Tag Archives: U.S. Constitution

In Order to Form a More Perfect Union

The beginning of the U.S. Constitution states several reasons for the establishment of the United States. One is “in order to form a more perfect union.” Others: “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 . . .”

Surely these are worthy causes. Yet, at the time of this writing, most black Americans were slaves, and only white men had the right to vote. Indeed, the most active Americans generally were fairly well-to-do white men.

Sometimes words are spoken or written that are so powerful that even the speakers of the words don’t realize their power or what they really mean if taken literally.

The Possibility of Something Better

Democracy’s track record has fallen in recent years, due to its failure in many developing countries. Why has the United States endured, even though challenged in the past and certainly challenged today?

The country’s founding document, the U.S. Constitution, and the deference given it over the years, has provided stability. The Constitution is imperfect, given that it is a human document. Most of us, if we could travel back to influence its creation in the late 18th century, would have attempted to alter some of its provisions. The evidence that even its creators thought it imperfect is the provision for amending it.

Yet it enshrines for us certain basic values that have defined us. Our laws are judged by it.

Influencing our history, whether many of us think about it or not, is the idea that we were created as a nation of principles and not of privilege.

We certainly fail at times to live up to this high calling. Nevertheless, privilege—of class, money, gender, race, religion, or other—has constantly been challenged.

It necessarily means that we start with reality—our imperfection. We may, and often do, fall short, but the possibility of movement toward something better is always there.