The Preamble to the Constitution

I'll try to do some research and reading this weekend on the Constitution, but there is one part it that I know well.  In fact, I have it memorized, as do so many of my fellow Gen X-ers, thanks to a great thing called "Schoolhouse Rock."

Back in the heyday day of Saturday morning cartoons, one of the best things ever was a series called "Schoolhouse Rock."   In short, animated music videos, we'd get truly educational content compressed into 3 minutes of entertainment and catchy songs.  There was "Lucky 7" where you learned about math, "Conjunction Junction" where you learned about grammar, and then there were my favorites where you learned about our government.  My generation knows all about bills and how they become laws from this amazing series.

As for me, I clearly remember getting a bonus 10 points on an exam in college because I could write down the entire Preamble to the Constitution thanks to this gem:





"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."

This brief statement sets the tone of the document that is the cornerstone of our country.  While the Declaration of Independence is more celebrated in the folklore of the formation of this country, it was really just a good start.  The actual blueprint of our government is set down in the Constitution.

The Preamble tells us exactly what the Framers of the Constitution wanted to accomplish here.  They wanted to create a Utopian government...a more "Perfect Union."  The intent was good, but can any government be absolutely just, make sure that the lives of its citizens are untroubled, safe, successful and that their right to self-determination is guaranteed for all future generations?   

The rest of the document goes on to establish the framework of the government and was amended not long after it was ratified to include the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments.  Most people are familiar with the the first few.  

Even the Framers of the Constitution were aware that the document that they all contributed to and argued over was flawed.  Ben Franklin stated, 

“I agree to this Constitution with all its faults, if they are such, because I think a central government is necessary for us… I doubt too whether any other Convention we can obtain may be able to make a better Constitution.”

I wonder if The Constitution were written now, instead of almost 250 years ago, if the people creating it would have taken a more pragmatic approach.   The idea of a Utopian anything seems to have fallen by the wayside, "you can't make all of the people happy all of the time."  However, maybe it is best to set lofty goals just to be able to say you tried your best. 

And I think that there were times that our country, as a whole, did try its best.  The problem I'm having now is that so many people aren't even trying anymore.  The success has finally gotten to the heads of the people in power to the point where they are pitting against each other those who still want that Utopian society and those who want to focus on their own personal Utopia.  

There is no domestic tranquility; we are as far from tranquil as I've ever seen.  The focus has moved on from defending our country from other countries to suppressing the populace.  Our country is troubled and unsafe, success and self-determination are reserved for the privileged.  How did we get here and how can we fix it for future generations?