In reading the Preamble to the Constitution, one
cannot help but notice the beginning words, “We the People”. They are the most often quoted three words in
the document. They have been used and
abused ever since first penned on paper.
Reflecting on them, it almost seems as if a
restriction or a decision was made early on to overlook the 4 words that
follow. This raises the question of
whether it was and is intentional or accidental. Certainly if one considers the continued use
of the initial three words, they would support the idea that the country was a democracy since it only references the
people, at large and in total.
While there are those who will disagree or take an
opposing viewpoint with the following, the fact is that throughout history, the
socialists have always used the term “democracy” as a stepping stone to their
ultimate goal of socialism with a government controlled economy and
populace. One need only read some of the
expository treatises on Marxism to realize the truth of that statement.
Yet, the Founding Fathers knew full well what they
were putting on paper when they added the four words that follow, “of the United States”. The significance and understanding of those 4
additional words when added to the other three are critical. They established the “federal” approach to
the formation of a government because the “states” (formerly colonies) were
considered sovereign and independent in their own right. Factually, it was the states that ratified
the constitution and put it in operation.
Yes, many of the states had voting procedures for having their citizens
vote individually. BUT, in the final
analysis, it was the state voting as a unit or block that actually ratified the
document.
Further proof that this was what the founders
intended can be realized when one examines the earlier drafts of the
document. At one time, the opening
paragraph listed all 13 colonies. This
was considered too cumbersome and awkward as well as difficult from a style
standpoint. However, the decision to add
the 4 words we are discussing was the considered judgment probably of Gouveneur
Morris who served as the stylist. According
to notes on the drafting of the Constitution, the 4 words were considered
satisfactory since they “included” all the existing states and would allow for
the addition of new states as the country grew and expanded westward. This slight change avoided the potential
problem they saw of having to re-write the constitution each time a new state
was admitted in order to make the opening statement correct.
Now let’s look at the full meaning of the complete
phrase, “We the People of the United States”.
Knowing that each state voted separately, thereby agreeing to the terms
and conditions of the “contract” (and it was a contract between the states and
the new federal government), they did so without relinquishing their rights and
independence. Proof of this point can be
found in Amendments IX and X which are parts of the Bill of Rights insisted
upon by a number of the parties prior to agreeing to ratify the initial
document. The states were not willing to
give any government a “blank check” in terms of power or authority. Thus, Jefferson’s statement about “binding
them down with the chains of a constitution” serves as testimony.
In the future when someone refers to “We the
People”, politely remind them of the additional 4 words that actually
established in the beginning a federal system instead of a national one.
That’s my view.
What’s yours? Reach me at constitutionviews@gmail.com
©Copyright 2013 Hillard W. Welch
