essay about preamble of constitution

• History Classics
• Your Profile
• Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window)
• This Day In History
• History Podcasts
• History Vault

Constitution

By: History.com Editors

Updated: March 28, 2023 | Original: October 27, 2009

The Constitution of the United States established America’s national government and fundamental laws, and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens. 

It was signed on September 17, 1787, by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Under America’s first governing document, the Articles of Confederation, the national government was weak and states operated like independent countries. At the 1787 convention, delegates devised a plan for a stronger federal government with three branches—executive, legislative and judicial—along with a system of checks and balances to ensure no single branch would have too much power. 

The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution

The Preamble outlines the Constitution's purpose and guiding principles. It reads:

The Bill of Rights were 10 amendments guaranteeing basic individual protections, such as freedom of speech and religion, that became part of the Constitution in 1791. To date, there are 27 constitutional amendments.

Articles of Confederation

America’s first constitution, the Articles of Confederation , was ratified in 1781, a time when the nation was a loose confederation of states, each operating like independent countries. The national government was comprised of a single legislature, the Congress of the Confederation; there was no president or judicial branch.

The Articles of Confederation gave Congress the power to govern foreign affairs, conduct war and regulate currency; however, in reality these powers were sharply limited because Congress had no authority to enforce its requests to the states for money or troops.

Did you know? George Washington was initially reluctant to attend the Constitutional Convention. Although he saw the need for a stronger national government, he was busy managing his estate at Mount Vernon, suffering from rheumatism and worried that the convention wouldn't be successful in achieving its goals.

Soon after America won its independence from Great Britain with its 1783 victory in the American Revolution , it became increasingly evident that the young republic needed a stronger central government in order to remain stable.

In 1786, Alexander Hamilton , a lawyer and politician from New York , called for a constitutional convention to discuss the matter. The Confederation Congress, which in February 1787 endorsed the idea, invited all 13 states to send delegates to a meeting in Philadelphia.

Forming a More Perfect Union

On May 25, 1787, the Constitutional Convention opened in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence had been adopted 11 years earlier. There were 55 delegates in attendance, representing all 13 states except Rhode Island , which refused to send representatives because it did not want a powerful central government interfering in its economic business. George Washington , who’d become a national hero after leading the Continental Army to victory during the American Revolution, was selected as president of the convention by unanimous vote.

The delegates (who also became known as the “framers” of the Constitution) were a well-educated group that included merchants, farmers, bankers and lawyers. Many had served in the Continental Army, colonial legislatures or the Continental Congress (known as the Congress of the Confederation as of 1781). In terms of religious affiliation, most were Protestants. Eight delegates were signers of the Declaration of Independence, while six had signed the Articles of Confederation.

At age 81, Pennsylvania’s Benjamin Franklin (1706-90) was the oldest delegate, while the majority of the delegates were in their 30s and 40s. Political leaders not in attendance at the convention included Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) and John Adams (1735-1826), who were serving as U.S. ambassadors in Europe. John Jay (1745-1829), Samuel Adams (1722-1803) and John Hancock (1737-93) were also absent from the convention. Virginia’s Patrick Henry (1736-99) was chosen to be a delegate but refused to attend the convention because he didn’t want to give the central government more power, fearing it would endanger the rights of states and individuals.

Reporters and other visitors were barred from the convention sessions, which were held in secret to avoid outside pressures. However, Virginia’s James Madison (1751-1836) kept a detailed account of what transpired behind closed doors. (In 1837, Madison’s widow Dolley sold some of his papers, including his notes from the convention debates, to the federal government for $30,000.)

Debating the Constitution

The delegates had been tasked by Congress with amending the Articles of Confederation; however, they soon began deliberating proposals for an entirely new form of government. After intensive debate, which continued throughout the summer of 1787 and at times threatened to derail the proceedings, they developed a plan that established three branches of national government–executive, legislative and judicial. A system of checks and balances was put into place so that no single branch would have too much authority. The specific powers and responsibilities of each branch were also laid out.

Among the more contentious issues was the question of state representation in the national legislature. Delegates from larger states wanted population to determine how many representatives a state could send to Congress, while small states called for equal representation. The issue was resolved by the Connecticut Compromise, which proposed a bicameral legislature with proportional representation of the states in the lower house ( House of Representatives ) and equal representation in the upper house (Senate).

Another controversial topic was slavery. Although some northern states had already started to outlaw the practice, they went along with the southern states’ insistence that slavery was an issue for individual states to decide and should be kept out of the Constitution. Many northern delegates believed that without agreeing to this, the South wouldn’t join the Union. For the purposes of taxation and determining how many representatives a state could send to Congress, it was decided that enslaved people would be counted as three-fifths of a person. Additionally, it was agreed that Congress wouldn’t be allowed to prohibit the slave trade before 1808, and states were required to return fugitive enslaved people to their owners.

Ratifying the Constitution

By September 1787, the convention’s five-member Committee of Style (Hamilton, Madison, William Samuel Johnson of Connecticut, Gouverneur Morris of New York, Rufus King of Massachusetts ) had drafted the final text of the Constitution, which consisted of some 4,200 words. On September 17, George Washington was the first to sign the document. Of the 55 delegates, a total of 39 signed; some had already left Philadelphia, and three–George Mason (1725-92) and Edmund Randolph (1753-1813) of Virginia , and Elbridge Gerry (1744-1813) of Massachusetts–refused to approve the document. In order for the Constitution to become law, it then had to be ratified by nine of the 13 states.

James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, with assistance from John Jay, wrote a series of essays to persuade people to ratify the Constitution. The 85 essays, known collectively as “The Federalist” (or “The Federalist Papers”), detailed how the new government would work, and were published under the pseudonym Publius (Latin for “public”) in newspapers across the states starting in the fall of 1787. (People who supported the Constitution became known as Federalists, while those opposed it because they thought it gave too much power to the national government were called Anti-Federalists.)

Beginning on December 7, 1787, five states– Delaware , Pennsylvania, New Jersey , Georgia and Connecticut–ratified the Constitution in quick succession. However, other states, especially Massachusetts, opposed the document, as it failed to reserve un-delegated powers to the states and lacked constitutional protection of basic political rights, such as freedom of speech, religion and the press. 

In February 1788, a compromise was reached under which Massachusetts and other states would agree to ratify the document with the assurance that amendments would be immediately proposed. The Constitution was thus narrowly ratified in Massachusetts, followed by Maryland and South Carolina . On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the document, and it was subsequently agreed that government under the U.S. Constitution would begin on March 4, 1789. George Washington was inaugurated as America’s first president on April 30, 1789. In June of that same year, Virginia ratified the Constitution, and New York followed in July. On February 2, 1790, the U.S. Supreme Court held its first session, marking the date when the government was fully operative.

Rhode Island, the last holdout of the original 13 states, finally ratified the Constitution on May 29, 1790.

The Bill of Rights

In 1789, Madison, then a member of the newly established U.S. House of Representatives , introduced 19 amendments to the Constitution. On September 25, 1789, Congress adopted 12 of the amendments and sent them to the states for ratification. Ten of these amendments, known collectively as the Bill of Rights , were ratified and became part of the Constitution on December 10, 1791. The Bill of Rights guarantees individuals certain basic protections as citizens, including freedom of speech, religion and the press; the right to bear and keep arms; the right to peaceably assemble; protection from unreasonable search and seizure; and the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury. For his contributions to the drafting of the Constitution, as well as its ratification, Madison became known as “Father of the Constitution.”

To date, there have been thousands of proposed amendments to the Constitution. However, only 17 amendments have been ratified in addition to the Bill of Rights because the process isn’t easy–after a proposed amendment makes it through Congress, it must be ratified by three-fourths of the states. The most recent amendment to the Constitution, Article XXVII, which deals with congressional pay raises, was proposed in 1789 and ratified in 1992.

The Constitution Today

In the more than 200 years since the Constitution was created, America has stretched across an entire continent and its population and economy have expanded more than the document’s framers likely ever could have envisioned. Through all the changes, the Constitution has endured and adapted.

The framers knew it wasn’t a perfect document. However, as Benjamin Franklin said on the closing day of the convention in 1787: “I agree to this Constitution with all its faults, if they are such, because I think a central government is necessary for us… I doubt too whether any other Convention we can obtain may be able to make a better Constitution.” Today, the original Constitution is on display at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Constitution Day is observed on September 17, to commemorate the date the document was signed.

HISTORY Vault

Stream thousands of hours of acclaimed series, probing documentaries and captivating specials commercial-free in HISTORY Vault

Sign up for Inside History

Get HISTORY’s most fascinating stories delivered to your inbox three times a week.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Networks. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.

More details : Privacy Notice | Terms of Use | Contact Us

Preamble to the US Constitution

• U.S. Constitution & Bill of Rights
• History & Major Milestones
• U.S. Legal System
• U.S. Political System
• Defense & Security
• Campaigns & Elections
• Business & Finance
• U.S. Foreign Policy
• U.S. Liberal Politics
• U.S. Conservative Politics
• Women's Issues
• Civil Liberties
• The Middle East
• Race Relations
• Immigration
• Crime & Punishment
• Canadian Government
• Understanding Types of Government
• B.S., Texas A&M University

The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution summarizes the Founding Fathers’ intention to create a federal government dedicated to ensuring that “We the People” always live in a safe, peaceful, healthy, well-defended—and most of all—free nation.  The preamble states:

“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.”

As the Founders intended, the Preamble has no force in law. It grants no powers to the federal or state governments, nor does it limit the scope of future government actions. As a result, the Preamble has never been cited by any federal court , including the U.S. Supreme Court , in deciding cases dealing with constitutional issues.

Also known as the “Enacting Clause,” the Preamble did not become a part of the Constitution until the final few days of the Constitutional Convention after Gouverneur Morris, who had also signed the Articles of Confederation , pressed for its inclusion. Before it was drafted, the Preamble had not been proposed or discussed on the floor of the convention.

The first version of the preamble did not refer to, “We the People of the United States…” Instead, it referred to the people of the individual states. The word “people” did not appear, and the phrase “the United States” was followed by a listing of the states as they appeared on the map from north to south. However, the Framers changed to the final version when they realized that the Constitution would go into effect as soon as nine states gave their approval, whether any of the remaining states had ratified it or not.

The Value of the Preamble

The Preamble explains why we have and need the Constitution. It also gives us the best summary we will ever have of what the Founders were considering as they hashed out the basics of the three branches of government .

In his highly acclaimed book, Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States, Justice Joseph Story wrote of the Preamble, “its true office is to expound the nature and extent and application of the powers actually conferred by the Constitution.”

In addition, no less noted authority on the Constitution than Alexander Hamilton himself, in Federalist No. 84, stated that the Preamble gives us “a better recognition of popular rights than volumes of those aphorisms which make the principal figure in several of our State bills of rights, and which would sound much better in a treatise of ethics than in a constitution of government.”

James Madison , one of the leading architects of the Constitution, may have put it best when he wrote in The Federalist No. 49:

[T]he people are the only legitimate fountain of power, and it is from them that the constitutional charter, under which the several branches of government hold their power, is derived . . . .

While is common and understandable to think of the Preamble as merely a grand rhetorical “preview” of the Constitution, with no without meaningful effect, this is not entirely the case. The Preamble has been called the “Enacting Clause” or “Enabling Clause” of the Constitution, meaning that it confirms the American peoples’ freely agreed-to adoption of the Constitution—through the state ratification process—as the exclusive document conferring and defining the powers of government and the rights of citizens. However, the Framers of the Constitution clearly understood that in the legal context of 1787, preambles to legal documents were not binding provisions and thus should not be used to justify the expansion, contraction, or denial of any of the substantive terms in the remainder of the Constitution.

Most importantly, the Preamble confirmed that the Constitution was being created and enacted by the collective “People of the United States,” meaning that “We the People,” rather than the government, “own” the Constitution and are thus ultimately responsible for its continued existence and interpretation. 

Understand the Preamble, Understand the Constitution

Each phrase in the Preamble helps explain the purpose of the Constitution as envisioned by the Framers.

‘We the People’

This well-known key phrase means that the Constitution incorporates the visions of all Americans and that the rights and freedoms bestowed by the document belong to all citizens of the United States of America.

‘In order to form a more perfect union’

The phrase recognizes that the old government based on the Articles of Confederation was extremely inflexible and limited in scope, making it hard for the government to respond to the changing needs of the people over time. 

‘Establish justice’

The lack of a system of justice ensuring fair and equal treatment of the people had been the primary reason for the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution against England. The Framers wanted to ensure a fair and equal system of justice for all Americans.

‘Insure domestic tranquility’

The Constitutional Convention was held shortly after Shays’ Rebellion , a bloody uprising of farmers in Massachusetts against the state caused by the monetary debt crisis at the end of the Revolutionary War. In this phrase, the Framers were responding to fears that the new government would be unable to keep peace within the nation’s borders.

‘Provide for the common defense’

The Framers were acutely aware that the new nation remained extremely vulnerable to attacks by foreign nations and that no individual state had the power to repel such attacks. Thus, the need for a unified, coordinated effort to defend the nation would always be a vital function of the U.S. federal government .

‘Promote the general welfare’

The Framers also recognized that the general well-being of the American citizens would be another key responsibility of the federal government.

‘Secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity’

The phrase confirms the Framer’s vision that the very purpose of the Constitution is to protect the nation’s blood-earned rights for liberty, justice, and freedom from a tyrannical government.

‘Ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America’

Simply stated, the Constitution and the government it embodies are created by the people, and that it is the people who give America its power.

The Preamble in Court

While the Preamble has no legal standing, the courts have used it in trying to interpret the meaning and intent of various sections of the Constitution as they apply to modern legal situations. In this way, courts have found the Preamble useful in determining the “spirit” of the Constitution.

Since the Constitution's enactment, the Supreme Court of the United States has cited the Preamble in several important decisions. However, the Court largely disclaimed the legal importance of the Preamble in making those decisions. As Justice Story noted in his Commentaries, “the Preamble never can be resorted to, to enlarge the powers confided to the general government or any of its departments.”

The Supreme Court subsequently endorsed Justice Story's view of the Preamble, holding in Jacobson v. Massachusetts that, "while the Constitution's introductory paragraph indicates the general purposes for which the people ordained and established the Constitution, it has never been regarded by the Court as the source of any substantive power conferred on the federal government.” While the Supreme Court has not viewed the Preamble as having any direct, substantive legal effect, the Court has referenced its broad general rules to confirm and reinforce its interpretation of other provisions within the Constitution. As such, while the Preamble does not have any specific legal status, Justice Story's observation that the true purpose of the Preamble is to enlarge on the nature, and extent, and application of the powers actually conferred by the Constitution.

More broadly, while the Preamble may have little significance in a court of law, the preface to the Constitution remains an important part of the nation's constitutional dialogue, inspiring and fostering broader understandings of the American system of government.

Whose Government is it and What is it For?

The Preamble contains what may be the most important three words in our nation’s history: “We the People.” Those three words, along with the brief balance of the Preamble, establish the very basis of our system of “ federalism ,” under which the states and central government are granted both shared and exclusive powers, but only with the approval of “We the people.”

Compare the Constitution’s Preamble to its counterpart in the Constitution’s predecessor, the Articles of Confederation. In that compact, the states alone formed “a firm league of friendship, for their common defense, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare” and agreed to protect each other “against all force offered to, or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account of religion, sovereignty, trade, or any other pretence whatever.”

Clearly, the Preamble sets the Constitution apart from the Articles of Confederation as being an agreement among the people, rather than the states, and placing an emphasis on rights and freedoms above the military protection of the individual states. 

• The U.S. Constitution
• Fast Facts About the U.S. Constitution
• Basic Structure of the US Government
• Government 101: The United States Federal Government
• The Implied Powers of Congress
• Who Were the Anti-Federalists?
• What Is Federalism? Definition and How It Works in the US
• U.S. Constitution - Article I, Section 10
• The 10th Amendment: Text, Origins, and Meaning
• Types of Federalism: Definition and Examples
• What Are Individual Rights? Definition and Examples
• What Is the "Necessary and Proper" Clause in the US Constitution?
• Ninth Amendment Supreme Court Cases
• What Are Inherent Powers? Definition and Examples
• Overview of United States Government and Politics
• Federalism and the United States Constitution

Explore the Constitution

The constitution.

• Read the Full Text

Dive Deeper

Constitution 101 course.

• The Drafting Table
• Supreme Court Cases Library
• Founders' Library
• Constitutional Rights: Origins & Travels

Start your constitutional learning journey

• News & Debate Overview
• Constitution Daily Blog
• America's Town Hall Programs
• Special Projects
• Media Library

America’s Town Hall

Watch videos of recent programs.

• Education Overview

Constitution 101 Curriculum

• Classroom Resources by Topic
• Classroom Resources Library
• Live Online Events
• Professional Learning Opportunities
• Constitution Day Resources

Explore our new 15-unit high school curriculum.

• Explore the Museum
• Plan Your Visit
• Exhibits & Programs
• Field Trips & Group Visits
• Host Your Event
• Buy Tickets

New exhibit

The first amendment, we the people.

Signing Details

Signed in convention September 17, 1787. Ratified June 21, 1788

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.

Interpretations & Debate

Read interpretations of the preamble.

Modal title

Modal body text goes here.

Share with Students

In this essay we will discuss about preamble of the constitution. After reading this essay you will learn about:- 1. Introduction to the Preamble of the Constitution 2. Preamble and its Significance 3. Sources of Preamble 4. Preamble of the Constitution 5. Critical Evaluation of Preamble of the Constitution.

List of Essays on the Preamble of the Constitution

Essay Contents:

• Essay on Critical Evaluation of Preamble of the Constitution

Essay # 1. Introduction to the Preamble of the Constitution:

The Constitution of India is prefaced with a Preamble which is supposed to reflect the thinking and ideology of constitution itself and view point of its makers. It is, however, not an integral part of the main document and as such not subject to judicial review. But at the same time it occupies a pivotal position in the interpretation or classification of any vagueness in the constitution.

It is thus key to the constitution. It also indicates the sources as well as the sanction and pattern of the constitution and is supposed to indicate its contents. The whole constitution can be measured with this yard stick and as such it has been called as perfection in itself.

It reflects country’s glorious values. In the words of Pt. Thakur Das Bhargav, “I would like that we examine all the provisions of the constitution by touch stone of the Preamble and thus decide whether constitution is good or not.”

Essay # 2. Preamble and its Significance :

C J. Suba Rao in the case of Gokalnath Vs. the State of Punjab maintained that the Preamble of the Constitution contains in nutshell its ideals and aspirations. In case, however, preamble is dropped it will not change the statute itself.

About preamble Shukla says, “It is neither regarded as a source of any substantive governmental power nor by itself alone it inputs any limitations on the exercise of powers nor expressly or impliedly prohibited by the constitution.’ In the world there are many constitutions which do not have any preamble. All that can be said is that preamble gives the constitution greater dignity.

The preamble of Indian constitution, however, not only reflects basic character of the State but also specifies at me length purposes and objectives of the constitution. Though not a part the constitution, the preamble can be referred to, explain and elucidate a point where there is some ambiguity.

There are, however, several cases in which the preamble of the constitution has been given much importance. In Indo-Pakistan Agreement Supreme Court of India observed that preamble to the constitution is a key to open the mind of the makers. In Keshvananda Bharti case all the judges look the view that preamble of the constitution is its integral part.

In Berubari Union case it has also been held that preamble is part of the Constitution. because it is expressly voted to be the part of the constitution. In the words of Dr. Dayal, “A majority of the judges of the Full Bench who expressed an opinion on the point, held that the objectives specified in re amble contain the basic structure of the constitution which cannot be amended in exercise of the powers under Section 368.”

In the words of Basu, “In other words preamble shows the general purpose behind the several provisions of the constitution but, nevertheless, it is never regarded as a source of any substantive prohibition or limitation.”

In fact, opinions even in the courts of law continue to vary whether preamble is part of the constitution or not and whether it is possible to amend it or it is too holy to be touched. In several cases the courts of law have given different opinions and viewpoints about the position and place of preamble in the constitution and as such the issue has become somewhat confusing.

Essay # 3. Sources of Preamble:

Indian constitution makers were inspired by the constitutions of the USA, Australia, France, Italy and West Germany, which contain a preamble to their respective constitutions.

The influence of the US constitution which has been dedicated to the people of that country, had, however, immense influence on constitution makers of India. Accordingly like the constitution of the USA, the Indian Constitution too has been dedicated to our people.

In addition to this, while drafting the Preamble to the constitution, our constitution makers were influenced by the Resolution of Constituent Assembly passed as early as in January, 1947, which reads as follows:

“The Constituent Assembly declares its firm and solemn resolve to proclaim India as an Independent Sovereign Republic…

Wherein all powers and authority of the Sovereign Independent India, its constituent parts and organs of government are derived from the people;

Wherein shall be guaranteed and secured to all the people of India justice, social, economic and political; equality of status, of opportunity; and before the law; freedom of thought, expression, belief, faith, worship, vocation, association and action subject to law and public morality; and

Wherein adequate safeguards shall be provided for minorities….

Wherein shall be maintained the integrity of the territory of the Republic and its sovereign rights on land….”

The Resolution of the Constituent Assembly thus promised to make India a Sovereign Democratic Republic with a federal polity and vesting all power and authority in the hands of the masses. It was in this Resolution that integration of Indian states was visualised and a federation consisting of British India and ‘Indian India’ was foresighted.

Similarly, social, economic and political justice and equality before law was also promised in this very Resolution. Thus, the Preambles of some other working constitutions of the world as well as this historic Resolution of January, 1947 are the main sources for the Preamble of our constitution.

Essay # 4. Preamble of the Constitution :

As already said, the Preamble of the Constitution of India makes very lofty promises and has been dedicated to the people of India, and not to any particular class or section of the society.

When originally adopted by the Constituent Assembly it read as follows:

“WE THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a Sovereign, Democratic Republic and to secure to all its citizens;

JUSTICE, social, economic and political;

LIBERTY, of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;

EQUALITY, of status and of opportunity; and promote among them all;

FRATERNITY, assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the nation;

In our Constituent Assembly this twenty-sixth day of November 1949, do hereby ADOPT, ENACT and GIVE TO OURSELVES this Constitution.”

It may, however, be pointed out that the words ‘Socialist, Secular’ occurring between the words ‘Sovereign’ ‘Democratic’ and also the words Integrity’ occurring between the words ‘Unity’ and ‘of the nation’ in the preamble were inserted by Forty-Second Constitution Amendment Act, enacted in 1976.

The Principles enunciated in the constitution, namely, those of making India a Sovereign Democratic, Secular Republic, ensuring the people equality and making them as ultimate sovereign in the country have been fully incorporated in the constitution. Thus, the preamble is true picture of the constitution.

It may be discussed as under:

1. We the People of India:

The Preamble has vested ultimate authority in the people of India to whom the constitution has been dedicated and in whose name it has been enacted. It will be seen that India has adopted democracy as a form of government and way of life. In the country all adults have a right to vote without any consideration for sex, caste or creed.

All the posts in the state, including the highest one of the President of the Republic, can be held by citizen of India who gets elected by duly elected representatives of the people i.e., by his electoral college.

In India there is also Parliamentary form of government in which ultimate authority is vested in the Parliament, which consists of the elected representatives of the people. The Council of Ministers, i.e., the de-facto executive is responsible to the legislature and can remain in power only as long as it enjoys its confidence.

Some critics were of the view that due to large-scale illiteracy India was, and is still not fit for democracy and yet constitution fathers, in their best wisdom, decided to experiment with democracy and today India is the biggest democracy in the world. Several elections which have so far been held in India have established beyond all doubts political maturity of our electorates.

In the opinion of K.V. Rao the significance of “We the people lies in the fact the Constitution eliminates the British king externally and Indian princes internally from claiming any vestiges in sovereignty.”

2. Having Solemnly Resolved to makes India a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic:

The Preamble says that India shall sovereign state. Sovereignly implies freedom of national action, both internal as well as external. Internal sovereignty means freedom to enact and amend both ordinary and constitutional laws without any external pressure.

External freedom implies nation’s right to formulate and execute her own foreign policies. In both these respects India is free and playing her role in the world organisations. As a member of UNO India has played a very significant pan in the world politics.

Some of the critics, however, feel that India is not a sovereign state by virtue of her membership of Commonwealth of Nations which makes it obligatory for her to accept British Queen as her over-lord. Nation is supposed to owe allegiance to the Queen.

But the criticism does not seem to be valid because India is not obliged to be a member of Commonwealth of Nations but is continuing there with her own willingness and without any compulsion. Membership of Commonwealth in no way hinders country’s decisions at national and international level or in any matter both domestic and foreign.

In fact, the character of this organisation has now altogether changed and Commonwealth is now nothing beyond a forum on which members discuss their problems in a free and frank manner as free sovereign nations and to solve such problems which confront Commonwealth as a whole.

It has very appropriately been said by Palande that, “India’s membership of Commonwealth of Nations is based on extra constitutional contractual arrangement entered into at will and terminable at will.”

The Preamble also says that India shall be a Republic. It implies that the head of the State in India shall neither be hereditary nor a dictator. He shall be elected by the people indirectly for a limited period and will have to face his electorates again after the expiry of the period.

Accordingly the President of Indian Republic is elected for a period of 5 years by the elected representatives of the state legislatures and the Parliament who form an electoral college for the purpose of electing him.

Since the President is neither hereditary nor a dictator he can also be removed from office by impeachment, if it is found that he is not discharging his obligations in accordance with the rules provided in the constitution. His electoral college consists of Members of Parliament and State Legislatures. Impeachment procedure for his removal is very difficult and so far (1996) in India no President has been impeached.

3. Socialist Society:

Forty-Second Constitution Amendment Act has specifically provided that India will be a socialist state. A change to this effect was incorporated in the preamble of the constitution. Now what is ‘Socialism’? It is a term, which like ‘Justice’ and ‘democracy’ still remains undefined.

But from the days of freedom struggle, Indian National Congress has been telling to the people of India that after independence the nation will follow the path of socialism. As early as in 1929, All India Congress- Committee, resolved that India’s poverty was due to its poor economic structure which needed modification on socialistic lines.

In 1931, the Congress party resolved that in order to improve economic conditions and with a view to making political freedom meaningful it was essential that the state should control key industries and services.

In 1945, in its election manifesto the Congress party again said that India’s most important problem was to end poverty and for this it was essential that the wealth should not get concentrated just in the hands of few individuals or group of individuals.

When the constitution of India was enacted at that time the main aim of the constitution fathers was to ensure that India should be a socialist state and accordingly it was provided that in India the people must be given social, economic and political justice. Directive Principles of the State Policy embodied in the constitution also provide that India will be a socialist state.

In Indian context socialism means removal of fantastic socio-economic imbalances and providing the masses distributive justice. But so far mention of socialism in India, as a part of the constitution, had been deliberately avoided and instead at Avadi Session of the Congress it was said that establishing ‘Socialistic Pattern of Society’ shall be the main aim of the Congress party.

In such a society there will be equal opportunity for progress for all. When Art. 31 C of the Constitution Forty-Second Amendment Act became part of the constitution and Directive Principles of the state policy as a whole got dominance over Fundamental Rights, it became unavoidable that m the preamble itself it should be specified that socialism is the goal of Indian society and that the coots should recognise this change.

On May 30, 1976, Sardar Swaran Singh said before All India Congress Committee that the word ‘Socialist’ had been added in the preamble so that there should be no confusion about our objectives.

He also said that the constitution should be suitably altered so that it became easy to effectively implement other socio-economic reforms. He also said that, “By inserting the word ‘Socialist’ it is intended to give a positive direction to the government in formulating its policies.”

Prime Minister Mrs. Gandhi also said that our socialism meant bettering the life of the people of India and that this word had been chosen to describe India’s ethos because it came closest to what is being aimed at She said that socialism did not mean mixed economy but some form of ownership of means of production and distribution by the society so that private ownership was eliminated.

It has, however, been very often said by ruling Congress party that ‘Socialism’ in India means type of socialism which is most suited to Indian conditions. But is socialism solution to Indian problem is still a question mark?

4. Secular Democracy:

Preamble of the constitution had provided that India will be a Sovereign, Democratic Republic. But with the enactment of Forty-Second Constitution Amendment Act it was provided that the country will be, Secular’ Republic. In fact, secularism of India has never been in doubt and the constitution in more than one way emphasised on India’s being a secular state.

But incorporation of this word in the preamble meant giving it a constitutional sanctity, what was otherwise an established fact.

In India secularism has different meaning. To quote Dr. Dayal again, “Secularism in the Indian context does not mean negation of all religions. It means equal respect for all religions.”

Similarly one of the Congress Presidents, D.K: Baroah in 1976, while speaking on this amendment said that, “All religions in this country, however small their strength may be, have the same status and same prestige and the same support from the state.”

Similarly the then Law Minister H.R. Gokhale also said, “There will be freedom, liberty of faith and worship, whatever religion you belong to, is all that what you mean by secularism.” Articles 25-30 of the constitution stress on religious freedom in India.

In the words of Basu, “Instead of clarifying the meanings of those provisions, the use of non-technical word Secular originating in common parlance and there from finding its way into the courts, has been unfortunate and confusing. Little improvement will be effected by inserting this word in the preamble.”

But that perhaps is not very true. Addition of word Secular the preamble of the constitution itself clearly indicates that in India state possesses no religion and the very fact that a vast majority of population of India professes a particular religion does not give it any weightage over other religions either in public or in private sector.

But the very concept of ‘Secularism’ has become a matter of debate these days. Many politicians have started preaching that it is pesudo secularism which ruling party at the Centre is using for winning the votes of religious minorities. It is being used against the majority religious community. It is this wrong approach to secularism which is cause of many political problems in India.

5. Democratic:

Preamble of the Constitution states that India shall be a democratic State. Thus, all chances of dictatorship or any other form of government have been completely ruled out. The country shall have representative democracy based on universal adult franchise without any distinction of voters on the basis of caste, creed and religion.

It will be indirect and not direct democracy and as devices of direct democracy like referendum, recall and plebiscite have not been introduced in the country. All the representatives of the people for elected bodies are to be chosen by the people without any distinction about property, education and sex.

Entire authority for the conduct of election has been vested in an independent statutory authority called the Election Commission of India, headed by a Chief Election Commissioner.

6. Republic:

Preamble of the Constitution also states that India shall be a ‘Republic’. The term ‘republic’ has, of course, been differently interpreted 6y the scholars but our founding fathers meant from republic a state in which the supreme power shall remain in the people and their elected representatives. In it even the head of the state was to be elected.

Thus, it was absolutely opposed to either monarchy or dictatorship. Thus, there was no scope for hereditary headship of the country or the one who has been super-imposed by the people. It means that the head of the state can come even from the cottages of the remotest part of India provided he enjoys the confidence of the people of India.

7. Justice; Social, Economic and Political:

The Preamble of the Constitution ensures justice for all citizens of India. It implies that all the high and the low in India will be treated by same set of laws. In the eyes of law all shall be equal and there will be no differentiation on the basis of caste, creed, religion or sex. For crimes of similar nature, there will be equal punishment.

This type of justice has not only been promised but given to the people of India in the form of Fundamental Rights. The people have been assured social justice and all have been given the right to get the type of education they like. Untouchability which was a slur on the fair name of society has now been abolished. Temples have been thrown open to the so-called schedule castes, who are now Very much an integral part of the society and on their betterment depends the very advancement of Indian society.

Similarly economic justice has been promised. Beggary and Begar both have been legally banned and those who exploit and continue beggary can be legally punished. Similarly steps are being taken that equal wages are paid for equal work and sex of a worker does not differentiate in deciding the wages.

Economic justice also implies that working conditions of the workers should be improved and every effort should be made to see that all lead an honourable life with high living standards. Bonded labour system has already been abolished and keeping bonded labour is punishable offence. Political justice has been provided to the people by adopting democracy, as a form of government and way of life. In it even citizen has been given only one vote. But is the country anywhere near social and economic justice? Reply is very much in the negative.

8. Liberty of; Thought, Expression, Belief, Faith and Worship:

Liberty, as promised in the preamble has been given to the people in the form of Fundamental Rights. The people have been assured that as long as they are peaceful, they are at liberty to form associations and assemblies to discuss their problems. There is no ban on expression of ideas or their following a particular belief provided national interests were not jeopardised or these did not lead to violence.

Fundamental Rights as embodied in the constitution also give perfect freedom of worship to the people of India. India is a secular state and as such the state has no religion of its own. In the eyes of the state all religions are equal. In the constitution it is clearly stated that the state shall neither praise nor patronise any religion, nor shall it condemn or discourage any religion in any manner.

The state shall also neither extend nor deny financial assistance to any religion. No religious institution, which professes or promotes the cause of a particular religion shall get Financial assistance or patronage from the state. While filling up jobs in public services religion of the person shall have no meaning.

9. Equality; of Status and of Opportunity:

This promise of the preamble is also reflected in the constitution. Fundamental Rights assure social, economic and political equality. None is to be distinguished for having high or low standard or on economic basis. Status of a person does not give him any weightage either in the political or economic as well as legal field.

An economically well placed person has one vote and so is the case with economically poor one. A rich is at par with the poor in the eyes of law.

All have been provided equal opportunity for seeking employment and also for getting higher jobs. The scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes have been given special protection, by way of giving them reservation of seats, so that they become equal with socially advanced classes, in due course of time.

Honours and titles which used to distinguish one person from the other have altogether been abolished, with a view to giving a sense of equality, to all.

10. Fraternity; Assuring the Dignity of the Individual:

The preamble promises that all individuals in the state shall have dignity. There is no backward or forward individual. There is no high or low or there is no advanced caste and no backward community. All those who are socially downtrodden and had suffered in the past, in the hands of one section of society or the other, are to be brought forward so that they can lead a respectable life.

This promise has been kept up by providing reservation of seats for cultural and linguistic minorities. Special care has been taken to see that there is no reservation of seats for religious minorities, because it was this system which divided the nation and ultimately resulted in the partition of the country.

11. Unity and Integrity of the Nation:

Unity and Integrity of the Nation is another promise of the preamble. Undoubtedly for advancement, development and progress nation must be united. When the very unity of the nation is in danger, rights and privileges of individuals cannot be protected.

Nation first and everything else latter’ is the famous, understandable and rational dictum Constitution makers of India were working and labouring under very peculiar circumstances. Mass migration of population from Pakistan to India and vice-versa, added by shameful cruelties inflicted on the people to glorify religion, had pained them.

There were visible tendencies of extra territorial affiliations by some political parties and doubts persisted about loyalties of few to new born India. It was, therefore, essential to maintain national unity. For this, the constitution makers empowered the executive government with emergency powers by which it could take all powers in its hand in a bid to protect national unity.

Not only this, but the constitution, keeping in view the promise of the preamble, has tried to develop feelings of one united India, in spite of her federal character. India has one judiciary, one citizenship, one constitution, a system of All India Services and also one set of Fundamental Rights.

It is to promote this sense of unity that in India’s federal set up Centre has been made more powerful than the federating units i.e. states all union territories.

12. Integrity of India:

Forty-Second Constitution Amendment also made another change in the preamble of the constitution. It has now been provided that every effort shall be made for maintaining unity and integrity of India. The word ‘integrity’ has specifically been added in the preamble.

In the words of Dr. Dayal, “The insertion of word ‘integrity’ cannot rationally be questioned for it is impossible to argue that unity can be safe without integrity of nation. Integrity is vital to encounter fissiparous tendencies.”

The idea behind the word integrity being that it should be very clear from the very outset that for India integrity of the country is paramount and that the nation will not tolerate any activity by any political party or group of individuals, who directly or indirectly might try to disturb the integrity of nation and thus try to take it on the path of disintegration.

13. Adopt, Enact and give to Ourselves:

The words ‘to give to ourselves’ occupy a very significant place. The preamble, thus, has clearly stressed that it is people’s constitution which has been enacted for and on behalf of the people. The people as a whole and not a particular section of the society is thus source of our inspiration.

They look after the interests of the people of India. It also implies that if at any time any change in the constitution is necessary, the required amendment can be carried out only through the will of the people. It is not a play thing or handmaid of any political party or a particular individual, but a pious document which expresses will, wishes and sentiments of the people.

Essay # 5. Critical Evaluation of Preamble of the Constitution:

Whether preamble is a part of the constitution or not and also whether what has been said in the preamble will be taken cognisance by the courts of law or not is a separate issue. But beyond all doubts it indicates the intentions of the constitution makers. There are many authorities which firmly believe that the preamble helps in solving many ambiguities.

In India several occasions have arisen when preamble has been invoked. In the case of M/s. Barrukar Coal Co. Vs. Union of India, Supreme Court observed that no resort should be made to preamble if the language of the enactment was clear.

If it was not clear then preamble might be looked to explain that In the case of State of Bihar Vs. Kameshwar Singh, Dr. Ambedkar appearing on behalf of the Zamindars in 1952, also referred to the preamble, though the court took a different view.

In Benibari case, the Supreme Court again opined that preamble by itself is not a source of power. Every state has by virtue of its sovereignty the power to cede its territory and this right cannot be regarded to have been taken away by the preamble.

About the preamble of the constitution Justice Bhagnati once said that, “What is, therefore, needed is that judiciary must not interpret any element of the preamble that introduces a line of disconcerting unpredictability which judicial review must constantly and scrupulously avoid.”

In the case of Kerala Education Bill, 1957, the Supreme Court in 1958 held the view that where the enacting part is explicit and unambiguous, the preamble cannot be resorted to, to control, to qualify or to restrict it but where the enacting part is ambiguous, the preamble can be referred to, to explain and to elucidate it.

Similarly Lord Halsbury in Powell Vs. Kempton Park Race Course Co. said that, “Two propositions are quite clear, one that preamble may afford useful light as to what the Statute intends to reach; and another, that if an enactment by itself is clear and unambiguous, no preamble can qualify or cut down the enactment.”

The same holds good in the case of preamble to the constitution of India. In the words of Justice Hidayatullah, “The preamble is more than a declaration. It is the soul of our constitution and lays down pattern of our political society.” The preamble is thus not a superficial appendage to the constitution but a very useful and important key to it, which expresses hopes, wishes, aspirations and dreams of its founding fathers.

Preamble of the Constitution of India has made the country a sovereign democratic republic and as Granville Austin has said that, “With the adoption of the Constitution India becomes the largest democracy in the world. The Preamble of the Constitution does not bind India to any political or economic ideology but it eliminates every vestige of despotism. It reflects the whole constitutional system but is not a system in itself because it is not justiciable part of the Constitution. It cannot adversely affect constitutional structure. It is source of inspiration but not a source of power. Thus, Preamble of the Constitution occupies a very significant place in the structure of the constitution though not an integral part of the structure itself.”

Related Articles:

• Essay on the Constitution of India
• Essay on Secularism in India
• Essay on Regionalism in India
• Essay on the External Security of India

Essay on Constitution of India

500+ words indian constitution essay for students and children in english.

A Constitution is a set of rules and regulations guiding the administration of a country. The Constitution is the backbone of every democratic and secular fabric of the nation. The Constitution of India is the longest Constitution in the world, which describes the framework for political principles, procedures and powers of the government. The Constitution of India was written on 26 November 1949 and came into force on 26 January 1950. In this essay on the Constitution of India, students will get to know the salient features of India’s Constitution and how it was formed.

Constitution of India Essay

On 26th January 1950, the Constitution of India came into effect. That’s why 26th January is celebrated as Republic Day in India.

How Was the Constitution of India Formed?

The representatives of the Indian people framed the Indian Constitution after a long period of debates and discussions. It is the most detailed Constitution in the world. No other Constitution has gone into such minute details as the Indian Constitution.

The Constitution of India was framed by a Constituent Assembly which was established in 1946. Dr Rajendra Prasad was elected President of the Constituent Assembly. A Drafting Committee was appointed to draft the Constitution and Dr B.R. Ambedkar was appointed as the Chairman. The making of the Constitution took a total of 166 days, which was spread over a period of 2 years, 11 months and 18 days. Some of the salient features of the British, Irish, Swiss, French, Canadian and American Constitutions were incorporated while designing the Indian Constitution.

Also Read: Evolution and Framing of the Constitution

Features of The Constitution of India

The Constitution of India begins with a Preamble which contains the basic ideals and principles of the Constitution. It lays down the objectives of the Constitution.

The Longest Constitution in the world

The Indian Constitution is the lengthiest Constitution in the world. It had 395 articles in 22 parts and 8 schedules at the time of commencement. Now it has 448 articles in 25 parts and 12 schedules. There are 104 amendments (took place on 25th January 2020 to extend the reservation of seats for SCs and STs in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies) that have been made in the Indian Constitution so far.

How Rigid and Flexible is the Indian Constitution?

One of the unique features of our Constitution is that it is not as rigid as the American Constitution or as flexible as the British Constitution. It means it is partly rigid and partly flexible. Owing to this, it can easily change and grow with the change of times.

The Preamble

The Preamble has been added later to the Constitution of India. The original Constitution does not have a preamble. The preamble states that India is a sovereign, socialist, secular and democratic republic. The objectives stated by the Preamble are to secure justice, liberty, and equality for all citizens and promote fraternity to maintain the unity and integrity of the nation.

Federal System with Unitary Features

The powers of the government are divided between the central government and the state governments. The Constitution divides the powers of three state organs, i.e., executive, judiciary and legislature. Hence, the Indian Constitution supports a federal system. It includes many unitary features such as a strong central power, emergency provisions, appointment of Governors by the President, etc.

Fundamental rights and fundamental duties

The Indian Constitution provides an elaborate list of Fundamental Rights to the citizens of India. The Constitution also provides a list of 11 duties of the citizens, known as the Fundamental Duties. Some of these duties include respect for the national flag and national anthem, integrity and unity of the country and safeguarding of public property.

Also Read: Difference between Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties

India is a republic which means that a dictator or monarch does not rule the country. The government is of the people, by the people and for the people. Citizens nominate and elect its head after every five years.

Related Read: Constitution of India – 13 Major Features

The Constitution serves as guidelines for every citizen. It helped India to attain the status of a Republic in the world. Once Atal Bihari Vajpayee said that “governments would come and go, political parties would be formed and dissolved, but the country should survive, and democracy should remain there forever”.

We hope that this essay on the “Constitution of India” must have helped students. For the latest updates on ICSE/CBSE/State Board/Competitive Exams, stay tuned to BYJU’S. Also, download the BYJU’S App for watching interesting study videos.

Also Read: Independence Day Essay | Republic Day Essay | Essay on Women Empowerment

Frequently Asked Questions on Constitution of India Essay

Who is the father of our indian constitution.

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar is the father of our Indian Constitution. He framed and drafted our Constitution.

Who signed the Indian Constitution?

Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the first person from the Constitution Assembly to have signed the Indian Constitution.

What is mentioned in the Preamble of our Indian Constitution?

The preamble clearly communicates the purpose and emphasis the importance of the objectives of the Indian Constitution.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your Mobile number and Email id will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Request OTP on Voice Call

Post My Comment

• Share Share

Register with BYJU'S & Download Free PDFs

Register with byju's & watch live videos.

Counselling

Preamble of Indian Constitution Meaning, Objectives, Significance

Preamble of Indian Constitution declares India to be a sovereign, socialist, secular and democratic republic. The objectives are to secure justice, liberty, equality to all citizens. UPSC, PDF

Table of Contents

Preamble of Indian Constitution

The Constitution of India’s “Preamble” is a succinct introductory statement that outlines the document’s overarching goals and guiding principles. It also identifies the source of the document’s authority, i.e., the people. The Constituent Assembly approved it on November 26, 1949, and it went into effect on January 26, 1950. The Preamble of Indian Constitution is a succinct introduction that outlines the fundamental goals, tenets, and guiding principles of the document. The preamble provides information about the following:

• The constitution’s genesis
• The character of the Indian state.
• A description of its goals
• The date it was adopted

Preamble of Indian Constitution: Latest Update

Nearly 2.28 crore people have registered to read the Constitution’s preamble on September 15 in Karnataka. Karnataka Social Welfare Minister H C Mahadevappa nearly 2.28 crore people from all walks of life within the country and abroad, have registered to read the Constitution’s preamble on September 15 as part of the ‘International Day of Democracy’ celebrations. The intention is to make people, especially the youth understand the idea of the democracy and the constitution, and thereby they know the main purpose of the preamble, to lead a life with dignity, freedom and equality.

What is preamble of Indian Constitution?

The Preamble is the main and most effective introduction to the particular document, and it should be included in any form of beneficial book. Essentially, it is a statement that introduces the topic and generally gives you a wealth of information about it. The subject’s aim, philosophy, uses, ideas, and aspirations are essentially covered in the user manual, along with important principles and a description of the key goals. The Preamble provides examples of several types of information. It is the first item mentioned on the document’s front page. So, the Preamble’s primary and essential goal is that.

Salient Features of Constitution of India

Preamble of Indian Constitution Overview

The American constitution was the first to introduce Preamble in its Constitution. Preamble contains the summery or essence of the constitution. It also embodies the basic philosophy and fundamental values as political, moral and religious on which the Constitution of India is based. Preamble contains the noble vision of the Constituent Assembly and reflects the dreams and aspirations of the framers of the constitution. NA Palkhivala a constitutional expert and an eminent jurist called the Preamble as the ‘Identity Card of the Constitution.’ Check the overview of Preamble of Indian Constitution in the table provided below:

History of Preamble of Indian Constitution 

The Preamble outlines the Constitution’s goals even though it is not legally binding and can be used to help understand the Articles where there is a linguistic ambiguity.

• Jawaharlal Nehru’s Objectives Resolution, which the Constituent Assembly ratified on January 22, 1947, established the principles that serve as the foundation of India’s Constitution.
• The Objectives Resolution laid the groundwork for India’s Constitution, which codified the fundamental values of equality, liberty, democracy, sovereignty, and cosmopolitanism.
• This strengthened the moral commitment to build a government that will fulfill the many promises made to the Indian people by the nationalist movement.
• This resolution, which was unanimously approved on January 22, 1947, served as the basis for the Preamble to the Constitution. The ideals of the preamble include the core framework of our constitution. It emphasizes the essential ideas and philosophy of the Indian constitution.

Objectives of Preamble of Indian Constitution

Jawaharlal Nehru proposed the Objective Resolution in 1946, which outlined the constitutional framework. It was adopted on January 22, 1947. It influenced the Indian Constitution, and the Preamble of the Indian Constitution reflects its modified version. The fundamental principles that the objective resolution highlighted were:

• The Constituent Assembly’s determination to recognize India as an independent, sovereign, and republic;
• The creation of an Indian Constitution; and
• The goal of transforming all pre-independence Indian provinces into post-independence Indian states.
• To realize union with the power that will be distinct from those granted to such states;
• To realize residual powers, autonomy on such states as the Constitution of India reflects;
• For the Indian people to act as the source of power and authority of the sovereignty, and the independence
• To uphold justice, social, economic, and political equality of opportunity, as well as the freedoms of expression, association, association with others for a common purpose, and action, subject to the law and public morality before the law.
• To offer minorities, tribal and underdeveloped regions, as well as other downtrodden and backward sections, proper protections.
• To uphold the territorial integrity of the Indian Republic and its sovereign rights over land, sea, and air in accordance with international law and justice
• To advance international harmony and prosperity.

Components of Preamble of Indian Constitution

The Indian people are the Constitution’s ultimate source of authority, as stated in the Preamble. In the preamble, India is described as a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic. The Preamble seeks to provide justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity for all citizens in order to safeguard the nation’s integrity and togetherness. As stated in the preamble, it was adopted on November 26, 1949.

Important Articles of Indian Constitution

Martial Law

Keywords of Preamble of Indian Constitution

• We, the people of India : It represents the whole sovereignty of the Indian people. The term “sovereignty” refers to a state’s independent power, which is unaffected by the actions of any other state or outside force.
• Sovereign: The phrase indicates that India is an independent country with its own government and is not under the control of any other external entity. The country’s legislature has the authority to enact laws, but only within specific bounds.
• Socialist: The phrase refers to socialist goals being achieved using democratic means. It adheres to the idea of a mixed economy in which the public and private sectors coexist side by side. The 42nd Amendment of 1976 adds it to the Preamble.
• Secular: The phrase indicates that the government in India accords equal respect, safety, and support to all major religions. The Preamble of the Constitution was amended by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment in 1976.
• Democratic: The phrase emphasizes that the Indian Constitution has an established form that is based on the desire of the people as expressed through elections.
• Republic: The phrase implies that the people elect the state’s head of state. The President of India is the country’s elected head of state.

Panchayati Raj

Present Status of Preamble of Indian Constitution

The Supreme Court has debated the preamble’s inclusion in the Constitution on numerous occasions. Reading the following two cases will help you understand it.

Berubari Case

It was used as a reference under Article 143(1) of the Constitution, which dealt with the Berubari Union’s implementation under the Indo-Pakistan Agreement, and in exchanging the enclaves that the panel of eight judges agreed to take into consideration.

The Preamble is the key to unlock the minds of the framers, the Court said in the Berubari case, but it cannot be regarded as a part of the Constitution. So it cannot be enforced in a court of law.

Kesavananda Bharati Case

In this instance, a bench of 13 judges was gathered for the first time to hear a writ petition. The Court determined that:

• The Constitution’s Preamble will now be regarded as a component of the document.
• Though not the ultimate authority or the source of any restriction or ban, the Preamble is significant in how laws and Constitutional provisions are interpreted.
• Therefore, it can be said that the Constitution’s preamble is a part of its introduction.

The Supreme Court has once again ruled that while the Preamble is an essential component of the Constitution, it is not immediately enforceable in an Indian court of justice. This ruling was made in the 1995 case of Union Government vs. LIC of India.

List of Prime Minister of India

Amendment of Preamble of Indian Constitution

After the Kesavanand Bharati case verdict, it was acknowledged that the preamble is a component of the Constitution and enacted the 42nd Amendment Act in 1976. Preamble can be changed because it is a part of the Constitution under Article 368, but its fundamental format cannot be changed. Currently, the 42nd Amendment Act of 1976 is the only amendment to the preamble.

Through the 42nd Amendment Act of 1976, the words “Socialist,” “Secular,” and “Integrity” were added to the preamble. Between “Sovereign” and “Democratic,” the terms “Socialist” and “Secular” were added. “Unity and Integrity of the Nation” was substituted for “Unity of the Nation.”

List of President of India

List of Vice Presidents of India

Preamble of Indian Constitution UPSC

• The Indian Constitution, which is currently in effect, has just one Preamble, 22 parts, 12 schedules, and 448 articles.
• The Objective Resolution, which Jawaharlal Nehru prepared in 1946, is referenced in the preamble of the Indian Constitution.
• The Supreme Court of India deemed the Preamble to be unconstitutional in the Berubari Case (1960).
• The Kesavananda Bharti Case further stressed that it is a component of the Indian Constitution.

List of Chief Ministers of India

Other Important Links 

Sharing is caring!

Preamble of Indian Constitution FAQs

What are 5 parts of preamble.

The following are the five major ideals enshrined in the Preamble to the Constitution of India: • Liberty • Justice • Sovereign • Secular • Democratic

Who wrote preamble of India?

The "Objectives Resolution," which Pandit Nehru wrote and moved for the Constituent Assembly to adopt, serves as the foundation for the Preamble of the Indian Constitution. Nehru moved it on December 13, 1946, and the Constituent Assembly approved it on January 22, 1947.

Why is preamble important?

It outlines aspirations that the Constitution aspires to. It provides the Constitution with direction and meaning. It also enshrines the broad objectives and socioeconomic targets that must be attained through constitutional processes.

What is Preamble Explain?

A prologue is a statement that introduces a document and discusses its goals and philosophy. A Constitution outlines the goals of its creators, the background to their work, and the fundamental ideals and values of the country. Jawaharlal Nehru's Objectives Resolution, which the Constituent Assembly approved on January 22, 1947, set forth the principles that are reflected in the Preamble to India's Constitution. Although not legally binding, the Preamble outlines the goals of the Constitution and serves as a guide for interpreting unclear wording in the Articles.

What is the features of preamble?

The Preamble's characteristics include stating the authority from which the Constitution draws its authority, reaffirming the nation's commitment to securing justice, liberty, and equality, outlining the Constitution's goals, and mentioning the area that the Constitution shall apply to.

Who signed Indian Constitution first?

Dr. Rajendra Prasad signing the Indian Constitution on 24 January 1950. Dr. Rajendra Prasad shaking hands with Jawaharlal Nehru after signing the Indian Constitution on 24 January 1950.

• indian polity

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• UPSC Online Coaching
• UPSC Exam 2024
• UPSC Syllabus 2024
• UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2024
• UPSC Mains Syllabus 2024
• UPSC Exam Pattern 2024
• UPSC Age Limit 2024
• UPSC Calendar 2024
• UPSC Syllabus in Hindi
• UPSC Full Form

Recent Posts

• UPPSC Exam 2024
• UPPSC Calendar
• UPPSC Syllabus 2024
• UPPSC Exam Pattern 2024
• UPPSC Application Form 2024
• UPPSC Eligibility Criteria 2024
• UPPSC Admit card 2024
• UPPSC Salary And Posts
• UPPSC Cut Off
• UPPSC Previous Year Paper

BPSC Exam 2024

• BPSC 70th Notification
• BPSC 69th Exam Analysis
• BPSC Admit Card
• BPSC Syllabus
• BPSC Exam Pattern
• BPSC Cut Off
• BPSC Question Papers

IB ACIO Exam

• IB ACIO Salary
• IB ACIO Syllabus

CSIR SO ASO Exam

• CSIR SO ASO Exam 2024
• CSIR SO ASO Result 2024
• CSIR SO ASO Exam Date
• CSIR SO ASO Question Paper
• CSIR SO ASO Answer key 2024
• CSIR SO ASO Exam Date 2024
• CSIR SO ASO Syllabus 2024

Study Material Categories

• Daily The Hindu Analysis
• Daily Practice Quiz for Prelims
• Daily Answer Writing
• Daily Current Affairs
• Indian Polity
• Environment and Ecology
• Art and Culture
• General Knowledge
• Biographies

IMPORTANT EXAMS

• Terms & Conditions
• Return & Refund Policy
• Privacy Policy

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Guest Essay

The Constitution Won’t Save Us From Trump

By Aziz Rana

Mr. Rana is a professor of law at Boston College and the author, most recently, of “The Constitutional Bind: How Americans Came to Idolize a Document That Fails Them.”

On Thursday, the Supreme Court gathered to consider whether Donald Trump, as president, enjoyed immunity from prosecution for attempting to overturn the 2020 election. Even if the justices eventually rule against him, liberals should not celebrate the Constitution as our best bulwark against Mr. Trump. In fact, the document — for reasons that go beyond Mr. Trump, that long preceded him and could well extend past him — has made our democracy almost unworkable.

For years, whenever Mr. Trump threatened democratic principles, liberals turned to the Constitution for help, searching the text for tools that would either end his political career or at least contain his corruption. He was sued under the Constitution’s emoluments clauses. He was impeached twice. There was a congressional vote urging Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to proclaim Mr. Trump unfit for office. More recently, lawyers argued that the states could use the 14th Amendment to remove Mr. Trump from the ballot because of his role in the Jan. 6 attack.

Each of these efforts has been motivated by a worthy desire to hold Mr. Trump accountable for his actions. Each of them has failed. As we head into the heat of an election season, we need to confront a simple truth: The Constitution isn’t going to save us from Donald Trump. If anything, turning the page on the man — and on the politics he has fostered — will require fundamentally changing it.

It is not just that Mr. Trump would never have been president without the Electoral College. Think about why those previous efforts to use the Constitution to hold Mr. Trump accountable failed. Impeachment processes collapsed in the Senate because it lopsidedly grants power to rural, conservative states. The Supreme Court was able not only to keep Mr. Trump on the ballot in Colorado, but also to narrow the circumstances in which disqualification could ever be used, because Republicans have been able to appoint a majority of the justices on the court, despite losing the popular vote in seven of the past eight presidential elections.

For years, liberals were squeamish about acknowledging these facts, perhaps out of habit. While most countries view their documents as rules for governing — rules that may become outdated and can be reworked if necessary — our own politicians routinely tell a story of American exceptionalism rooted in our Constitution. It is a sacred document that, as Barack Obama once put it , “launched America’s improbable experiment in democracy,” grounded on shared principles of equality, self-government and personal liberty.

In these Trump years, as polls have shown some Americans drifting away from those shared ideals, liberals are clinging even more tightly to the document as a symbol under threat.

A year and a half ago, for instance, when Mr. Trump called for the “termination” of existing election rules, liberals were understandably outraged. Representative Don Beyer of Virginia labeled him an “enemy of the Constitution.” Andrew Bates, a spokesman for the White House, proclaimed that “attacking” the “sacrosanct” document was “anathema to the soul of our nation.” The problem is that these pledges of constitutional fealty can’t substitute for actually convincing the public of the importance of inclusive democracy.

Rallying around the Constitution means embracing the very text that causes these pathologies. Its rules strengthen the hand of those indifferent or even opposed to the principle of one person, one vote. After all, those rules smooth the path for a Trumpian right to gain power without winning over a majority. And they throw up numerous roadblocks to accountability — even when presidents attempt to subvert elections.

The shock to the constitutional system that Mr. Trump represents didn’t start, and won’t end, with him. The best — and perhaps only — way to contain the politics around him is to reform government, so that it is far more representative of Americans. The goal is to keep authoritarians from ever again gaining power without winning a majority and stacking powerful institutions with judges and officials wildly out of step with the public. But this requires extensive changes to our legal and political systems, including to the Constitution itself.

We need new campaign finance laws and expanded voting rights. We need to end the Senate filibuster, eliminate the Electoral College, combat gerrymandering and partisan election interference, adopt multi-member House districts and add new states like Washington, D.C. We need to reduce the power of the Senate, perhaps even moving toward a more ceremonial “ council of revision ,” as Jamelle Bouie has proposed.

Such reform requires pushing back against the extreme power of the Supreme Court through measures like judicial term limits and expansion of the size of the court. And an easier amendment process would give Americans the power to update their institutions and incorporate new rights into the document, rather than having to rely only on what judges decide.

No doubt these changes can seem politically unfeasible. But it would behoove Americans concerned about the dangers posed by Mr. Trump to take seriously such a comprehensive agenda, if for no other reason than because many on the right are already working on constitutional reforms of their own.

Groups like the Convention of States (which counts Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida as a vocal supporter) have succeeded in getting 19 of the 34 states required under Article V of the Constitution to agree to convene a new constitutional convention. The Convention of States package of potential changes includes giving “a simple majority of the states” the ability “to rescind actions by Congress, the President, or administrative agencies,” empowering Republican officials to nullify any policies they oppose, regardless of whether those policies enjoy vast national support. As David Pozen of Columbia Law School has written , the right has even figured out how to run this second convention in a way that would ensure that state officials, again disproportionately Republicans, control what gets proposed and how voting proceeds.

These efforts will persist even if Mr. Trump is no longer on the political stage. And so long as liberals refuse to confront what needs to be done to fix the Constitution, his supporters and groups like the Convention of States will control that debate.

It now falls to Americans to avoid learning the wrong lessons from this moment. Mr. Trump may lose at the ballot box or be convicted in one of the four criminal cases he faces, including the one that started this month in Manhattan. If he is held accountable, it will not be because the Constitution saved us, given all its pathologies.

Aziz Rana is a professor of law at Boston College and the author, most recently, of “The Constitutional Bind: How Americans Came to Idolize a Document That Fails Them.”

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , WhatsApp , X and Threads .

Skip to Main Content - Keyboard Accessible

Preamble: historical background.

• U.S. Constitution Annotated

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.

The Preamble's origins predate the Constitutional Convention—preambles to legal documents were relatively commonplace at the time of the nation's founding. In several English laws that undergird American understandings of constitutional rights, including the Petition of Rights of 1628, 1 Footnote 3 Car. 1, c. 1 . the Habeas Corpus Act of 1679, 2 Footnote 31 Car. 2, c. 2 . the Bill of Rights of 1689, 3 Footnote 1 W. & M. c. 2 . and the Act of Settlement of 1701, 4 Footnote 12 & 13 Will. 3, c. 2 . the British Parliament included prefatory text that explained the law's objects and historical impetus. The tradition of a legal preamble continued in the New World. The Declarations and Resolves of the First Continental Congress in 1774 included a preamble noting the many grievances the thirteen colonies held against British rule. 5 Footnote The Declarations and Resolves of the First Continental Congress (Oct. 14, 1774) , reprinted in 1 Sources and Documents of the U.S. Constitutions: National Documents 1492–1800 , at 291 (William F. Swindler ed., 1982) [hereinafter Sources & Documents ]. Building on this document, in perhaps the only preamble that rivals the fame of the Constitution's opening lines, the Declaration of Independence of 1776 announced: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The Declaration then listed a series of complaints against King George III, before culminating in a formal declaration of the colonies' independence from the British crown. 6 Footnote See The Declaration of Independence para. 1 (U.S. 1776) , reprinted in Sources & Documents , supra note 5, at 321 . Moreover, several state constitutions at the time of the founding contained introductory text that echoed many of the themes of the 1776 Declaration. 7 Footnote See, e.g. , Mass. Const. of 1780 , pmbl. (stating the “objects” of the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 were “to secure the existence of the body-politic, to protect it, and to furnish the individuals who compose it, with the power of enjoying in safety and tranquillity their natural rights, and blessings of life” and, to this end, a government was created “for Ourselves and Posterity” ); N.H. Const. of 1776 , pmbl. (creating a government “for the preservation of peace and good order, and for the security of the lives and properties of the inhabitants of this colony” ); N.Y. Const. of 1777 , pmbl. (creating a government “best calculated to secure the rights and liberties of the good people of this State” ); Pa. Const. of 1776 , pmbl. (stating the government was created for the “protection of the community as such, and to enable the individuals who compose it to enjoy their natural rights” ); Vt. Const. of 1786 , pmbl. (establishing a constitution to “best promote the general happiness of the people of this State, and their posterity” ); Va. Const. of 1776 , Bill of Rights, pmbl. (stating “the representatives of the good people of Virginia” created their bill of rights, which “pertain to them and their posterity” ). The Articles of Confederation that preceded the Constitution had their own preamble—authored by “we the undersigned Delegates of the States” —declaring the “Confederation and perpetual Union” of the thirteen former colonies. 8 Footnote See Articles of Confederation of 1781 , pmbl. , reprinted in Sources & Documents , supra note 5, at 335 .

While the concept of a preamble was well-known to the Constitution's Framers, little debate occurred at the Philadelphia Convention with respect to whether the Constitution required prefatory text or as to the particular text agreed upon by the delegates. For the first two months of the Convention, no proposal was made to include a preamble in the Constitution's text. 9 Footnote See Morris D. Forkosch , Who Are the “People” in the Preamble to the Constitution? , 19 Case W. Res. L. Rev. 644 , 688–89 & n.187 (1968) (examining various records of the first two months of the Philadelphia Convention and concluding that “the Preamble was completely ignored” in the early debates). 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 Footnote See 2 The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787 , at 137 (Max Farrand ed., 1966) [hereinafter Farrand's Records ]. Importantly, however, Randolph considered the Constitution to be a legal, as opposed to a philosophical document, and rejected the idea of having a lengthy “display of theory” to explain “the ends of government and human politics” akin to the Declaration of Independence's preamble or those of several state constitutions. 11 Footnote Id. Articulating what would ultimately become the Preamble's underlying rationale, Randolph instead argued that any prefatory text to the Constitution should be limited to explaining why the government under the Articles of Confederation was insufficient and why the “establishment of a supreme legislative[,] executive[,] and judiciary” was necessary. 12 Footnote Id.

The initial draft of the Constitution's Preamble was, however, fairly brief and did not specify the Constitution's objectives. As released by the Committee of Detail on August 6, 1787, this draft stated: “We the People of the States of New-Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New-York, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North-Carolina, South-Carolina, and Georgia, do ordain, declare and establish the following Constitution for the Government of Ourselves and our Posterity.” 13 Footnote Id. at 177 . While this draft was passed unanimously by the delegates, 14 Footnote Id. at 193 . the Preamble underwent significant changes after the draft Constitution was referred to the Committee of Style on September 8, 1787. Perhaps with the understanding that the inclusion of all thirteen of the states in the Preamble was more precatory than realistic, 15 Footnote See Charles Warren , The Making of the Constitution 394 (1928) (arguing it was “necessary to eliminate from the preamble the names of the specific States; for it could not be known, at the date of the signing of the Preamble and the rest of the Constitution by the delegates, just which of the thirteen States would ratify” ). the Committee of Style, led by Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania, 16 Footnote It is generally acknowledged that the Preamble's author was Gouverneur Morris, as the language from the federal preamble echoes that of Morris's home state's Constitution. See Carl Van Doren , The Great Rehearsal: The Story of the Making and Ratifying of the Constitution of the United States 160 (1948) ; see also Richard Brookhiser , Gentleman Revolutionary: Gouverneur Morris, the Rake Who Wrote the Constitution 90 (2003) (claiming the “Preamble was the one part of the Constitution that Morris wrote from scratch” ). replaced the opening phrase of the Constitution with the now-familiar introduction “We, the People of the United States.” 17 Footnote Farrand's Records , supra note 10, at 590 . Moreover, the Preamble, as altered by Morris, listed six broad goals for the Constitution: “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.” 18 Footnote Id. The record from the Philadelphia Convention is silent, however, as to why the Committee of Style altered the Preamble, and there is no evidence of any objection to the changes the Committee made to the final version of the Preamble. 19 Footnote See Dennis J. Mahoney , Preamble , in 3 Encyclopedia of the American Constitution 1435 (Leonard W. Levy et al. eds., 1986) (noting “there is no record of any objection to the Preamble as it was reported by the committee” ).

While the Preamble did not provoke any further discussion in the Philadelphia Convention, the first words of the Constitution factored prominently in the ratifying debates that followed. 20 Footnote See Akhil Reed Amar , America's Constitution: A Biography 7 (2005) ( “In the extraordinary extended and inclusive ratification process . . . Americans regularly found themselves discussing the Preamble itself.” ). For instance, Anti-Federalists, led by Patrick Henry of Virginia, criticized the opening lines of the Constitution at the Virginia ratifying convention:

Who authorized them to speak the language of We, the people, instead of We, the States? States are the characteristics and the soul of a confederation. If the states be not the agents of this compact, it must be one great, consolidated, national government, of the people of all the states. 21 Footnote See Jonathan Elliot , 3 Elliot's Debates on the Federal Constitution 22 (2d. ed. 1996) .

In response, Edmund Pendleton replied: “[W]ho but the people can delegate powers? Who but the people have a right to form government?” 22 Footnote See id. at 37 . Similarly, John Marshall declared that both state and federal “governments derive [their] powers from the people, and each was to act according to the powers given it.” 23 Footnote Id. at 419 . Echoing these themes at the Pennsylvania Ratification Convention, James Wilson defended the “We the People” language, arguing that “all authority is derived from the people” and that the Preamble merely announces the inoffensive principle that “people have a right to do what they please with regard to the government.” 24 Footnote Id. at 434–35 .

The Preamble also figured into the written debates over whether to ratify the Constitution. For instance, countering criticisms that the Constitution lacked a bill of rights, Alexander Hamilton in The Federalist No. 84 quoted the Preamble, arguing it obviated any need for an enumeration of rights. 25 Footnote See The Federalist No. 84 , at 481 (Alexander Hamilton) (Clinton Rossiter ed., 1999) ( “Here is a better recognition of popular rights, than volumes of those aphorisms which make the principal figure in several of our State bills of rights, and which would sound much better in a treatise of ethics than in a constitution of government.” ). An Anti-Federalist pamphlet authored under the pseudonym Brutus, noting the Preamble's references to a “more perfect union” and “establish[ment] [of] justice,” argued that the Constitution would result in the invalidation of state laws that interfered with these objectives, resulting in the abolition of “all inferior governments” and giving “the general one complete legislative, executive, and judicial powers to every purpose.” 26 Footnote See Brutus No. XII (Feb. 7 & 14, 1788) , reprinted in The Debate on the Constitution: Federalist and Anti-Federalist Speeches, Articles and Letters During the Struggle Over Ratification, Part Two: January to August 1788 , at 174 (Bernard Bailyn ed., 1993) . While not disputing the need for national union in the wake of their experience under the Articles of Confederation, 27 Footnote See The Federalist No. 5 , at 18 (John Jay) (Clinton Rossiter ed., 1999) ( “[W]eakness and divisions at home would invite dangers from abroad; and that nothing would tend more to secure us from them than union, strength, and good government within ourselves.” ). supporters of the Constitution rejected the notion that their proposed government was truly a “ national one” because “its jurisdiction extends to certain enumerated objects only, and leaves to the several States a residuary and inviolable sovereignty over all other objects.” 28 Footnote See The Federalist No. 39 , at 213 (James Madison) (Clinton Rossiter ed., 1999).

In particular, those writing in support of the Constitution's ratification cited the Preamble's language. The Constitution's goals of “establish[ing] justice” and “secur[ing] the blessings of liberty” —prompted by the perception that state governments at the time of the framing were violating individual liberties, including property rights, through the tyranny of popular majorities 29 Footnote See Gordon S. Wood , The Creation of the American Republic 1776–1787 , at 409–13 (1969) (noting that the Framer's experience of government under the Articles of Confederation, including the famous debtors' uprising called Shay's Rebellion, led to fear that, unless checks were imposed on majority rule, the debtor-majority might infringe the rights of the creditor-minority). —was a central theme of the Federalist Papers. For instance, in The Federalist No. 51 James Madison described justice as “the end of government . . . [and] civil society” that “has been and ever will be pursued until it be obtained, or until liberty be lost in the pursuit.” 30 Footnote See The Federalist No. 51 , at 293 (James Madison) (Clinton Rossiter ed., 1999) . Similarly, the Constitution's goals of “ensur[ing] domestic tranquility” and “provid[ing] for the common defence” were noted in the Federalist Papers later attributed to John Jay and Alexander Hamilton, who described both the foreign threats and interstate conflicts that faced a disunited America as an argument for ratification. 31 Footnote See The Federalist Nos. 2–5 , at 5–21 (John Jay) (Clinton Rossiter ed., 1999) (describing foreign dangers posed to America); see id. Nos. 6–8 , at 21–39 (Alexander Hamilton) (describing concerns over domestic factions and insurrection in America). Finally, the Preamble's references to the “common defence” and the “general welfare,” which mirrored the language of the Articles of Confederation, 32 Footnote See Articles of Confederation of 1781 , art. III , reprinted in Sources & Documents , supra note 5, at 335 ( “The said States hereby severally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other, for their common defence, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, binding themselves to assist each other, against all force offered to, or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account of religion, sovereignty, trade, or any other pretense whatever.” ); id. art. VIII , reprinted in Sources & Documents , supra note 5, at 338 ( “All charges of war, and all other expenses that shall be incurred for the common defense or general welfare, and allowed by the United States in Congress assembled, shall be defrayed out of a common treasury, which shall be supplied by the several States in proportion to the value of all land within each State, granted or surveyed for any person, as such land and the buildings and improvements thereon shall be estimated according to such mode as the United States in Congress assembled, shall from time to time direct and appoint.” ). were understood by Framers like James Madison to underscore that the new federal government under the Constitution would generally provide for the national good better than the government it was replacing. 33 Footnote See Letter from James Madison to Andrew Stevenson (Nov. 17, 1830) , reprinted in 2 The Founders' Constitution 453, 456 (Philip B. Kurland & Ralph Lerner eds., 1987) (contending that the terms “common defence” and “general welfare,” “copied from the Articles of Confederation, were regarded in the new as in the old instrument, . . . as general terms, explained and limited by the subjoined specifications” ). For example, calling the Confederation's efforts to provide for the “common defense and general welfare” an “ill-founded and illusory” experiment, Alexander Hamilton in The Federalist No. 23 argued for a central government with the “full power to levy troops; to build and equip fleets; . . . to raise revenues” for an army and navy; and to otherwise manage the “national interest.” 34 Footnote See The Federalist No. 23 , at XX (Alexander Hamilton) (Clinton Rossiter ed., 1999) .

Nonetheless, there is no historical evidence suggesting the Constitution's Framers conceived of a Preamble with any substantive legal effect, such as granting power to the new government or conferring rights to those subject to the federal government. 35 Footnote See I Joseph Story , Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States § 462 (1833) . Instead, the founding generation appeared to view the Constitution's prefatory text as generally providing the foundation for the text that followed. 36 Footnote See id. (concluding the Preamble's “true office is to expound the nature, and extent, and application of the powers actually conferred by the constitution” ); see also 1 Annals of Cong. 717 –19 (1789) (noting several Members of the First Congress described the Preamble as comprising “no part of the Constitution” ); Letter from James Madison to Robert S. Garnett (Feb. 11, 1824) , in 9 The Writings of James Madison 176–77 (Gaillard Hunt ed., 1910) ( “The general terms or phrases used in the introductory propositions . . . were never meant to be inserted in their loose form in the text of the Constitution. Like resolutions preliminary to legal enactments it was understood by all, that they were to be reduced by proper limitations and specifications . . . .” ). In so doing, the Preamble ultimately reflects three critical understandings that the Framers had about the Constitution. First, the Preamble specified the source of the federal government's sovereignty as being “the People.” 37 Footnote See Story , supra note 35, § 463 ( “We have the strongest assurances, that this preamble was not adopted as a mere formulary; but as a solemn promulgation of a fundamental fact, vital to the character and operations of the government. The obvious object was to substitute a government of the people, for a confederacy of states; a constitution for a compact.” ). Second, the Constitution's introduction articulated six broad purposes, all grounded in the historical experiences of being governed under the Articles of Confederation. 38 Footnote Farrand's Records , supra note 10, at 137 ( “[T]he object of our preamble ought to be to briefly declare, that the present federal government is insufficient to the general happiness [and] that the conviction of this fact gave birth to this convention.” ). Finally, and perhaps most critically, the Preamble, with its conclusion that “this Constitution” was established for “ourselves and our Posterity,” underscored that, unlike the constitutions in Great Britain and elsewhere at the time of the founding, the American Constitution was a written and permanent document that would serve as a stable guide for the new nation. 39 Footnote See Erwin Chemerinsky & Michael Stokes Paulsen , Common Interpretation: The Preamble, Interactive Constitution , Const. Ctr. (last visited Nov. 1, 2018), https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/interpretation/preamble-ic/interps/37 ( “[T]he Preamble declares that what the people have ordained and established is 'this Constitution'—referring, obviously enough, to the written document that the Preamble introduces. . . . The U.S. Constitution contrasts with the arrangement of nations like Great Britain, whose 'constitution' is a looser collection of written and unwritten traditions constituting the established practice over time. America has a written constitution, not an unwritten one.” ); see also Michael Stokes Paulsen , Does the Constitution Prescribe Rules for Its Own Interpretation? , 103 Nw. U. L. Rev. 857 , 869 (2009) ( “'[T]his Constitution' means, each time it is invoked, the written document.” ).

The following state regulations pages link to this page.

Essay on Preamble Of Indian Constitution

Students are often asked to write an essay on Preamble Of Indian Constitution in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Preamble Of Indian Constitution

Introduction to the preamble.

The Preamble is like the introduction to the Indian Constitution. It tells us about the values and principles of the country. It is like a promise to its people to give them justice, liberty, equality, and to promote brotherhood.

Goals of the Preamble

The Preamble sets goals for India. It wants to make sure everyone is treated fairly and has the same rights. It also wants to keep the country united and maintain peace among all its people.

Words in the Preamble

The Preamble starts with “We, the people of India,” showing that the power of the government comes from the citizens. It talks about making India a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic.

Importance of the Preamble

The Preamble is important because it guides the people who make laws in India. It helps them remember the core values of the Constitution when they make decisions or create new laws.

Also check:

• Speech on Preamble Of Indian Constitution

250 Words Essay on Preamble Of Indian Constitution

The Preamble of the Indian Constitution is like an introduction to a book. It tells us about the values, principles, and goals of our country. It is the opening statement of the Constitution and gives us a brief idea of what the rest of the document is about.

What the Preamble Says

The Preamble declares India as a “Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic.” This means that India is free to make its own decisions, supports social equality, respects all religions equally, believes in fair and equal voting rights, and is run by the people for the people. It also aims to secure justice, liberty, equality, and to promote fraternity among all citizens.

The Goals of the Preamble

The Preamble sets the direction for the country. It aims to make sure that every person gets fair treatment, has the freedom to speak, think, and worship as they like, and is treated equally before the law. It also wants to make sure that people from different backgrounds feel like they belong to the same big family.

Significance of the Preamble

The Preamble is very important because it guides the people who make laws and the courts that explain these laws. It also helps the citizens understand the essence of the Constitution and the rights and duties it gives them.

The Preamble of the Indian Constitution is like a guiding light. It sets the path for the nation to follow and helps everyone understand the core values that India stands for. It is not just an introduction but the soul of the Constitution, reflecting the dreams and aspirations of its people.

500 Words Essay on Preamble Of Indian Constitution

The Preamble of the Indian Constitution is like an introduction to a book. It tells us what the book is about. In the same way, the Preamble gives us a glimpse of what the Constitution contains. It shares the ideals and goals of the country. The Constitution is the most important set of rules for India, and the Preamble is like its guiding light.

Words and Their Meaning

The Preamble starts with the words “We, the people of India.” This means all the rules in the Constitution come from the citizens of India. It says that India will be a “Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic.” Sovereign means no other country can tell India what to do. Socialist means the wealth of the country should be shared fairly among its people. Secular means the government will treat all religions equally. Democratic means the people have the power to choose their leaders. Republic means the head of the country is not a king or queen but someone elected by the people.

The Preamble sets four main goals: Justice, Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. Justice means everyone should be treated fairly by the law. Liberty means everyone has the freedom to speak, believe, and think what they want. Equality means everyone should have the same chance to succeed in life, no matter where they come from. Fraternity means we should all treat each other like brothers and sisters, and make sure everyone feels like they belong to India.

The Preamble is important because it tells the government how to use its power. It reminds the government that it should work to make life better for all its people. It also tells the people that they have rights and should live together peacefully.

Changes to the Preamble

The Preamble was changed once. In 1976, three new words were added: Socialist, Secular, and Integrity. Integrity means that the country should be united and strong, with no parts wanting to break away.

The Preamble of the Indian Constitution is a short but powerful text. It shows the dreams and promises of India as a country. It tells us that India belongs to its people, and it is up to everyone to make sure the country is fair, free, equal, and friendly. The Preamble is not just an introduction to the Constitution; it is a promise of what India strives to be.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on Pratapgad Fort
• Essay on Is College Worth It
• Essay on Powerful Weapon To Change The World

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

The Federal Register

The daily journal of the united states government, request access.

Due to aggressive automated scraping of FederalRegister.gov and eCFR.gov, programmatic access to these sites is limited to access to our extensive developer APIs.

If you are human user receiving this message, we can add your IP address to a set of IPs that can access FederalRegister.gov & eCFR.gov; complete the CAPTCHA (bot test) below and click "Request Access". This process will be necessary for each IP address you wish to access the site from, requests are valid for approximately one quarter (three months) after which the process may need to be repeated.

An official website of the United States government.

If you want to request a wider IP range, first request access for your current IP, and then use the "Site Feedback" button found in the lower left-hand side to make the request.