In the United States’ America250 story, which document begins with the words “We the People”?

The Constitution of the United States begins with the words “We the People.” This opening appears in the Preamble, the document’s introductory statement of purpose and principles.

The Constitution was drafted at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 and signed on September 17 of that year. The Preamble explains that the Constitution is established by the people and lists goals including forming a more perfect union, establishing justice, and securing the blessings of liberty.

Gouverneur Morris, a Pennsylvania delegate, led the Committee of Style that shaped the final wording of the Preamble. An earlier draft reportedly began by listing the states, but the final language emphasized the people of the United States as the source of the government’s legitimacy.

The phrase is often confused with the Declaration of Independence, whose famous opening instead discusses equality and unalienable rights. The Bill of Rights is the collective name for the first ten amendments added to the Constitution in 1791, while the Articles of Confederation preceded the Constitution as the country’s governing framework.