Tag Archives: preamble to the Constitution

We the People

4 Replies

On July 4, 2022, I wrote a post about Independence Day. At the time I believed that Americans were as divided as they ever could be — two groups peering at each other across the deepest chasm possible. I was wrong. Over the past four years, the division has grown more bitter, the chasm deeper. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can, and must, return to our roots. We must remember that America was designed for interdependence as much as for independence.

Consider the country’s name, which declares that individual entities (States) are made one (United). The same ideal appears in America’s traditional self-definition (melting pot) and motto (E Pluribus Unum — “Out of many, one“). The Preamble to the Constitution begins “We the people,” emphasizing unity.

Of course, the 18th-century people granting themselves rights in the Constitution excluded many Americans. In the Preamble, the Founders acknowledged that their work was flawed, declaring that they were striving for a Union that was more perfect — not actually perfect. And despite their shortcomings, the Founders’ goals were worthy: “to 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.” Note the capitalization: In the colonial era, writers employed upper case for emphasis. The capitalized words of the Preamble reveal that the Founders aimed for Justice, Tranquility, Welfare, Blessings, Liberty, and Posterity. Not a bad slate of goals.

Bearing these points in mind, I suggest that instead of focusing on the Declaration of Independence on this, the document’s 250th birthday, we instead celebrate the Preamble to the United States Constitution. At the very least, the Preamble’s minimal length (52 words) allows more time for barbecues. At best, the Preamble may prompt us to rededicate ourselves to Interdependence, to the notion that what’s good for All of us is good for Each of us. (Colonial capitalization intended.) With the Preamble as a focus, this divisive era may become less so, and a “more perfect Union” may be achieved. Happy July 4th!

Happy In(ter)dependence Day

6 Replies

Today Americans celebrate Independence Day. Barbecues aren’t an option in my dense, cement-covered portion of New York City, and I generally go to sleep around the time Macy’s sets off its first firework. Lacking traditional outlets, this year I’m dedicating my holiday to grammar. (Do I know how to have a good time or what?)

An obscure grammar rule holds that collective nouns (jury, class, committee, etc.) are singular when everyone in the group is united in performing the same action (The drama class meets every Wednesday) and plural when the group is divided or acting individually (The cast are writing “Best Actor” acceptance speeches). This convention is followed more often in the Britain than in the US. Americans are more likely to employ a singular verb (The cast is writing) than pair a collective noun with a plural verb. To American ears, “the cast are” just sounds wrong.

Lately I’ve been wondering if this usage mirrors an ideal embedded in the fundamental fabric of the country — in its very name, which declares that individual entities (States) are United. The same ideal appears in America’s self-definition (melting pot) and motto (E Pluribus Unum — “Out of many, one“). The preamble to the Constitution begins “We the people,” emphasizing unity.

Of course, the people granting themselves rights in the Constitution excluded an awful lot of Americans. In the preamble, they acknowledged that their work was flawed, declaring that they were striving for a Union that was more perfect — not actually perfect. And despite their shortcomings, the Founders’ goals were worthy: “to 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.”

With all this in mind, I suggest that instead of focusing on the Declaration of Independence this July 4th, we celebrate the preamble to the United States Constitution. At the very least, its minimal length (52 words) allows more time for the barbecue-inclined. At best, the preamble may prompt us to rededicate ourselves to interdependence, to the notion that what’s good for all of us is good for each of us. Perhaps then this divisive era will become less so, and pairing a singular verb with the collective noun, American citizenry, will be both accurate and grammatically correct. Happy July 4th!