What opening phrase begins the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution?

The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution begins with the phrase “We the People.”

The complete opening is “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union.” The phrase identifies the people as the source of the national government's legitimacy, rather than a monarch or only the individual states.

Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania led the Committee of Style that shaped the final Preamble in 1787. An earlier draft reportedly planned to list the states after “We the People,” but Morris replaced that list with “of the United States.”

The Preamble states broad purposes, including forming a more perfect Union, establishing justice, ensuring domestic tranquility, providing for the common defense, promoting the general welfare, and securing liberty. It introduces the Constitution but does not itself grant specific governmental powers.