In the same spirit as David’s Pop quiz on the flag, I’d like to offer up today’s pop quiz, which concerns the US Constitution.
Here it is: Can you recite the preamble? And, unlike David’s quiz, looking is OK – if you cannot recite it from memory, suppose you were going to give a speech and wanted to quote from the preamble. Would you be able to find the correct text from which to quote?
Answers in the comments please. And as David did, I’ll update later as to why.
Full disclosure: I can do it from memory, thanks to Schoolhouse Rock (I have to sing it in my head!). All that time in front of a TV as a kid didn’t completely rot my brain.
UPDATE below the fold.
An A+ to Christopher for both nailing it and guessing why.
My guess as to why this was posted is that someone got the Constitution confused with the Declaration again, which seems fairly common among those who invoke these documents in their rhetoric.
It’s not just anyone who did it this time.
What’s really sad is that he purports to have the very document in his hand. But not in front of him, apparently.
Discuss
16 Comments . Comments are closed.I learned it for a school play in fourth grade.
It was the year of the bicentennial of the Constitution. In 6th grade I had a nerd moment and diagrammed this sentence, along with the opening sentence to the Gettysburg Address:
"We, the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common Defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty for ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
Significantly, I think, the framers rejected the original proposal of saying "We the States of..." like the Articles of Confederation, partly because they weren't sure every state would ratify at first, partly because there was a provision for new states, and partly to show that the people directly created the federal government rather than it being a creation of the states. I believe every word is important and as an unapologetic loose constructionist I believe that any proposal which seeks to further any one or more of the six reasons stated herein is constitutionally legitimate, subject to a debate on the merits and any specific restrictions. My guess as to why this was posted is that someone got the Constitution confused with the Declaration again, which seems fairly common among those who invoke these documents in their rhetoric.
Well done
I had seen the MSNBC clip last night; hilarious or appalling, I can't quite decide.
Plain, Honest Men
If you want a good answer as to why it says "We the People" and not "We the States," I highly recommend Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution by Richard Beeman. It is a great account of what happened that summer in Philadelphia. I just finished it a few weeks ago.
I own a copy.
Haven't gotten to reading it yet, but definitely on the list.
Yeah... I know what's coming.
Love that Schoolhouse Rock! :D
I have it memorized too (and have for years) thanks to that wonderful little song.
Looking forward to the update.
This is a no Boehner
Get your Wiki on:
Rachel Maddow just did School House rock karaoke n/t
He did swear an oath to uphold it, right?
Sounds like signing a document without reading it first - never a good idea. Once again, though, I am in a position where I cannot play the video, so if someone could write the offending quote in the comments I would appreciate it.
$quot;Who wrote in the Preamble ...
We hold these truths to be self-evident...." You know the rest. :D
Oy!
Wrong document notwithstanding, if he's a big fan of that clause then he would certainly vote in favor of marriage equality (goes to "equal" and "pursuit of happiness") and health care reform (goes to "life"), right?;)
No, no, no, he's a strict constructionist...
The Declaration clearly states "All men are created equal, etc., etc., etc."
Women need not apply. I'll leave the derivation of how gays are not "men" to the reader.
:-)
Good Lord He's a very good repub
as always they cannot cite the docs they quote ignorance is a wonderful thing . Do you really need to know the difference between the Declaration and the Constitution if you are repub they think const is voluntary if not irrelevant
We who live in glass houses...
Can we count on the fingers of more than one hand the politicians that support the Constitution? I think not. (Kucinich and Paul - who else?)
Promote the General Welfare
Ever wonder why it's extremely rare to hear a conservative accurately quote the preamble to the US Constitution?
Maybe they don't like the part that states, "Promote the General Welfare."
It is conservative dogma to claim that something they perceive as liberal is also unconstitutional. Yes, the preamble is right up front in big letters, but you'd be amazed how many self-named constitution-protecting, conservative "patriots" have never actually read it, or worse, choose to ignore it.
I'm sorry, conservatives. The preamble addresses more than "provide for the common defense." It also includes, "promote the general welfare." You can't pick and choose which parts of the constitution you like and ignore the others.
Maybe the dumbest part of this entire thing...
...is that he's holding a copy of the Constitution in his hand the entire time.
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