Jacob Christensen

Mrs. Allison
Period 4
November 5, 2014

Christensen 1

The Preamble: Its been affecting us since 1787

Introduction:
Even the smallest act of service, the simplest act of kindness, is a way to honor
those we lost, a way to reclaim that spirit of unity that followed 9/11, (President Obama,
2011). September 11, 2001 is no day for celebration, nor it is a day to ignore. It is a day
of remembrance of the lives lost in the Twin Towers, remembrance of the the support
that our government gave to the victims, and of the major effect that it still has on us
today. As stated in the quote, it is also a day of unity, for after the Towers collapsed to
the ground, the citizens of the United States seemed to come together and support
each other more than they have for a long time. We seemed to better respect the
heroes who risked their lives trying to help the few people that survived, and we respect
what our government has done to prevent horrific situations, such as 9/11, from
happening again. The one thing that we really dont think about is that all the things that
we respect what our government has done to help us can be traced back down to the
Preamble and the Constitution. As stated in the Preamble, our stable government
procured common defense, and provided for the general welfare to the victims of
September 11th as well as to the safety of our posterity so this deplorable event can be
prevented from happening again.

Overall meaning/ Purpose:

The Constitution, a tricameral government, was written as a replacement for the
corrupted Articles of Confederation, a unicameral government. The Preamble is the
introduction to the Constitution and was created as a summary of the document

Jacob Christensen
Mrs. Allison
Period 4
November 5, 2014

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because the writers knew that not a lot of people were really going to read the entire
Constitution. The Articles only focused on the protection of the people, but couldnt raise
money to provide that protection. The Articles also didnt have the power to control state
trade and provide a universal currency for the entire nation. The Constitution, however,
was better organized and could actually provide protection for America with money
collected from acts such as taxes and interest collected from loans. Also, because our
government is tricameral, the Constitution protects us from corruption and tyranny. Each
branch keeps the other in check so no one group or branch can become too powerful.
For example, the Legislative branch can create a law, but the president can veto it. But
if the president approves of it, then the Judicial branch can determine if the law is
unconstitutional or not and discard it. In this way, the Constitution, describes how it can
prevent from becoming corrupted. Besides the structure of our government, the
Preamble ensures that justice will be established and that happiness and prosperity will
be provided to the people and for future generations.

Deciphering the Preamble:

The Preamble is, in fact, just the introduction to one of the most famous
documents in the United States, the Constitution. It is also the gateway to the rights and
promises that the Constitution grants to us and our posterity. But, to understand these
rights and promises, we need to go deeper and really perceive what the Preamble is
trying to assert. The Preamble gives a strong introduction stating We the People of the
United States . This empowering message is trying to say that this new form of
government should be run by the people, and for the people. It is saying that the

Jacob Christensen
Mrs. Allison
Period 4
November 5, 2014

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citizens of the United States should be able to elect the leaders and representatives in
order to create a democracy. The next phrase of the Preamble is ...in Order to form a
more perfect Union, which breaks down as to perfect what we had before, to learn from
our mistakes with the Articles of Confederation so we can create a better, more perfect
nation. Following that, the next phrase is ...establish justice. This phrase means is
saying that the new government needs a good court system to establish law and order.
It is saying that the law system needs to be fair and that everyone needs to be innocent
until proven guilty. Following after, the next line, ...insure domestic tranquility, simply
means that the United States government needs to keep the peace between all the
states, to try to reduce tension that could pop up inside the country. After that, the next
phrase is, provide for the common defense, which translates into keeping the nation
safe. This can include local police, funding for the military such as the Army or Navy,
and other things that helps keep us secure. The next line is ...promote the general
welfare, which means to keep people happy and healthy as much as we can. It means
to protect our three inalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Finally,
the Preamble ends it off with ...and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our
posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
This strong ending deciphers to say that we, as well as our future generations, will be
treated equally and have the same rights as before; it is the people who created the
Constitution and it is the people who establish it to all of the United States.

How has the Preamble Impacted us Today?

Jacob Christensen
Mrs. Allison
Period 4
November 5, 2014

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In this dawn of time, we can see rapidly increasing security measures at many
airports. Before September 11th, there was little of this security, and it was left open to
many threats including hijacking and bombing planes. After the attack of 9/11, and
many other minor threats to the United States following, our government focused on
strengthening our security procedures and establishing how we are to abide by them. In
the events of 9/11, our government had to react, support, and prevent in which each
case tied in with the Preamble in one way or another and still affects us today.
September 11th, 2001 was one of the most remembered and tragic times in U.S.
history. Most Americans know the story, and a lot of 7th and 8th graders now were born around
the time this event occurred. When the first plane struck, our government did the best they could
to react to the situation. Many firefighters, police officers, medical officials, army, and over 350
rescue dogs were dispatched to find any possible survivors under the mass pile of rubble. It
took months to complete the rescue and weeks just to put out the fires from the wreckage. Even
through all this work and time spent into finding the injured, it was clear that many of the people,
including citizens and responders, within the building could not withstand the impact and fury of
the planes. The fact that our government reacted to the situation fit in the Preamble under
Provide for the common defense. It fits best within this section because the emergency
responders protected us in the darkest of times and they risked their lives in order to save
others (see figure 1). We call these people heroes because they provided common defense...
for the common people.

Jacob Christensen
Mrs. Allison
Period 4
November 5, 2014

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Figure 1: Firefighter responders at 9/11 wreckage.

After the recovery of September 11th, the government immediately started to send out
relief funds to the few survivors and the families of the people who passed away. This act, and
of similar acts, fits in the Preamble under Promote the general welfare, because our
government did, as is still doing, its best to bring health and happiness to the people of the
United States of America who were caught between a rock and a hard place in the twin towers.
Even now, a 9/11 relief operation called Victims Compensation Fund (VCF) is still helping the
injured survivors and responders. This organization enables people to have repayment for their
losses since September 11th. In this way, many relief funds were sent out to those who needed
it most by many organizations run by the government. This might not have been possible if it our
central government could not promote the general welfare.

Jacob Christensen
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Mrs. Allison
Period 4
November 5, 2014
One of the largest changes since September 11th is the increased security updates in
the United States airports, and it will continue to evolve as people think of more ways to attack
planes. The founder of Leading Edge Strategies, Jeff Price says,For airport security pre-9/11,
the technology was 1970s. Post-9/11, it is 1990s, but it is not yet 21st century. What Jeff is
trying to say is that security is going to continue to evolve, so we can never get it perfectly up to
date. An example of this are the Advanced Imaging Technologys or the AITs (See figure 2).
These machines x-ray people to provide a graphic image of a passengers body beneath
clothing. AITs can detect metallic and nonmetallic things like knives or guns. Over time, these
gadgets evolve from backscatter technology, millimeter wave technology, to auto-detect
technology, and know the new Provision Automatic Target Detection units or (ATDs). However,
it wont stop there, and the ATD units will continue to evolve into something innovative and new.
Prior to 9/11, families and friends of passengers could also wait by the terminal until the plane
comes. Now that the terrorists have hijacked multiple planes on 9/11, only passengers are
permitted to wait by the terminal. Other examples of changes like this includes taking off shoes
because of someone hiding a bomb in their shoes, and the limitation of liquids because of
someone making a liquid bomb and bringing it on the plane. As stated earlier, no matter how
much we continue to enhance the technology that we have know, there will always be someone
who will think of another way to sabotage an aircraft. But the increased security has definitely
limited the possibilities thanks to the Preamble for allowing our government to provide for the
common defense once again and allowing the ability to make our airports a safer place so that
events like September 11th cant happen again.

Jacob Christensen
Mrs. Allison
Period 4
November 5, 2014

Christensen 7

Figure 2: Picture of AIT unit

Conclusion:

One of the worst days in Americas history saw some of the bravest acts in America's
history. Well always honor the heroes of 9/11. And here at this hallowed place, we pledge that
we will never forget their sacrifice, (President George W. Bush). If our government couldnt
provide for the common defense and promote the general welfare, then the victims of the attack
on the Twin Towers wouldnt have been helped as much as they have and our security when it
comes to airports wouldnt really exist. This document supported the victims, either lost or
injured, with funds and has greatly increased protection to prevent this scary event from
happening again. The Preamble and the Constitution have really benefited us in many ways and
the support from 9/11 is just one of many examples throughout the United States of America.

Jacob Christensen
Mrs. Allison
Period 4
November 5, 2014

Christensen 8

Works Cited
"9/11 Health Watch." 911 Health Watch September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Comments.
Web. 04 Nov. 2014. <http://www.911healthwatch.org/vcf/>.
"Airport Security." How Airport Security Has Changed since 9/11. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.flightglobal.com/features/9-11/airport-security/>.
"U.S. Government Response to the September 11 Attacks." Princeton University. Web. 04 Nov.
2014.
<http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/U.S._government_response_to
_the_September_11_attacks.html>.