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U.S. Constitution Reference Guide » The Preamble
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"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a
more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic
Tranquility, provide for the common defence, 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."
Introduction:
The preamble to the United States Constitution serves as an
introduction to the document. It lays out the goals of the
Constitution and provides reasoning for abolishing the
Articles of Confederation.
Reference: http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=7465
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"We the People"
This statement refers to the fact that our government is
based on its people giving their consent to be governed.
Every day, citizens of the United States take action to ensure
that their government is carrying out the will of the people.
As a result, various groups campaign to make their issues,
wants and desires known to the federal government. Here
are a few examples:
-We The People IS IN ACTION for 2012. The People's
Congress wants to keep searching for a new way to make
this country work. They will not stop searching until they find
that one voice that has yet to be heard. The people's
congress listens to everybody in hopes of making the United
States a better union.
Citation: http://peoplescongress.org/
-The citizens of this country are the ones who have
constitutional rights not the corporations. People are trying
to make sure that companies aren't the ones with all the
rights and power.
Citation: http://movetoamend.org/
-Occupy Wall Street, http://occupywallst.org/ talks about
protesting for a better government and that the 99% of the
United States is standing up against the 1%, which (in their
opinion) is the government.
-The White House published this on their blog showing how
"We the People" is being brought into 2012 through petitons.
They are telling Americans that it is their right to petiton
and speak out about what they don't like in our government.
This group operates by this, "...if a petition gathers enough
online signatures, it will be reviewed by policy experts and
you’ll receive an official response."
Citation: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/09/22/petition-white-house-we-people
"Establish Justice"
This statement refers to the fact that our government
attempts to provide fairness and safety to all of its citizens.
The federal government uses different agencies and policies
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in order to establish justice throughout our nation. Here are
a few example government agencies who work toward this
goal:
-The purpose of the Department of Justice (DOJ) is to
enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States
according to the law, ensure public safety against threats
foreign and domestic, provide federal leadership in
preventing and controlling crime, seek just punishment for
those guilty of unlawful behavior, and to ensure fair and
impartial administration of justice for all Americans.
Reference: http://www.justice.gov/
-The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) protects public safety by
ensuring that Federal offenders serve their sentences of
imprisonment in facilities that are safe, humane, costefficient, and appropriately secure. The Bureau helps reduce
the potential for future criminal activity by encouraging
inmates to participate in a range of programs that have been
proven to reduce a return to prison after release.
Reference: http://www.bop.gov/about/index.jsp
-The C.I.A. is short for the central intelligence agency. It is
responsible for providing national security. The primary
function of the CIA is to collect information about foreign
governments, corporations, and individuals, and to advise
public policymakers.
Reference: https://www.cia.gov/about-cia/index.html
-The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is an intel-driven
national security and law enforcement agency. The
organization is designed to protect the citizens of the United
States from the most dangerous threats such as terrorists.
Reference: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us
"Insure Domestic Tranquility"
Through the powers given to the federal government in the
Constitution, the national government attempts to provide
peace within our borders. This peace can be interpreted in
many different ways--from the Department of Homeland
Security all the way to small claims court. Many of the
Framers of the Constitution were concerned about settling
disputes among the states because this was a problem under
the Articles of Confederation. The government attempts to
insure tranquility at home through several different methods.
Below are a few examples:
-The government attempts to treat all the states equally so
peace is maintained within the country. The government
provides protection to citizens using the police, allowing
people to live safely in neighborhoods and communities. Also
the police helps to prevent domestic insurrections.
Government can resolve many conflicts such as trading, in
the economy, people being treated unfairly, and legal
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matters.
Reference: http://reagan2020.us/platform/ensuring_domestic_tranquility.asp
- The police, fire department, FBI, hospitals, doctors office
and the three branches of government all help to keep us
safe, like making sure no soldiers or unwanted people can
come in our houses and take our belongings.
Reference: http://www.house.gov/house/Constitution/Constitution.html
"Provide for the Common
Defense"
1) George Washington said, "To be prepared for war is one
of the effective means of preserving the peace."
2) The government runs and maintains an army and navy to
make sure that the citizens are safe. They protect us from
foreign invaders and even crimes that happen within the
U.S.
Reference: http://www.provideforthecommondefense.com/
3) The national guard is always ready to be called to
wherever they are needed. They could be called overseas or
just responding to a flood or a wildfire. The National Guard is
ready to serve their country, state, and community.
Reference: http://www.nationalguard.com/guard-basics/what-is-the-national-guard-s-mission?
icid=meganav_guard-basics-what-is-the-national-guard-s-mission_20110720
Osama bin Laden's killing is a huge victory for the Obama administration and it will go a long way
towards giving closure to Americans. Our common defense fought for us in Afganistan and provide for
us so that we our safe.
Reference: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/war-afghanistan-osama-bin-ladens-death-spurs-debate/story?
id=13521073
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"Promote the General
Welfare"
Promote the General Welfare--namely, to work together for
the common good. Essentially, the preamble is calling for the
federal government to promote the entire population to work
toward a better life. An example we discussed in class
referred to how parents want a better life for their children.
Promoting the general welfare is promoting the
advancement of our society.
Reference: http://www.chacha.com/question/what-is-the-promote-the-general-welfare
An example of promoting the general welfare in today's
society is the health care plan. Which gives all citizens
affordable health care. This promotes the general welfare
because all citizens are able to be insured for their health.
Reference: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/denise-dennis/to-promote-the-general-we_b_253593.html
The website ProCon.org says that health care plans are and
example of promoting the general welfare becuase health
care keeps the people safe and healthy. This site also lists
the top ten Pros and Cons about health care.
Reference: http://healthcarereform.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=003725
Another example of promoting the general welfare in today's
times is the food and drug administration laws. The FDA is
responsible for letting the public access medicines and other
drugs that keep us healthy. Also this company is responsible
for food supply of people in poverty.
Reference: http://www.fda.gov/aboutfda/whatwedo/default.htm
A Example of Promote General Welfare would be
cleanlinessof the air and water, keeping the land healthy,
and most imporantly keeping the citzens safe
Reference: http://www.chacha.com/question/what-is-a-modern-day-example-of-'promoting-the-generalwelfare,'-as-stated-in-the-preamble-to-the-constitution
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BACK
Polar Bear History
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