The Preamble and the Constitution's big principles
Grade 8 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.
Read this first
The Preamble (1787)
Box We, the people of the United States: the source of the government's power: popular sovereignty. Box Six goals: form a more perfect union; establish justice; insure domestic tranquillity [peace at home]; provide for the common defence; promote the general welfare; secure the blessings of liberty. Box This Constitution: is ordained and established by the people. Arrows: from We, the people of the United States to This Constitution: ordain and establish; from This Constitution to Six goals: aims at. Line 1 (Constitution of the United States (1787), Preamble; as printed in 1840, p. 5): "We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, 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."
Who ordains and establishes the Constitution, by the Preamble, Zee asks?
- The king of Britain
- We, the people
- The Supreme Court
- The thirteen state governors
Which goal is about peace at home, Ari asks?
- Provide for the common defence
- Establish justice
- Insure domestic tranquillity
- Form a more perfect union
Esme reads the words popular sovereignty. What do they mean?
- Power belongs to the most popular person
- Power comes from a king
- Power comes from the courts alone
- Power comes from the people
Jun reads the word preamble. What is a preamble?
- A vote count
- A list of amendments
- An introduction stating the purpose
- A court's ruling
Kira reads promote the general welfare. What does it mean?
- Help other countries first
- Work for everyone's well-being
- Help one general
- Help only the army
Which goal is about fair courts and laws, Milo asks?
- Provide for the common defence
- Secure the blessings of liberty
- Establish justice
- Form a more perfect union
Which goal shows the Constitution was meant to fix the weak union of the Articles, Noah asks?
- Provide for the common defence
- Establish justice
- Secure the blessings of liberty
- Form a more perfect union
Why does the Preamble begin with We, the people, Pia asks?
- It was the start of a song
- Power comes from the people
- The states wrote it alone
- The king approved it
Which way do the arrows run in the Preamble diagram, Ren asks?
- People to Constitution to goals
- There are no arrows
- Goals to people to Constitution
- Constitution to king
Does the Preamble itself give anyone a power, Tala asks?
- Yes; it names the courts
- Yes; it sets the taxes
- No; it states the purposes
- Yes; it makes the president

