We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, 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 America.

This sentence is the Preamble to the United States Constitution, drafted in 1787 during the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia and ratified by the states in 1787–1788. The Preamble was written to introduce and justify the new frame of government that would replace the weaker Articles of Confederation, which had left the national government unable to tax effectively, regulate commerce, or respond cohesively to internal unrest and external threats. Although often popularly attributed to “the Founders” collectively, the final wording of the Preamble is commonly credited to Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania, who served on the Committee of Style and Arrangement that polished the Constitution’s language before it was signed on September 17, 1787.

The Preamble announces the Constitution’s theory of legitimacy: political authority derives from “We the People,” not from states alone or from a monarch. It lists broad purposes—union, justice, domestic peace, defense, welfare, and liberty—framing the Constitution as a practical remedy to the failures of the Confederation while also expressing aspirational national ideals. Legally, the Preamble is generally treated as non-operative language: it does not grant powers by itself, but it has been used to illuminate the Constitution’s aims when interpreting ambiguous provisions. Rhetorically, its cadence and inclusive voice have made it a touchstone for civic identity and debates over the scope of federal power and the meaning of “general welfare” and “liberty.”

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 for the United States of America.

1) “...provide for the common defense...” (Americanized spelling in many modern printings).
2) “...insure domestic tranquility...” (lowercased and modernized capitalization).
3) “...do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” (often printed with minor punctuation differences, e.g., commas).