This is the introduction to the Constitution, in which the Framers outline their goals for the articles that follow and the values underlying them.
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.
Preambles were once common in legal documents. The United States’ first governing charter, known as the Articles of Confederation, also had a preamble, which declared an end to the thirteen colonies and the beginning of a new “Confederation and perpetual Union.” It aimed to establish a “league of friendship” among the thirteen states, but some wanted the federal government to consolidate more power - capable of managing interstate conflicts and foreign affairs.
In the Constitution’s Preamble, the phrase “In Order to form a more perfect Union” was a response to the shortfalls of the Articles of Confederation.
In the initial draft of the Constitution’s Preamble, the thirteen colonies were identified in the beginning, but the delegates in charge of editing the document decided to replace the names of the thirteen states with “We the people.”
