The preamble in the U.S. Constitution indicates that the people are the authority who ordained and established the constitution. They have <em>six goals</em> through the constitution:
"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".
Some courts have used the preamble in constitutional interpretation to define the boundaries of the Constitution's applicability, show that the people are the ones who empower the federal government, define who is a citizen, expand jurisdiction, broaden congressional power and even uphold exclusion from citizenship.
According to the preamble, the American people establish the U.S. government as it follows in the document, to "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".
The weakness of the government under the Articles of Confederation that was most demonstrated by Shays' Rebellion was "The inability of Congress to raise an army," since this showed how "weak" the central government was under the Articles.
