The Preamble is the Least Important Part of the Constitution
Most people are familiar with the Constitution’s preamble. A lot of people were required to memorize it in school. But while the preamble is arguably the best-known part of the Constitution, it is the least important. Like so many other parts of the...
The ideas that formed the Constitution: Jean-Louis DeLolme and “We the People…”
Writers on the Constitution seldom mention the name of Jean-Louis DeLolme. This is unfortunate, because DeLolme’s book on the English political system significantly influenced those who participated in the constitutional debates of 1787–1790. The Constitution’s...
Understanding the Constitution: The Force of the Preamble
My last essay discussed the style of the Constitution’s preamble. Gouverneur Morris, its principal author, composed a passage that was grand, euphonious, and balanced. This essay addresses the preamble’s substance. The preamble of a legal instrument recites understood...