purpose of the preamble

American Government Honors
Journal Assignment One

The preamble to the Constitution begins with the three words, “We the people,” which is one of the most well known phrases of all time. The preamble states the purposes of the United States government, the first of which is to form a more perfect union. Framers of the Constitution included this in the preamble because the US is a collection of states run by state governments that are united under one national government. The national government was supposed to make the country stronger together than individual states. The provisions that achieve this are Articles four and six. Article four says that states must honor laws and court decisions of other states and cannot escape legal obligation by moving to another state. This is meant to strengthen the union of the states. Article six states that when a state law and a national law conflict, the national law is considered the supreme law of the country. This is meant to create a stable and strong national government. Today, government is still fulfilling this purpose by providing a stable national government to lead the country and by ensuring that state governments have the right to make decisions. Another purpose of the government is to establish justice. The framers added this to the preamble because the purpose of the government is to guarantee that people get what they deserve and that right prevails over wrong. To ensure that this was achieved, the Constitution has the sixth and seventh amendment. The sixth amendment states that a person has the right to be defended by a lawyer and has the right to a speedy trial. The seventh amendment states that a person has a right to a trial by jury in cases that involve more than $20. These amendments establish a person’s rights to justice. Several examples that this purpose is still being achieved by government today are when people are not convicted until there is a trial establishing a person’s guilt, and the fact that in the eyes of the court you are innocent until proven guilty.
The third purpose of the government as stated in the preamble is to insure domestic tranquility. This was included in the preamble because it is the government’s job to make sure America is peaceful. This means no wars at home or military incidences. To achieve this, the third and fourth amendments were added. The third amendment says that soldiers and the militia are not allowed to take your home or other possessions during a time of peace or war without the law saying it is okay to do so. This achieves this by making sure your home stays peaceful without trespassers. The fourth amendment states that your home cannot be searched or seized without a warrant issued upon probable cause. This states that no one can have their rights taken away. In the government today, the purpose to insure domestic tranquility is still being fulfilled. The government has fulfilled this by there not being civil war in over 140 years. Also, there must be probable cause for a warrant to search you home to be issued which protects tranquility in your own home.
The fourth purpose included in the preamble is to provide for the common defense. This was included in the preamble because one of the reasons that the US is one united country is that one military protects all of the states instead of each state providing its own defense. This is provided for in the Constitution in the Second Amendment. This amendment states that anyone is permitted to keep a weapon for safety. Also, the government has the ability to declare war and to go to fight for its people. In everyday life, the government still fulfills the purpose of providing for the common defense. We have not had a military attack on US soils in a very long period of time nor have we had to fight on US territory in quite some time. This is partly because we are defended overseas.
To promote the general welfare is the fifth purpose of the government as listed in the preamble to the US Constitution. This was included by the framers because the main purpose of the government is to provide for the welfare of the US people. In the Constitution, Articles One and Two ensure that the promotion of general welfare is achieved. In both articles, the Constitution sets guidelines for the representatives and government officials stating how old they must be and what experience they must have. They do this to help ensure that the people taking office have the requisites to do so. This promotes welfare by making sure officers are qualified and suited for the job. In real life, this purpose to promote welfare is fulfilled by healthcare and by making sure there are public schools to educate the children. The government gives benefits to lower class citizens to make sure they have healthcare and shelter and food. The last purpose of the government stated on the preamble of the US Constitution is to secure the blessings of liberty. This was included in the preamble by the framers because one of the main ideas of the US government is to protect citizens’ rights and independence. There are many provisions in the Constitution to make sure this is achieved. The first ten amendments make up the bill of rights which outlines citizens’ natural rights. The first and ninth amendments are particularly important. The first gives citizens freedom of speech, press, assembly and petition. The ninth, says that since every right cannot be listed in the Constitution, a right cannot be denied due to it not being written. It gives citizens basic rights not listed in the Constitution. In everyday life, examples of this being fulfilled by the government are our basic rights, to a trial, to a jury, to unlawful search, this purpose is fulfilled everyday.