Respond to the following question/prompt in the comment section below.
Why may the Preamble (introduction) of the Constitution be important to understanding the direction our nation will take?
As is our practice we will reply to two of your classmates.
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, 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."
Preamble Song
The Preamble (introduction) of the Constitution is important to understanding the direction our nation will take as it describes the role of the government in the development of the country, and the values the country holds as a whole. The Preamble of this constitution opens the country into a particular way a society is run. The introduction states, "establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare." This introduction implies a nation built on equality, peace, and fair help for all. Although this line might not be based in complete truth, it sets the stage for what our founding fathers hoped the nation would look like, and in turn will be reflected in the laws and government of the United States.
ReplyDeleteI agree, they do seem to want to make sure that the country is peaceful and equal but they did have to compromise their morals with slavery.
DeleteTo me, the line "establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare" seems contradictory to the morals of many of the founding fathers, who owned slaves and most likely didn't believe in women's rights.
DeleteI agree, while the preamble does repeat the idea that the United States will give everyone freedom, the laws and people who created them make it seem as though it's just freedom for white men
DeleteThe preamble does a good job of introducing what seems like a perfect country, but like you said it isn't always based in complete truth. I agree with the point about describing the roles and values of the government, though it seems like we didn't stick to those values very well.
DeleteHave to agree, how the preamble outlines the things that the US will focus and make a peaceful and equal society(ironic)
DeleteI agree with the fact that this is what the founding fathers hoped their nation would become.
DeleteThe preamble of the Constitution is important for understanding the direction our country will take because it shows that the people are sovereign. When it says We the People, it is showing that the power comes from the people and the people are sovereign. It is not the government is sovereign but the people are and they are lending their power to the government.
ReplyDeleteYes I agree, the sovereignty of American citizens is THE founding principle of the revolution, which is shown in the first line of the preamble
DeleteI agree! This all comes back to the central American idea that the government comes from the participation of citizens. This is an attempt to avoid the problems created in the colonial English government.
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DeleteI agree, it shows that the power is derived from the citizens
DeleteSorry, I made a lot of typos in my other response so I deleted it. Here it is retyped: I agree, it establishes basic (though very important) rules and values of the country, like sovereignty.
DeleteThat is probably the most important line, and gives the spirit of the nation, that it is controlled by the people.
DeleteI agree. This makes the U.S seem like it is controlled by the people rather than a government.
DeleteYEah it’s a good starter to show that the US is sovereign and puts in place basic laws/values
DeleteI agree, this line certainly tries to show that the power should come from the people.
DeleteI agree, a big goal of the preamble would be to show that this new nation would act on the people's behalf.
DeleteThe preamble of the Constitution is important to understand the direction our nation will take because it lays out the role of the Constitution and what it should ensure to the American people. Additionally, the constitution starts with "We the people," reinforcing the idea that people are centrally important to American government (a stark contrast with the colonial English government)
ReplyDeleteI agree, the preamble states the rights of the people of the country, implying how the nation will be run: with (supposedly) the people's values as the most important factor.
DeleteI agree, the preamble is trying to reinforce the idea that the country will be run by the people, and because the people are diverse, the ideals and country will be too
DeleteI agree, I had written something similar. The people are sovereign as opposed to the government being sovereign
DeleteI agree, they made sure that they said We the People to enforce the idea that the power comes from the people.
DeleteI hadn't thought about how "we the people" contrasts with the tyranny the colonies were fighting against. That is a good point.
DeleteI wrote something similar, how the preamble is kind of an introductory statement before you go on to the main Constitution.
DeleteI agree, the preamble shows that the goal of this new nation would be to act on the people's behalf.
DeleteThe preamble of the United States is important, because it indicates that the United States will be very diverse, with no central belief system intended, and that it will be a safe place for many. Additionally, it subtly insinuates the idea that slavery will be outlawed, while not stating this outright.
ReplyDeleteI believe that these points are essentially the laws the United States was built on, which is why the preamble is so significant to the constitution.
DeleteThe Preamble establishes the values of the nation, hence creating a guideline for the rest of the Constitution in a sense. For example, the phrase "secure the Blessings of Liberty" establishes the guide no laws in the United States can infringe upon a person's right to liberty.
ReplyDelete*establishes the rule that no laws.
DeleteI agree with this because they wanted citizens to feel free in this new nation.
DeleteI agree it makes makes citizens feel secure with who is in charge of their nation and gives a sense of strength.
DeleteI agree because the U.S didn't want to repeat the mistakes that Britain made so they ensured that everyone would have freedom.
DeleteThe preamble of the Constitution is important to understand because it indicates what will be ensured to Americans and how there will (or supposedly will) be equality in the nation. The phrase "We the people of the United States" expresses how the new government derives its power from the citizens rather than the states.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I think of it as almost like an umbrella for all laws, it establishes what will be ensured but doesn't explain how.
DeleteI agree with this statement, since these were values the nation cared about ever since before the revolution started.
DeleteI agree it shows how everything surrounds the people's power.
DeleteThis is also important, I included something like this about equality, that "We the people" shows how the common citizen will be in for this.
DeleteThe preamble is important to understand the nation's direction, because it helps the people understand how the nation will be governed. "We the People of the United States, in Order to ... secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity." This indicates that the people run the government, and the goals are to have a balanced and free nation.
ReplyDeleteI agree- also I feel that they are trying to show that the direction the nation will take is the opposite or very different from that of the British.
DeleteThe preamble of the nation's constitution sets the groundwork for what the goal of the country ultimately is. According to the constitution, The United States strives to form a more perfect union through a variety of means, and the preamble states those means in the context of how the government is structured and how it operates. It shows what the ideals of the country are and what it strives to achieve.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I thought it was an outline for the USA.
DeleteI had a similar idea of this being like the base of what the country should be trying to go for.
DeleteThe preamble of the constitution is important to understand because it makes it clear that power in the country is given by the people with the phrase "We the People of the United States" and shows how the country is structured around the power the people have and how they really are the leaders of the country.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the opening sentence really says a lot, even if it is only one sentence.
DeleteThe preamble is important because it gives the reader a sense of what the Constitution will be addressing, as well as who it concerns and what it will be trying to set.
ReplyDeleteI agree, as the reader knows what will be up ahead in the future of the nation.
DeleteYeah- it essentially outlines its mission.
DeleteRight. "We the people" clearly shows where the government receives its authority and the preamble also includes intentions and values.
DeleteThe Preamble is important in understanding the direction our nation will take in the same way an essay's introduction tells you what the essay is about. Both outline the general goal of the essay, what the essay will tell you, and just give you a good idea of what lies ahead. The constitution is a long essay. One can't just push you right into it, or try to explain every little thing. The preamble is important because it gives you the gist of the constitution, and therefore the nation.
ReplyDeleteI agree, and I really like the comparison of the introduction of an essay outlines the piece.
DeleteI really like this analogy- I didn't think of it like that!
DeleteI agree with this analogy- the preamble communicates intentions and purpose, just like an introduction
DeleteThe preamble of the Constitution is important to understand because it indicates what the U.S will ensure to everybody in it.
ReplyDeleteThe Preamble (introduction) of the constitution is important in understanding the direction our nation will take as it gives a preview of goals that the people of the United States want to establish to become a better version of themselves, as it is them that represent the government and nation. The words, “ We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union,” in the preamble gives the impression of working toward a common goal setting the basis for how the United States will be.
ReplyDeleteI like the phrase “preview of goals”—I feel like that’s a perfect description of the purpose of the preamble.
DeleteThe Preamble, the Beginning of our Constitution is important in understanding the direction our nation will take because this Preamble outlines everything the US will do that the British failed on...
ReplyDeleteI agree that it also states what they plan on doing to avoid what happened in the past
DeleteThe preamble or introduction of the constitution is important as it states what nation wants to provide and how it wants to provide it. In the preamble, it states that they want to "establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity." This shows what the Constitution and nation plans to provide for the people.
ReplyDeleteThe Preamble outlines what the Constitution, and thus what America, is about. It discusses the values of the new country, and indicates the core of its function, "we the people." The opening line is an excellent representation of the USA's misson: to build a nation that functions for the common good through the will of the people.
ReplyDeleteI agree where the one sentence states the values of the country which is the people and to make it a nation for the people.
DeleteThe Preamble is important to knowing the direction the country would go in because it lays out set goals for it to achieve, including providing defense for its citizens, and securing freedom.
ReplyDeleteThe Preamble of the Constitution is important to the direction the new nation would take because it puts out the foundation of basic principles that would be followed by everyone else, as the first words of it state the equality that everyone was to partake in this. The many basic principles include things like providing a military as defence and making sure that there is peace within the nation.
ReplyDeleteThe preamble of the Constitution establishes the purpose and intentions of the document while also communicating the values that the nation will hold. It basically provides a standard that the government will use as a guide, showing how it should be run.
ReplyDeleteThe preamble of the constitution’s purpose was to set ground rules for the laws the constitution was to bring up. It was to introduce the purpose of the new nation and explain why it was different from the government of England. The Preamble helps us understand the initial intentions of Early America.
ReplyDeleteThe Preamble of the constitution is important because it starts as a guide for the basic rights and it sets the stage for the rest of the constitution. It states basic morals and understanding it will show that the nations first priority should be its people.
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