Omar Bennett
The Preamble to the United States Constitution is an introductory statement that sets the stage for the Constitution. It is not a law, but communicates the intentions of the framers and the purpose of the document. The Preamble was placed in the Constitution during the last days of the Constitutional Convention by the Committee on Style, which wrote its final draft. It begins with the words We the People and is a brief statement of the Constitution's fundamental purposes and guiding principles.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| The Preamble to the United States Constitution | Begins with the words 'We the People' |
| Is a brief introductory statement of the Constitution's fundamental purposes and guiding principles | |
| Was mainly written by Gouverneur Morris, a Pennsylvania delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention held at Independence Hall in Philadelphia | |
| Sets the stage for the Constitution | |
| Is not a law | |
| Communicates the intentions of the framers and purpose of the document | |
| Was placed in the Constitution during the last days of the Constitutional Convention by the Committee on Style |
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What You'll Learn
- The Preamble to the United States Constitution is an introductory statement of the Constitution's fundamental purposes and guiding principles
- The Preamble was placed in the Constitution during the last days of the Constitutional Convention by the Committee on Style
- The Preamble sets the stage for the Constitution, communicating the intentions of the framers and the purpose of the document
- The Preamble did not provoke any further discussion in the Philadelphia Convention
- There is no historical evidence suggesting the Constitution's Framers conceived of a Preamble with any substantive legal effect
The Preamble to the United States Constitution is an introductory statement of the Constitution's fundamental purposes and guiding principles
The Preamble is not a source of substantive legal effect, such as granting power to the new government or conferring rights to those subject to the federal government. Instead, it is viewed as providing the foundation for the text that follows. The Preamble did not provoke any further discussion in the Philadelphia Convention, but the first words of the Constitution were prominent in the ratifying debates that followed.
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The Preamble was placed in the Constitution during the last days of the Constitutional Convention by the Committee on Style
The Preamble to the United States Constitution, beginning with the words 'We the People', is an introductory statement of the Constitution's fundamental purposes and guiding principles. It is not a law, but it communicates the intentions of the framers and the purpose of the document. The Preamble was placed in the Constitution during the last days of the Constitutional Convention by the Committee on Style, which wrote its final draft. The Preamble did not provoke any further discussion in the Philadelphia Convention, but the first words of the Constitution were a prominent feature of the ratifying debates that followed.
The Preamble was mainly written by Gouverneur Morris, a Pennsylvania delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention held at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Morris' words set the stage for the Constitution, providing an introduction to the highest law of the land. While the Preamble does not have any substantive legal effect, it has been referred to by courts as reliable evidence of the Founding Fathers' intentions regarding the Constitution's meaning and what they hoped it would achieve.
The Founding Fathers appeared to view the Preamble as providing the foundation for the text that followed. The Preamble's office is to expound the nature, extent, and application of the powers actually conferred by the Constitution. In this way, the Preamble serves as an important reminder of the intentions and purposes that guided the creation of the Constitution.
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The Preamble sets the stage for the Constitution, communicating the intentions of the framers and the purpose of the document
The Preamble to the United States Constitution is an introductory statement of the Constitution's fundamental purposes and guiding principles. It was placed in the Constitution during the last days of the Constitutional Convention by the Committee on Style, which wrote its final draft. The Preamble was mainly written by Gouverneur Morris, a Pennsylvania delegate to the 1787 Convention held in Philadelphia.
The Preamble begins with the words 'We the People', and goes on to outline the intentions of the framers, including the desire 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'.
The founding generation appeared to view the Preamble as providing the foundation for the text that followed. There is no historical evidence suggesting the Constitution’s Framers conceived of a Preamble with any substantive legal effect, such as granting power to the new government or conferring rights to those subject to the federal government.
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The Preamble did not provoke any further discussion in the Philadelphia Convention
The Preamble to the United States Constitution is an introductory statement of the Constitution's fundamental purposes and guiding principles. It was placed in the Constitution during the last days of the Constitutional Convention by the Committee on Style, which wrote its final draft. The Preamble did not provoke any further discussion in the Philadelphia Convention, but the first words of the Constitution factored prominently in the ratifying debates that followed.
The Preamble begins with the words 'We the People' and communicates the intentions of the framers and purpose of the document. It is not the law, but it sets the stage for the Constitution. The Preamble was mainly written by Gouverneur Morris, a Pennsylvania delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention held at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
There is no historical evidence suggesting that the Constitution's framers conceived of a Preamble with any substantive legal effect, such as granting power to the new government or conferring rights to those subject to the federal government. Instead, the founding generation appeared to view the Constitution's prefatory text as generally providing the foundation for the text that followed.
Courts have referred to the Preamble as reliable evidence of the Founding Fathers' intentions regarding the Constitution's meaning and what they hoped it would achieve. It is considered to be an important part of the Constitution, setting the tone and providing context for the document.
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There is no historical evidence suggesting the Constitution's Framers conceived of a Preamble with any substantive legal effect
The Preamble to the United States Constitution, beginning with the words 'We the People', is an introductory statement of the Constitution's fundamental purposes and guiding principles. It was placed in the Constitution during the last days of the Constitutional Convention by the Committee on Style, which wrote its final draft. The Preamble sets the stage for the Constitution, communicating the intentions of the framers and the purpose of the document. However, there is no historical evidence suggesting that the Constitution's Framers conceived of a Preamble with any substantive legal effect, such as granting power to the new government or conferring rights to those subject to the federal government. Instead, the founding generation appeared to view the Constitution's prefatory text as generally providing the foundation for the text that followed.
The drafting history of the Preamble, observable by comparing the preambles in the Articles of Confederation, the Committee of Detail draft of the Constitution, and the Committee of Style's final version, demonstrates that the Framers considered the Preamble to be substantively meaningful. The Preamble's true office is to expound the nature, extent, and application of the powers actually conferred by the Constitution. While the Preamble did not provoke any further discussion in the Philadelphia Convention, the first words of the Constitution factored prominently in the ratifying debates that followed.
The conventional view assumes that the Preamble must have no legal or interpretive effect, because the only alternative is the purportedly unacceptable one that the Preamble is an express grant of powers. This view is supported by Jacobson v. Massachusetts (1905), which dismissed the Preamble, declaring that it "has never been regarded as the source of any substantive power conferred on the government of the United States."
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, the preamble is the first paragraph of the Constitution. It sets the stage for the Constitution, acting as an introduction to the highest law of the land.
The preamble is an introductory statement of the Constitution's fundamental purposes and guiding principles. It communicates the intentions of the framers and the purpose of the document.
The preamble was mainly written by Gouverneur Morris, a Pennsylvania delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention held at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
