The Way I Read It

We, the people of the United States,

• in the Preamble it’s written “united States,” small “u,” so there’s no doubt the founders were talking about a federation of separate States; yet they intended that every one of us “people of” those States should be as bound by it and to it as if we had each personally signed it.

in order to form a more perfect Union,

• from the Latin “to shape,” “form” means to create a whole from the separate States; the founders felt that the collective activities of the separate States still needed improvement. It was intended all along that the States work together toward the goals set forth in the Constitution.

establish justice,

• the drafters of the Constitution had more than a little experience with abuses of power under King George; they intended to have certain protections and minimum standards of public and official conduct apply equally and reliably throughout the several States.

insure domestic tranquility

• one of the purposes of uniting the States in a federation was to protect against chaos and anarchy; clearly the founders believed that a cohesive whole was preferable in this respect to a gaggle of separate parts each acting without regard to the others.

• The successful campaign over the last quarter-century by the Republicans to “shrink government” by abdicating to the separate States some matters (usually the ones that require funding) that will deeply affect the quality of life for citizens, while seeking to override existing State laws in other matters (usually regulating personal conduct) will inevitably — and probably soon — lead to disorder, discontent and more anarchy. Some States will care more, some less; some will have more money to spend, some less; we see evidence of that already. Different priorities will create wide disparities of opportunity, and we may see the stability of life in America threatened by a new class of nomads as, rich and poor alike, citizens move from State to State in search of the best deal.

provide for the common defense,

• believing that “in unity there is strength,” the founders intended to set up and provide for the regulation of such “land and naval forces” as might be reasonably kept on hand to defend the new Union against external threat. There is provision, too, for each State to keep a standing militia (the National Guard), to be called out in the event of a need to “suppress insurrections” (Article I, Section 8, Clause 15 of our Constitution). Good thing.

• The question we have now, of course, is whether those very forces have been deployed to such an extent in Iraq as to diminish their ability to maintain order in the face of any anarchy and chaos that might arise at home.

promote the general welfare,

• it would appear that, contrary to what some folks would have us believe, it was in fact the intention of the founders to have the federal government concern itself with such matters as education, employment, medical care, the environment, and the quality of life. How else can their inclusion of this clause be interpreted?

and secure the blessings of liberty

• the founders knew that the advantages of the liberty that followed upon the war for independence from England were not to be taken for granted, and that if they were to be preserved . . .

to ourselves and our posterity

• . . . for our children, our grandchildren, indeed for all the generations we can imagine to come, we must have a plan that will survive.

do ordain and establish this Constitution

• this is the necessary master plan for America, and this is phrase that starts the heartbeat

for the United States of America.