Most of the leading Founders were lawyers. According to eighteenth-century law, a preamble explained the purposes of the document. The preamble was not part of the actual law, but was used to help explain the text. It was considered a “key to open the Mind of the Makers.”
The Constitution’s Preamble lists six purposes:
(1) form a more perfect Union (the word “perfect” then meant “complete,” not “flawless”);
(2) establish Justice;
(3) insure domestic Tranquility;
(4) provide for the common defence [sic];
(5) promote the general Welfare;
(6) secure the Blessings of Liberty.
These purposes are not always consistent with each other. For example, the Founders understood that a government often commits injustice in the course of ”securing the common defence.”
cross-posted from the Electric City Weblog
