national system of courts to n n Protect people’s right Hear cases involving: o o violations of federal laws disputes between states

To Insure Domestic Tranquility o Keep peace among the people n Provided by a strong Central Government

To Provide for the Common Defense o Federal Government has the power to: n Maintain armed forces o to protect the country and its citizens n from attack

To Promote the General Welfare o Well-being of the people by: n n Maintaining order Protecting individual liberties Regulating commerce and bankruptcies Promoting science and technology by granting patents

To Secure the Blessings of Liberty o Major goal of the Constitution n Guarantees basic rights of Americans will not be taken away o o now or for posterity n generations not yet born

“We the People………. . o The Constitution has helped preserve n o basic rights of American citizens Goals listed in the Preamble are just as important today as they were when it was written over 200 years ago.