The Goals fo the Constitution: What it does and why it does it...

The Constitution sets itself up from he very beginning to do six specific things. It gives itself a checklist at the very opening and says "Hey! This is what I am going to do." These six things are somewhat confusing but when you look at the words it is really simple to get.

1. "To Form a More Perfect Union": Lets face it, the Articles of Confederation were a complete failure. No one got along, no one agreed, and some people even tried to re-rebel because of crappy conditions (Shays). This one is pretty easy. The Framers (the guys who wrote the Constitution) wanted to make things better. In short they wanted a government that worked.

2. "Establish Justice": If the county is going to work everyone needs equality under the law. The old system (under the Brits) wasn't to keen on justice and fairness and all that junk. The Framers (writers) wanted to make sure everyone (read: white males) got a fair shake.

3. "Ensure Domestic Tranquility": You can't have a country and make it run well if you have people running around capturing federal armories. The Framers understood the need for calm and peaceful relations at home and among all of the citizens.

4. "Provide a Common Defense": Everybody needs to chip in and protect this place. A single state cannot protect itself from an assault by another nation. The Framers knew this and wanted to make sure no one would leave Vermont, Rhode Island or some other state out on their own in the event of an attack.

5. " Promote the General Welfare": Contrary to the popular belief among 8th graders this is not saying everyone gets Food Stamps. All this is really saying is that everyone has access to the whole "Life, Liberty, and Happiness" shebang that we all think is so dang awesome. In short if people are happy and content they will not flip out and rebel.

6. "Secure the Blessing of Liberty": The framers went to all of this trouble to make sure everyone is free and equal and all that stuff. They wanted to make sure that it stuck around for a while. The phrase after this in the preamble is "for ourselves and our posterity." That covers them and every other American that comes along anytime in the next bajillion years.

Goals are important. They well us what we need to accomplish and where we are heading. The Constitution's goals do they same thing. They well us what the framers intended for the United States to go and what they thought as of the utmost importance.

NEXT POST: CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLES!!!!! (can you FEEL the excitement)