Federal Powers and Separation of Powers

Best known for the inspiration of its Preamble, the Constitution of the United States is the official document that formed the structure and operation of the federal government. The framers who drafted the Constitution presented it on 17 September 1787, over eleven years after the U.S. had declared its independence from Great Britain. With it they sought "to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty" for the people of the new United States. These objectives were the product of much debate concerning the necessary elements of a fair system of government, a debate that grew out of America's experience under the monarchy of Great Britain.