provide laws and punishments

2a : to establish or order by appointment, decree, or law : enact we the people … do ordain and establish this Constitution — U.S. Constitution.

Ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America: This last phrase of the Preamble is a powerful statement saying that the people made this document, and the people give the country its power.

The preamble sets the stage for the Constitution (Archives.gov). It clearly communicates the intentions of the framers and the purpose of the document. The preamble is an introduction to the highest law of the land; it is not the law. It does not define government powers or individual rights.

It’s a beautiful Saturday spring day in Washington. I’m walking west on East Capitol Street. Before me the Capitol is glowing white in the bright morning sun.

to form a more perfect Union

“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, 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, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of …

Benjamin Franklin

One of the key ways the federal government meets its constitutional duty to “provide for the common defense” is through the passage and implementation of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

When the founders wrote “to form a more perfect Union”, they meant that a Bill of Rights would be created to protect citizens liberties.

“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, 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, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of …

It did not propose independence or a separate government for the states. The process created the United States “by the people in collectivity, rather than by the individual states”, because only four states had constitutions at the time of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and three of those were provisional.

The Articles of Confederation (1781-1789) were America’s first attempt to govern itself as an independent nation. They united the states as a confederation – a loose league of states represented in a Congress.

The event after 1789 that helped to unify the nation is The American Revolution. The American Revolution was over before 1789. In 1789, the first elections were held and the winners were in office. The Constitution was put into effect.

The period ended in 1789 following the ratification of the United States Constitution, which established a new, more powerful, national government. The Articles of Confederation established a loose confederation of states with a weak federal government.

General George Washington

The Articles of Confederation served as the written document that established the functions of the national government of the United States after it declared independence from Great Britain.

July 4th, 1776 is commonly known as the day the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Second Continental Congress, freeing the 13 colonies from the rule of King George III.

1775-1776: The Call for Independence Many colonists believed that war with Great Britain was inevitable and encouraged the pursuit of complete independence. It is credited for paving the way for the Declaration of Independence and convincing many colonists to support independence.

Thomas Jefferson