Read the text. Answer using evidence from the text.
“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.”
Written in 1787, this single sentence introduces the Constitution and states its purposes. Notice the opening words: the government’s authority comes from "We the People," not from a king or from the individual states.
The six goals that follow — union, justice, peace at home, defense, the general welfare and liberty — explain what the new government was created to do. Courts do not treat the Preamble as a source of legal power, but it is often cited as a statement of the nation’s founding ideals.
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Worksheets › Grade 9 English › Reading Informational Text › Reading Informational Text
Free Grade 9 English worksheet (Common Core RI.9-10.1): read the informational text "The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution", find the main idea and answer questions with evidence. Skill: Key ideas and details in informational text. Level: Grade 9 — also suits Year 10 (UK).
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It is designed for Grade 9 (ages 14–15), but use it with any child who is ready.
Key ideas and details in informational text.
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