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September 1787
- This is the final text of the Preamble to the Constitution. It was finalized in September 1787.
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The Preamble was placed in the Constitution during the last days of the Constitutional Convention by the Committee on Style, which wrote its final draft, with Gouverneur Morris leading the effort. It was not proposed or discussed on the floor of the convention beforehand.
In late July 1787, the Convention’s Committee of Detail was formed to prepare a draft of a constitution, and during those deliberations, Committee member Edmund Randolph of Virginia suggested for the first time that “ [a] preamble seems proper.” 10.
The Preamble itself imparts three central concepts to the reader: (1) the source of power to enact the Constitution (i.e., the People of the United States); (2) the broad ends to which the Constitution is ordain[ed] and establish[ed]; and (3) the authors’ intent for the Constitution to be a legal instrument of lasting Posterity. 3 Footnote
In this vein, this essay considers the origins of the Preamble, exploring its historical roots and how it came to be a part of the Constitution, before discussing the legal and practical significance of the Constitution’s opening words in the time since the ratification.
Nov 28, 2023 · On September 17, 1787, 38 delegates signed the Constitution. George Reed signed for John Dickinson of Delaware, who was absent, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. It was an extraordinary achievement.
With regard to the legal effect of the Constitution's preface, in the early years of the Supreme Court, it did reference the Preamble's words in some of the most important cases interpreting the Constitution. For example, in 1793, two Members of the Court cited the Preamble in Chisholm v.
The Preamble to the Constitution has been largely ignored by lawyers and courts through American history. Rarely has a Supreme Court decision relied on it, even as a guide in interpreting the Constitution.
