Who Are “We the People”?: Examining the Preamble and the Ratification Debate Attendance Quiz

First Name

Last Name

The executive branch had monarchical powers.

Power was given predominantly to the states and the federal government could not conduct business effectively.

Some states rejected the Articles of Confederation.

States had unequal representation in the national government.

The phrase “We the People” was not included.

The First Draft listed the states individually, while the Final Draft represented the United States as a single nation.

The Final Draft listed some key aims of the document, while the First Draft did not.

Both (b) and (c)

“We the People,” in the context of who has been considered “People,” is evidence that the Constitution is a document where the meaning has evolved.

“We the People” cannot be understood without the phrase “of the United States”; therefore, the Constitution only protects citizens.

“We the People” encompassed all people, including those whose rights were not fully protected or recognized in 1787.

“We the People” is also incomplete as it does not grant rights to sentient nonhumans.