The United States Constitution was written in 1779. Lawmakers and law enforcers pledge to uphold it. Students at school memorize its Preamble. At times people try hide behind it, as if personal preferences are constitutionally guaranteed. As the song goes, “It ain’t necessarily so.”
Revisiting the majesty of the Preamble is always enlightening:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
We the People of the United States – At the time of its writing, the Constitution had less grace than it does now, thanks to amendments and the Bill of Rights. “We the People” no longer includes slaves and owners, thankfully. No longer do the women of our country have limited rights and resources. We aren’t technically divided along racial, ethnic, religious, political, or other lines, although our reality falls short. Old prejudices remain, as all-too-frequent news stories tell us, but from a constitutional standpoint, we stand together.
In Order to form a more perfect Union – Note the absence of audacity or arrogance. Our union is not perfect, but it is more perfect. “More perfect” than Crown rule. More perfect than taxation without representation or accommodating British soldiers. Originally, the Constitution covered just the basics but provisions were made for additional material. The writers said, in effect, “This is as good as we can do right now, but changes are inevitable. Don't be afraid to make them."
Establish Justice – What is justice? Fairness, righteousness, handling conflicts between factions with objectivity and impartiality. The folks in the 18th century had justice to varying degrees. In the 21st century, we have more. It takes time to establish Justice. Are women better off today? Minorities? Immigrants? I believe that the answer would be a resounding “yes” across the board. We are still “in process” but we are moving in the right direction. Next year I have confidence that there will not be more civil rights abuses, but less. The progress is not as quick as we always want, but it is quantifiable.
Insure domestic Tranquility – Laws are in place to protect We the People, our families and property. Law enforcement provides accountability. We want punishments to fit the crimes, safeguards to ensure that the innocent are not punished nor the guilty acquired. Is our judicial system perfect? No. But it is “more perfect.” It, too, is fluid, researched and dissected to find better methods. There may be cries to “defund,” but it was the Constitution’s framers who took on the responsibility. A nation with no police, or undervalued police, is not a nation with domestic tranquility.
Provide for the common defense – We the People have reason to be proud of our military. The world looks to us to protect them. We’ve overstepped at times, suffering great losses. But we have mostly avoided the need to draft unwilling soldiers because of our excellence of training, resources, and benefits. We the People have not endured war on our own soil in many years. Few countries have been so blessed.
Promote the general Welfare – This broad stroke takes in the collective desire that We the People enjoy health, peace, morality, and safety. Numerous government agencies work to that end, but citizens must be active participants in the process. We pay taxes. We fill out the census questionnaire. We vote for leaders who, we hope, will facilitate programs effectively for the greater good without causing undue hardship on their constituents.
Secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity – The Constitution knows its end game. Often we focus on isolated issues, certain that their successes or failures will be the all-deciding factors. While every individual of We the People is important, the big picture is equally important. Liberty is indeed a blessing; sometimes we must sacrifice today to secure that blessing for tomorrow.
Do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America - The United States is, relatively speaking, one of the new kids on the block as far as sovereign entities go. Growing pains are only natural. Perhaps today’s turmoil clutters the headlines, but when the U.S. is as old as, say, Great Britain or China, today’s tweet or cause du jour (however important now) will hardly cause a ripple of historic interest. While many seem hell-bent to divide us in however many ways possible, “We the People” will have the last say.
But We the People need to vote. We need to stop getting our information from memes and sound bytes and social media. We need to ask questions and research. We need to realize how easily we can be manipulated by emotion or bias and, armed with this awareness, do whatever we can so that we are not. We need to be willing to lay aside a long-held notion or belief when presented with logic and truth to the contrary. We have to lay down prejudices and assumptions. I, for one, am weary of being lumped in with everyone of a certain color or religion or gender or political persuasion. I do not think and act as all other white people, or all Christians, or all women, or all non-partisan voters. Whatever the labels and categories of We the People -- and acknowledging the importance of the collective -- we are also individuals.
This November we face, perhaps, the most important election of this nation's history. Because of the increased speed of information, the tremendous impact of the Internet, we can ill afford a casual treatment of words and speech and behavior. The next president of the United States has more potential influence for either good or bad than any previous president since George Washington.
At the same time, We the People must not lose sight of the fact that whoever lives at 1600 Pennsylvania in our nation's capital is there because of us. We vote them in, we vote them out. They are there for a minimum of four years, a maximum of eight. They are temporary. We the People are here to stay.
