Constitutional Preamble

U.S. Constitution — United States Constitution

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

Signed in 1787, the U.S. Constitution's preamble is a single sentence stating the document's purpose before any article of government begins. It has been memorized by generations of American schoolchildren and remains one of the most recognizable openings in political writing.