Civic 101

“We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, to 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.”

– The preamble to the United States Constitution.

Let’s begin our journey in Civics 101 with the core principles guiding our coexistence in the United States: Union, Justice, Tranquility, Welfare, Blessings, and Liberty.

It is essential that we agree on the definitions of the words we live by. First, we must coexist in this world and share time and space in harmony, living peacefully or tolerably in our own spaces. In order to perfect a more “Perfect Union,” we must be intentional about dismantling the tension that surrounds conversations about racism, white privilege, and racial inequalities.

Our pledge of allegiance to the constitution of the United States of America is “to one nation under God with liberty and Justice for all,” but as we will discuss in later blogs, every citizen in good standing has the right to vote but is discourage or intimidated not to exercise that right.  It has been years since I took a high school civics class, and I feel disoriented about how the system is intended to work and what occurs.  I must start with the basics and learn to navigate the political landscape daily.

We have a Bill of Rights that outlines the benefits of being a citizen in the United States. The Constitution’s first ten amendments inform us of the relationship between citizens and governments, State and Federal. These documents outline individuals’ civil rights and liberties and rules for due process of law as governed by the government concerning the people and the states.

As citizens, we have the privilege of living in a country where people’s power can determine the equity of life for all its citizens. Let us focus more on restorative justice to form a more perfect union.

In my research, I found that there are four types of justice: distributive (determining who gets what), procedural (determining how fairly people are treated), retributive (based on punishment for wrongdoing), and restorative (which tries to restore relationships to “rightness”).  It is this fourth definition of justice that Community Connection seeks to pursue from a non-partisan approach.

Now, to examine the words “insure domestic tranquility,” which means “peace and quiet within the borders of America, and the absence of protest, according to Google, the framers wanted the federal government to resolve conflicts between the states to prevent them from going to war with one another. Our framers were concerned about the social order and political stability of the country as a whole.  What I find most disturbing is that the systems that are in place to protect citizens are the ones that are causing chaos with their inequitable practices. Our blessing will manifest as we embrace differences, heal from past abuses, and reconcile to be more loving and equal in our pursuit of the American dream.

As I continue to explore the workings of our government and our responsibilities in ensuring that it operates effectively, I invite you to share your comments and solutions on moving forward in the space provided.