Constitution Week spotlight

The Preamble is the opening statement of the Constitution. It is a concise 52-word proclamation of the values at work in the complete document. It is thought the Preamble to the Constitution was written by Gouverneur Morris of Delaware; however, we do not know with certainty if any one man proposed the words or if it was devised and revised by a committee.

The Preamble gives American citizens, not the government, the power of rule.

Know your Constitution. See if you can answer these three questions:

1) The opening words of the Preamble are:

a. Four score and seven years ago

b. It came upon a midnight clear

c. We the People of the United States

2) The framers of the Constitution included a system of checks and balances. This means:

a. each branch of government takes turns taking the lead role at the start of a new congressional session

b. each branch of government has powers that can keep the other branches from becoming too powerful

c. each branch of government has access to an equal supply of money

3) How many states of the original 13 were needed to approve the Constitution?

a. Nine

b. Seven

c. 13

This Constitution Week Spotlight was provided by Lieutenant George Farragut Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. For more information about DAR, please visit the chapter’s website at lgfdar.com.

Answers: 1) c. We the People of the United States; 2) b. each branch of government has powers that can keep the other branches from becoming too powerful; 3) a. Nine