The Constitution of the United States

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.

--Preamble to the United States Constitution

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The Constitution of the United States

All four pages of the document are on permanent display at the National Archives.

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The Constitution acted like a colossal merger, uniting a group of states with different interests, laws, and cultures. Under America’s first national government, the Articles of Confederation, the states acted together only for specific purposes. The Constitution united its citizens as members of a whole, vesting the power of the union in the people. Without it, the American Experiment might have ended as quickly as it had begun.

Read Articles About the Constitution

• The article "A More Perfect Union" is an in-depth look at the Constitutional Convention and the ratification process.
• "Questions and Answers Pertaining to the Constitution" presents dozens of fascinating facts about the Constitution.
• "Errors in the Constitution—Typographical and Congressional" discusses discrepancies in various printed and handwritten versions of the document.