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Preamble to the Constitution

(adapted from the Family Home Evening Lessons for the Bicentennial of the Constitution, 1987)Opening Prayer:Opening Song: Star Spangled Banner Scripture: Doctrine and Covenants 101: 77-80 “According to the laws and constitution of thepeople, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights andprotection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles; That every man may act in doctrineand principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him,that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment. Therefore, it is notright that any man should be in bondage one to another. And for this purpose have I establishedthe Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose,and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood. “Lesson: (begin by reading the history of the Constitution while showing the picture of the signing)This nation and its Constitution are part of God’s plan to protect his children’s freedom. Becauseof the freedoms here, the Lord could restore the gospel and bless the world. Pres. Ezra TaftBenson has told us to learn of the Constitution’s principles. (Have someone read Pres. Benson’sstatement)Display a copy of the Preamble. Read it aloud. Why did the makers of the Constitution write thePreamble?

To outline the correct purposes of government

.Place the copy of the Preamble face down and hand out the slips of paper with the phrases fromthe Preamble. Have each phrase held up one at a time and discuss the meaning of each.A. “We the people” (a reminder that government’s power comes from the people it serves)B. “In order to from a more perfect Union” (To help our nation’s many states be more unified)C. “Establish peace” (To make sure people are treated equally and fairly)D. “Insure domestic tranquility” (To keep the citizens of our country from fighting each other)E. “Provide for the common defence” (To protect our nation from outside enemies)F. “Promote the general welfare” (To help protect our health and happiness)G. “Secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity” (To keep government from becoming too powerful and to protect our freedoms and the freedoms of our children and futuregenerations)After discussing the meaning of the Preamble’s phrases, mix up the pieces, pass them out and seeif your family can place them in their proper order.Our family is a group of people who must work together, like our states. We need rules to followto be successful. Write down your family rules and make a “Family Constitution.” Have all thefamily members sign it. Display it where everyone will see it often.Closing Song: My Country Tis of TheeClosing Prayer:Additional ideas on teaching the constitution are included.

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We the peopleIn order to form a more perfectUnionEstablish justiceInsure domestic tranquilityPromote the general welfareProvide for the commondefenceSecure the blessings of liberty toourselves and our posterity

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TEACHING THE CONSTITUTION TO OUR FAMILIES

It has been estimated that the freedom we enjoy has been experienced by less than one percent of humankind since the beginning of time on earth.It was necessary for a land of freedom guaranteed by the Constitution to be established in order for thechurch to be restored.In order for the plan of salvation to work we must have our agency to choose right or wrong. In orderto be able to exercise our agency, a person must be free. In order to be free we must live in a countrywhere laws and rights are established under a Constitution such as we have in this country.Government’s main purpose is to ensure to each person their rights and freedoms.Our basic human rights of life and liberty are a gift form God and not granted by individuals orgovernment.Government itself has no power or authority except that which is given by the people who formed thegovernment. Therefore, individuals are superior to the government they formed and should remain themaster of it, not the reverse.Governments should have limited powers and only those which individuals themselves have. Forinstance, no individual has the right to take another’s life, to steal his wealth or to force him to dogood. Governments should not have this right either.Here are 4 major things we need to understand about the Constitution that make it unique in today’sworld.

Power is retained by the people themselves. The Declaration of Independence says, “Tosecure these rights (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness), governments are institutedamong men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

There are 3 separate branches of government:

Legislative

Judicial

ExecutiveEach acts as a check and a balance on the others and has different powers and differentduties. By dispersing powers and duties the founders hoped to prevent a minority of peoplefrom controlling too much.

We are not a democracy. We are a representative form of government. We elect people fromour local area and state to go to Washington and vote in our behalf. If we do not like the waythey vote, we must work to elect some different.

John Adams said: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It iswholly inadequate to the government of any other.” That is because we are really self-governing. If all of us decide to steal, there are no laws against stealing that would do any good.

WE AS A FAMILY CAN DO THINGSTO PRESERVE THE CONSTITUTION AND OUR FREEDOMS

1 Be righteous and moral and keep all the laws of the land (even speed limits).2 Learn more about the Constitution so we understand our government better.3 Be involved in civic affairs by running for office, writing letters to leaders, and not being afraidto make our voices heard.4 Fly a flag.5 VOTE!