The Preamble to the Constitution dos not offer powers to any particular branch of Government, nor does it offer any powers to the nation-states of this United States. I call them nation-states for that is what our country was originally comprised of and each state that came into the Union of States retains its own authority.
The Preamble was a statement to the Crown of England and to all who would care to know, that the nation-states comprised of the 13 original colonies would no longer take orders from a tyrannical government, towit, the then King of England, Charles III.
Let’s look at the words of the Preable of the Constitution and try to comprehend what the Framers had in mind. Keep in mind that I am not a Constitutional Scholar. I do not hold a doctorate of any degree. I am the descendent cousin of at least 12 of our country’s presidents and the descendent cousin of James Madison and George Washington, and their spouses separately. I am a descendent cousin of Zachary Taylor, Theodore Roosevelt, James Madison, George Washington, John F. Kennedy, Lindon Baines Johnson, and others. I hold no loyalties to any single progenetor of my family particularly since I descend from King Henry VII and, thereby, all the royal houses of Europe. I am an American first and foremost. I am an amateur (lover) of history. I am loyal to my country and its founding documents.
Back when I was in 9th grade, American Government was a required course. Today I am saddened to know that American Government is not taught in our public school system. American History is only featured as a portion of “global social studies” which does nothing to teach our young people the importance of the founding documents.
So, I look at this as a way to educate my nephews and those of you who value and believe in our country’s founding. It was a time when we stripped away all trappings of European life, including the way things were done in Europe, the justice systems of Europe, the monarchical rule of Europe.
Therefore, I present you my interpretation of the Preamble of the Constitution of the United States.
Before you can fully appreciate the meaning behind the Preamble, you must first understand the meaning of each of the specific phrases and words (particularly those in capital letters for they were capitalized for specific effect).
“promote the general Welfare”: According to the case presented to the Supreme Court, M’CULLOCH v. STATE, 17 U.S. 316 (1819), the intent of the phrase, “promote the general welfare” speaks to the general welfare of the union and the combined states, not to the individual. In other words, “welfare” as used in the Constitution’s preamble (and in Article 1, section 8 ) is for the general WELLBEING of the country. It has no bearing on providing welfare to the individual. The case noted here was fought in the Supreme Court by none other than James Madison as an issue of whether the federal government could tax a bank established in a state by the federal government in order to carry out its responsibilities of collecting taxes and provide for the common defense as a power given it in the articles of the Constitution.
“Order”: As many people know, a number of the Constitution’s Framers were FreeMasons. As such, they were members of an “Order” or organization. In creating the United States of America, it is my not-so-humble-opinion that the term “Order” in this instance refers simply to an “organization of states”, particularly since it is capitalized in the original draft of the Constitution (and is generally not capitalized in reprints or quoted material).
“Union”: Unions as labor groups did not yet exist in any form. The term, as intended and used in the Preamble and other founding documents, relates therefore, to a “uniting” for the common good of the individual states. As individual states, they were weak and could be easily defeated in any military situation; however, as a united front or “union” of states, they could band together their militias and armies to defend one another.
“establish Justice”: Up until the Constitutional Convention of 1787 established the Constitution, there was no uniform code of justice among the several states. The “justice” meted out by the Crown was arbitrary and stank of bribery of crown officials. In order to establish a uniform method of dispensing justice among not only individual states but within the overall union of states, the newly created federal government had to be able to try cases for disputes between the states and against the federal government. This took the form of the Supreme Court. It was created to try not only the cases between states but also between states and the federal government, states and private entities (i.e., businesses), and between businesses.
“secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity”: This was the written declaration of war against the Crown. The framers had to secure the freedom of their citizens. Keep in mind, the war had already been fought by the time this document was written, but it was necessary to stipulate that the method by which this country was formed was through the war to secure freedom from the Crown. The Framers wanted all succeeding generations (their ’posterity’) to enjoy that freedom. The only way to do this was to wage war against England. Thankfully, the French supported our separation from the Crown of England.
“do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America”: Just as monarchs were “ordained” and priests were “ordained”, the Constitution of the United States was ordained in the minds and spirit of the people to be God-established through those who fought for the freedom of this country.
So, were you or I to write the preamble in today’s language, it might be presented something like this:
We, the citizens of the United States, in order to form a more perfect country, establish justice, insure domestic peace, provide for the common defense, promote the general wellbeing, and secure the blessings of freedom to ourselves and our heirs, do install and establish this Constitution of the United States of America.
politicalchick1
