Principles Of The Constitution
The Preamble of the US Constitution is similar to the thesis of an essay. The Preamble gives the reader an overview of what the Constitution hopes to accomplish. The five principles stated in the Preamble are expressed throughout the Constitution. I believe that the Constitution lives up to the bold goals stated in the Preamble.
The first goal of the Constitution is to "establish justice." This phrase is used to express that every citizen is equal under the law, so that justice will uphold. Therefore, anyone who breaks the law is equally subject to punish given by the law. Amendments 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution directly relates to establishing justice in the US. The second goal is to "insure domestic Tranquility."
From the start of early colonization to the time the Constitution was written, the people living in what became the US were constantly in turmoil. Previous conflicts with Native Americans, England, and internal problems between states required the writers of the Constitution to develop a way in which they could maintain peace in the US or to "insure domestic Tranquility." The strong government setup in the Constitution allows the US to do just that. Dividing power between the 3 branches of government (executive, judicial, and legislative) allows a wide range of people to work to "insure domestic Tranquility." The third principle written in the Preamble is to "provide for the common defense." As the US was growing, the need for an army grew. Foreign powers surrounding the US made the need for national defense even more significant. The Constitution divides this responsibility between the executive and legislative branch. The president is the commander-in-chief of the military and is in charge of the defense of the US. Congress was given the power to declare war and to deal with the funds set aside for defense. The combined powers of the president and congress insure the domestic tranquility in the US. The 4th principle set up in the Preamble is the goal to "promote the general Welfare." By the end of the Revolution, the US was not doing well economically. A system was needed to get the US economy on track. To do this, Congress was given the power of taxation. Therefore, Congress could institute and collect taxes. The ability to tax allowed the government to "finance its war debts and to put the currency on a firmer basis" (source 1). The 5th and final principle of the Preamble is to "secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity." I believe that this is the most important goal listed in the Preamble. Because of the political and religious oppression from England, the writers of the Constitution and the rest of the US citizens knew how awful it was to have their personal liberty taken away. The first amendment of the Bill of Rights gave frame to the goal of protecting the liberty of the US. The first amendment established the Freedom of religion, speech, press, and the rights of assembly and petition. The other nine amendments also guarantee liberty to US citizens (the right to bear arms, housing of soldiers, etc.). Subsequently, the Constitution does an excellent job of executing the 5 goals stated in the Preamble. The Preamble is not in need of any changes, however, I would add one goal if I could edit the Preamble. This goal would be "To prevent a tyrannical government from taking control." The ways to uphold this goal are already listed in the Constitution (separation of powers and checks and balances), but this goal needs to be listed in order to express the meaning of the Constitution more efficiently. The writers of the Constitution knew this was important since they had just separated from a king who held the majority of the government's power. Ultimately, the Constitution lives up to the goals in the Preamble and has been the framework of the United States since its draft in 1787.
From the start of early colonization to the time the Constitution was written, the people living in what became the US were constantly in turmoil. Previous conflicts with Native Americans, England, and internal problems between states required the writers of the Constitution to develop a way in which they could maintain peace in the US or to "insure domestic Tranquility." The strong government setup in the Constitution allows the US to do just that. Dividing power between the 3 branches of government (executive, judicial, and legislative) allows a wide range of people to work to "insure domestic Tranquility." The third principle written in the Preamble is to "provide for the common defense." As the US was growing, the need for an army grew. Foreign powers surrounding the US made the need for national defense even more significant. The Constitution divides this responsibility between the executive and legislative branch. The president is the commander-in-chief of the military and is in charge of the defense of the US. Congress was given the power to declare war and to deal with the funds set aside for defense. The combined powers of the president and congress insure the domestic tranquility in the US. The 4th principle set up in the Preamble is the goal to "promote the general Welfare." By the end of the Revolution, the US was not doing well economically. A system was needed to get the US economy on track. To do this, Congress was given the power of taxation. Therefore, Congress could institute and collect taxes. The ability to tax allowed the government to "finance its war debts and to put the currency on a firmer basis" (source 1). The 5th and final principle of the Preamble is to "secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity." I believe that this is the most important goal listed in the Preamble. Because of the political and religious oppression from England, the writers of the Constitution and the rest of the US citizens knew how awful it was to have their personal liberty taken away. The first amendment of the Bill of Rights gave frame to the goal of protecting the liberty of the US. The first amendment established the Freedom of religion, speech, press, and the rights of assembly and petition. The other nine amendments also guarantee liberty to US citizens (the right to bear arms, housing of soldiers, etc.). Subsequently, the Constitution does an excellent job of executing the 5 goals stated in the Preamble. The Preamble is not in need of any changes, however, I would add one goal if I could edit the Preamble. This goal would be "To prevent a tyrannical government from taking control." The ways to uphold this goal are already listed in the Constitution (separation of powers and checks and balances), but this goal needs to be listed in order to express the meaning of the Constitution more efficiently. The writers of the Constitution knew this was important since they had just separated from a king who held the majority of the government's power. Ultimately, the Constitution lives up to the goals in the Preamble and has been the framework of the United States since its draft in 1787.