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Editing Constitution of the United States/The Preamble
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The Preamble introduces the American Constitution.<ref><span id="ALDF_00014436">''See'' [[{{ROOTPAGENAME}}/The Preamble|The Preamble]]</span></ref> Its majestic words are the first words people see when they read the Constitution, and it is a common ritual that school children throughout the Nation memorize the Preamble when learning about the Nation's Founding document.<ref><span id="ALDF_00014437">''See'' Henry Conserva, Understanding the Constitution 7 (2011).</span></ref> The Preamble itself imparts three central concepts to the reader: (1) the source of power to enact the Constitution (i.e., "the People of the United States"); (2) the broad ends to which the Constitution is "ordain[ed] and establish[ed]"; and (3) the authors' intent for the Constitution to be a legal instrument of lasting "Posterity."<ref><span id="ALDF_00014438">[[{{ROOTPAGENAME}}/The Preamble|The Preamble]]</span></ref> Yet, as discussed in more detail below, the Preamble's origins and its continued relevance in constitutional law are unclear and, for many people, unknown. | The Preamble introduces the American Constitution.<ref><span id="ALDF_00014436">''See'' [[{{ROOTPAGENAME}}/The Preamble|The Preamble]]</span></ref> Its majestic words are the first words people see when they read the Constitution, and it is a common ritual that school children throughout the Nation memorize the Preamble when learning about the Nation's Founding document.<ref><span id="ALDF_00014437">''See'' Henry Conserva, Understanding the Constitution 7 (2011).</span></ref> The Preamble itself imparts three central concepts to the reader: (1) the source of power to enact the Constitution (i.e., "the People of the United States"); (2) the broad ends to which the Constitution is "ordain[ed] and establish[ed]"; and (3) the authors' intent for the Constitution to be a legal instrument of lasting "Posterity."<ref><span id="ALDF_00014438">[[{{ROOTPAGENAME}}/The Preamble|The Preamble]]</span></ref> Yet, as discussed in more detail below, the Preamble's origins and its continued relevance in constitutional law are unclear and, for many people, unknown. | ||
The uncertainty surrounding the Preamble may be surprising, as the Constitution's introduction would seem central to any debate over the document's meaning. And, in fact, at least two of the Founding Fathers appeared to view the Preamble as an important feature of the document critical to the legal framework it established. James Monroe, as a delegate to the Virginia ratifying convention, referred to the Preamble as the "Key of the Constitution,"<ref><span id="ALDF_00014439">''See'' James Monroe, The Writings of James Monroe: 1778-1794, at 356 (Stanislaus Murray Hamilton ed., 1898).</span></ref> and Alexander Hamilton argued in the ''Federalist No. 84'' that the existence of the Preamble obviated any need for a bill of rights.<ref><span id="ALDF_00014440">''See'' [https://guides.loc.gov/federalist-papers/text-81-85#s-lg-box-wrapper-25493491 The Federalist No. 84 (Alexander Hamilton)].</span></ref> Nonetheless, the Preamble was not the subject of any extensive debate at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, having been added to the Constitution as an apparent afterthought during the final drafting process.<ref><span id="ALDF_00014441">''See'' Dennis J. Mahoney, ''Preamble'', ''in'' 3 Encyclopedia of the American Constitution 1435 (Leonard W. Levy et al. eds., 1986) (noting "there is no record of any objection to the Preamble as it was reported by the committee").</span></ref> | The uncertainty surrounding the Preamble may be surprising, as the Constitution's introduction would seem central to any debate over the document's meaning. And, in fact, at least two of the Founding Fathers appeared to view the Preamble as an important feature of the document critical to the legal framework it established. James Monroe, as a delegate to the Virginia ratifying convention, referred to the Preamble as the "Key of the Constitution,"<ref><span id="ALDF_00014439">''See'' James Monroe, The Writings of James Monroe: 1778-1794, at 356 (Stanislaus Murray Hamilton ed., 1898).</span></ref> and Alexander Hamilton argued in the ''Federalist No. 84'' that the existence of the Preamble obviated any need for a bill of rights.<ref><span id="ALDF_00014440">''See'' [https://guides.loc.gov/federalist-papers/text-81-85#s-lg-box-wrapper-25493491 The Federalist No. 84 (Alexander Hamilton)].</span></ref> Nonetheless, the Preamble was not the subject of any extensive debate at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, having been added to the Constitution as an apparent afterthought during the final drafting process.<ref><span id="ALDF_00014441">''See'' Dennis J. Mahoney, ''Preamble'', ''in'' 3 Encyclopedia of the American Constitution 1435 (Leonard W. Levy et al. eds., 1986) (noting "there is no record of any objection to the Preamble as it was reported by the committee").</span></ref> |