Handout B: Preamble and Fourth Amendment

Handout B: Preamble and Fourth Amendment

Preamble

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.

Fourth Amendment

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Critical Thinking Questions

1. What concepts or principles of government do these statements have in common?
2. In what ways might tension develop between the goals expressed in the Preamble and the guarantees contained in the Fourth Amendment?