Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, September 1787

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Courtesy of Library of Congress, Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, September 1787

Description

The preamble is the opening statement to the U.S. Constitution. The preamble explains the reasons why the framers of the Constitution made the government a republic. The preamble, along with the rest of the U.S. Constitution, was written over a period of about six weeks, and it helped explain why the document was written.

Transcript of the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution

Source-Dependent Questions

• What is the purpose of a preamble? How does the preamble to the U.S. Constitution help explain why the founders thought we needed one?
• What are the key words in the preamble that embody the country's ideas?

Citation Information

Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, September 1787. Courtesy of Library of Congress