I made an honest effort at reciting words I learned years ago only to find that I had left out three sections, just a few words, but those omissions were as integral and important as any others. I am talking about the preamble to our constitution. It states the following:
“We the People of the United States, in Order 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 to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
I was dismayed that my memory had failed me so miserably because I can remember the day each student in Mr. Batchelor’s Greenfield Elementary School seventh-grade class had to stand and recite those words for grade. I was good, at that time, at memorization, so I did well with the recitation, but others struggled with the words, not because they didn’t know them but due to fear of public speaking, no matter if the audience was made up of faces they saw every school day.
I am referencing the preamble because I hear comments repeated by educators and politicians that what is needed in American schools is the return of classes once called Civics, or United States Government, which curriculum included past and current events relative to the American political spectrum. I don’t recall what elementary class where we memorized the preamble, history possibly; but at King City High School it was called Civics and my instructor was Mr. Dan Ipson; a very fine man whom I later had as instructor in a history class at Hartnell College just before he was named dean of students. I was unaware that civics, by whatever name, was no longer part of academia studies at the lower levels but am aware that the call to revive such studies stems from the present situation where the question of constitutional applicability permeates the political arena. A quick look at some capitalized words used in the preamble may reveal the reason for the call of a return to civics.
People is capitalized to emphasize that it was to be a government chosen by the people; but not all the people. With the signing of the document, all white males could vote, a few states allowed some free Black men to vote, slaves were not permitted nor were women. After the Civil War, Blacks were allowed to vote but widespread opposition to this lasted until the 1960s civil rights movement; there is again pushback to Black voters in the form of gerrymandering voting precincts designed to disenfranchise. Women were not allowed to vote in American elections until 131 years after the constitution went into effect. Justice is in caps because the establishment of fairness, equality, moral rightness was tantamount to keeping the country one of equal laws to all inhabitants; but this has never been practiced with equanimity across the land. In the court system statistics show that wealthy white members of society always fair better in legal proceedings that do those members of society less financially equipped and people of color are routinely treated with less forbearance that white folks.
Tranquility is nice to have but rarely has it been universally existent, as would be expected in a country as vast and diversified as is America; but today the present administration keeps tranquil times at bay, choosing instead for chaos and uncertainty. Another big word used in the preamble is Welfare; the word here defined as the health, happiness and fortunes of a person or group of people. This is a worthy goal but very hard to accomplish in a nation of 100 languages with ancestry to match each tongue where attempts at government intervention to help those struggling in our society are often derided, “welfare” is a derogatory word for many who decry efforts to assist the less fortunate. Today, the number of lower-income families in need of government aid is rising as the far upper classes, the billionaires controlling most of America’s wealth, seek to do away with programs designed to lessen financial hardships.
Blessings of Liberty are capitalized and deserve to be as liberty is one of the key elements of life in the United States, and is defined as “the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or political views.” Unfortunately, this freedom is under direct attack today as the present administration seeks all avenues, legal or not, to exclude millions of people of color from partaking in our society no matter their status. For many there will be no liberty until a legal court of law grants them status guaranteeing them liberty; many will never see that day before bounty hunters paid $1,000 to $1,500 a head, working with government forces, hunt them down and deport them without due process. So, the blessings associated with liberty is denied to tens of thousands for no other reason than racism; but that is nothing new in America so easily overlooked by many voters.
Posterity. That is a big one, that is our future. Will the present younger generation, my grandkids among them, carry on with People, Order, Union, Justice, Tranquility, Welfare, Blessings, Liberty, Constitution? How will the great American Experiment look in 50 years, 30 years, next year? In two days, this country celebrates 249 years existence since the signing of the Declaration of Independence and now faces the biggest challenge to national identity since 1860. Will the next three years prove to a period of adherence to those ideals expressed in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence where in the end America is a better nation; or will the present administration bring about a downfall of American values from which we cannot fully recover? That is a question only We the People can answer.
Take care. Peace.
