Name: __________________________________________________
Period: _______
Handout # ______
PREAMBLE RAMBLE
Most Constitutions contain a preamble. A ​
preamble​
is the introductory statement in a Constitution. The preamble
presents the social priorities and goals that are reflected in the nation’s government. The preamble highlights the
national identity of a country. ​
The Preamble to the United States Constitution is well known to many Americans.
However, the meaning of those 52 words, and the original intent of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention
of 1787, are still widely studied and debated. One way to get a better understanding of a writer’s intent in an
informational text is to study choices made during revisions — which words are deleted and what is selected to
replace them. The Constitution went through a number of drafts and reviews by committee. ​
Compare​
and ​
contrast
the early draft of the Preamble to the Preamble text that was eventually ratified and adopted.
Early Draft of the Preamble of the United States Constitution
Official Preamble of the United States Constitution
Something to Ramble About…
- What arguments would the delegates offer for retaining the list of individual states in the preamble?
- What arguments would the delegates offer for replacing the list of states with “the United States”?
- Looking at their final choice, what can a 21st century reader infer about the intentions of the
Constitutional Convention?
- Consider and compare what each draft explicitly names as the purpose for the Constitution.
COMPARE​
AND ​
CONTRAST​
THE PREAMBLES OF THE
UNITED STATES, FRANCE, AFGHANISTAN, AND JAPAN.
Preamble ­ United States 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 ­ France The French people solemnly proclaim their attachment to the Rights of Man and the principles of national sovereignty as defined by the Declaration of 1789, confirmed and complemented by the Preamble to the Constitution of 1946, and to the rights and duties as defined in the Charter for the Environment of 2004. By virtue of these principles and that of the self­determination of peoples, the Republic offers to the overseas territories which have expressed the will to adhere to them new institutions founded on the common ideal of liberty, equality and fraternity and conceived for the purpose of their democratic development. Preamble ­ Afghanistan In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of Worlds; and Praise and Peace be upon Mohammad, His Last Messenger and his disciples and followers. We the people of Afghanistan: Believing firmly in Almighty God, relying on His divine will and adhering to the Holy religion of Islam; Realizing the previous injustices, miseries and innumerable disasters which have befallen our country; Appreciating the sacrifices, historical struggles, jihad and just resistance of all the peoples of Afghanistan, admiring the supreme position of the martyrs of the country's freedom; Comprehending that a united, indivisible Afghanistan belongs to all its tribes and peoples; Observing the United Nations Charter as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; And in order to: Strengthen national unity, safeguard independence, national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country; Establish an order based on the peoples' will and democracy; Form a civil society void of oppression, atrocity, discrimination as well as violence, based on rule of law, social justice, protecting integrity and human rights, and attaining peoples' freedoms and fundamental rights; Strengthen political, social, economic as well as defense institutions; Attain a prosperous life and sound living environment for all inhabitants of this land; And, eventually, regain Afghanistan's appropriate place in the international family; Have, herein, approved this constitution in accordance with the historical, cultural and social realities as well as requirements of time through our elected representatives in the Loya Jirga, dated January 3, 2004, held in the city of Kabul. Preamble ­ Japan We, the Japanese people, acting through our duly elected representatives in the National Diet, determined that we shall secure for ourselves and our posterity the fruits of peaceful cooperation with all nations and the blessings of liberty throughout this land, and resolved that never again shall we be visited with the horrors of war through the action of government, do proclaim that sovereign power resides with the people and do firmly establish this Constitution. Government is a sacred trust of the people, the authority for which is derived from the people, the powers of which are exercised by the representatives of the people, and the benefits of which are enjoyed by the people. This is a universal principle of mankind upon which this Constitution is founded. We reject and revoke all constitutions, laws, ordinances, and rescripts in conflict herewith. We, the Japanese people, desire peace for all time and are deeply conscious of the high ideals controlling human relationship, and we have determined to preserve our security and existence, trusting in the justice and faith of the peace­ loving peoples of the world. We desire to occupy an honored place in an international society striving for the preservation of peace, and the banishment of tyranny and slavery, oppression and intolerance for all time from the earth. We recognize that all peoples of the world have the right to live in peace, free from fear and want. We believe that no nation is responsible to itself alone, but that laws of political morality are universal; and that obedience to such laws is incumbent upon all nations who would sustain their own sovereignty and justify their sovereign relationship with other nations. We, the Japanese people, pledge our national honor to accomplish these high ideals and purposes with all our resources.