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Allen

Period 4
November 5, 2014
The Preamble
Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot
touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of
American resolve. America was targeted for attack because we are the brightest beacon for
freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining. This was a
quote George W. Bush said after the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. The meaning of
this quote is that America cannot be destroyed by anything that comes to effect us. This
statement comes to play with the Preamble because of the quote, Secure blessings of liberty to
ourselves and our posterity. This works because even though the terrorists attacked the U.S.,
they are still going to be a free nation and we will continue to be for future generations. The
Preamble still had an enduring impact, the ideals of justice, defense and welfare are evident in
the events after 9/11.
The Preamble is the opening statement to the constitution that summarizes it up. The
words of the Preamble mean that the U.S promises to try to create a better country and by doing
so, they will attempt to keep a fair and secure society. According to history.com, they knew
people wouldnt take the time to read the whole Constitution, so they took the the main pieces
from it and made the Preamble, a long sentence that explains the important information in the
Constitution.

When you explain the Preamble, it sounds like a fantastic backbone for our country. It
may only be a sentence, but everything in it is very essential to the creating of this country. In
other words it means, to make a better country, the citizens and government of the U.S. will
come together and Establish justice, meaning they will make attempt to make things fair
through whatever goes on, the government will Insure domestic tranquility meaning they are
certain of making sure there is peace between the states. When the Preamble says they will
Provide for the common defense, it means the government will supply the military forces with
the things needed for war and will make the best decisions for the U.S troops & in other words,
Promote the general welfare, in smaller words means that the people of the U.S. will be taken
care of and have increased public safety. Towards the end of the Preamble when it says, And
secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, it means its not only seeking
benefits for selfish reasons, but for future generations to come the finally, the last quote, Do
ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America, is basically just a
conclusion saying they approve the article. The Preambles points are very promising and this
document is very important because it is the summary of the rules and guidelines for the country.

A picture of the actual Preamble and its fancy writing.

The Preambles impact on the U.S. now of days is pretty large, even after all the years and
everything that has happened in U.S. history. .According to heritage.org, the Constitution/Preamble was one of the
main reasons why African Americans became equal. In the Preamble, when it says Establish justice, this is one
thing that it came into play with. See, the 14th Amendment says, all persons born or naturalized in the United

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States, which means everyone in the U.S. Then the in the rest of the 14th Amendment it forbids states from denying
any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the
equal protection of the laws. By directly mentioning the role of the states, the 14th Amendment greatly expanded
the protection of civil rights to all Americans and is cited in more litigation than any other amendment. This may not
be in the Preamble, but the Preambles quote Establish justice, helped African Americans become equal due to the
Constitution saying everyone is equal. There were many arguments throughout many years through the Supreme
Court, but finally, on May 17, 1954, they decided that segregation was against the 14th Amendment because it
violated Equal Protection. The next year the Courts ordered desegregation with all deliberate speed.

The Preamble has

still had meaning to this day with

more recent events. After

911, George W. Bush sent out

troops to find Bin Laden,

also to establish justice . There

have been things on gay

marriage, which is now legal in

most states because of the

quote, and secure the blessings of

liberty, so they are free to

love who ever they want because

they are free to do so and

if they are not being given their

rights and the government would not be insuring domestic tranquility.

To this day, through 100s of years, the Preamble has an enduring impact on Americans even after what the
country has been through because the government still sticks to its principles. The Preambles impact is still major
and its still great backbone for this country.