Welcome to this episode of the award-winning Best of the Left podcast. Today we examine what America has celebrated for 250 years and what it keeps refusing to look at. The declaration promised government by the consent of the government, but the Constitution protected slavery, concentrated power in elites, and left the definition of

the people deliberately vague.

Every generation inherits that same unresolved contradiction and has to address it for themselves.

For those looking for a quick overview, the sources providing our top takes in about 50 minutes

today include civics in a year,

the Daily Blast, Brave New Foundation, strict scrutiny, democracy works, and here and now anytime.

Then in the additional deeper dives half the show, there will be more in four sections.

Section A, founding ideas, section B, race and reckoning, section C, present crisis, and section D, capture and renovation.

And now, on to the show.

The purpose of the preamble is to spell out the purposes of the Constitution.

That's the short answer.

So probably many people would recognize the opening phrase of the preamble,

We the People.

That's still widely cited and widely known.

Of course, we want to note it's we the people of the United States.

That's important.

And then the remainder of the preamble has six particular purposes that the Constitution has,

beginning in the phrase, we the people of the United States, in order to.

So, Liz, actually, at that point, would United States, in order to. So, Liz, actually at that point,

would you pick up in order to do what, if you would read from there?

In order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure 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

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