Preamble
The Preamble is the opening statement of the U.S. Constitution, beginning with the words We the People of the United States. It sets out the purposes of the Constitution: forming a more perfect Union, establishing Justice, insuring domestic Tranquility, providing for the common defence, promoting the general Welfare, and securing the Blessings of Liberty. It announces that the Constitution is adopted by the people, but it does not itself grant powers or rights; those are in the articles and amendments that follow.
The Preamble is the opening statement of the U.S. Constitution, beginning with the words We the People of the United States. It sets out the purposes of the Constitution: forming a more perfect Union, establishing Justice, insuring domestic Tranquility, providing for the common defence, promoting the general Welfare, and securing the Blessings of Liberty. It announces that the Constitution is adopted by the people, but it does not itself grant powers or rights; those are in the articles and amendments that follow.
Example: During the ratification debates, James Wilson defended the Preamble’s We the People language at the Pennsylvania Ratification Convention by arguing that all governmental authority is derived from the people.
Common misconception: The Preamble is not a source of federal power. Congress has never relied on the Preamble alone as the basis for enacting a law, and the national government’s powers are listed in the articles that follow it.
Sources: https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/preamble/; https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/pre-1-2/ALDE_00001234/