This is a readers theater script for 4-6th graders created by a company called
We've highlighted the troubling parts that teach that our Constitution is more about Socialism than a free society.
Script by Lorraine Griffith
A choral reading for a large group or a Reader's Theater for 7 voices.
R1: The Constitution
R2: Of the United States of America
All: We the people
R1: The people:
R2: First the Native American,
R3: Then a flood of European immigrants,
R4: Africans,
R5: Middle Easterners,
R6: Asian peoples,
R7: South Americans
All: and they keep on coming. We the people of the United States,
R1: The United States:
R2: ALL 50!
R3: From Portland, Maine, west to San Diego, California,
R4: from Fargo, North Dakota, south to El Paso, Texas
R5: Alaska and Hawaii
All: We the people of the United States in order to form a more perfect Union,
R6: That Union seemed perfect, all of the colonies became states as well as the territories to the west,
R7: until the southern states seceded because they wanted States Rights.
R1: But the Civil War ended with a more perfect union of states based upon the belief that all Americans deserved the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
All: We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice,
R2: Even before the established United States, justice was valued.
R3: John Adams had actually defended the British in court after they had attacked and killed colonists during the Boston Massacre. Although he didn't believe the British cause, he still believed justice was more important than retribution.
R4: Justice was ensured for Americans by following the fairness of John Adams in establishing a Court system beginning with local courthouses and moving up to the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.
All: We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility,
R5: There have been times when our nation's tranquility has been disturbed.
R6: But in spite of Pearl Harbor, December 7th, 1941,
R7: and as recent as the horror in New York City, Washington D.C. and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, September 11, 2001,
All: we still live in a stable and peaceful country. We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense,
R2: The Air Force. No one comes close! Soar to new heights in the wild blue yonder!
R3: The Army. Be all you can be! Be an army of one! Hoo Ahh!
R4: The Navy, Welcome aboard; Anchors aweigh!
R1: The Coast Guard, Protecting America, It's our job everyday!
R5: The Marines. The few, the proud. Semper Fi!
All: We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare,
R7: People's basic needs must be met in a country.
R5: Needs for housing, education, transportation, and health care are overseen by our government system.
R6: Labor laws ensure that people work in safe environments and that they are paid fairly for the work that they do.
All: We the people of the United States, in order 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 to ourselves.
R1: Thomas Jefferson's promise of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of happiness came later for many of the peoples of our nation.
R2: African Americans did not share the rights of whites by law until the Emancipation Proclamation signed in 1863.
R3: Women did not share in the rights of men to vote or own property until 1920 when the Suffrage Act was ratified.
All: We the people of the United States, in order 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 to ourselves.
R1: That's you and me!
R2-3: And our children!
R4-7: And our children's children.
R1-7: And their children too!
All: We the people of the United States, in order 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 to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
R5: The Constitution of the United States of America has stood the test of time.
R6: Although it was signed on September 17, 1787, it still stands as a ruling document of laws, ensuring our rights and liberties that we still enjoy today.
R7: And so, let us proclaim once again for all the world to hear...
R1: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America.
R2-3: We the people of the United States,
R2,3,4,5: in order to form a more perfect Union,
R2,3,4,5,6: establish justice, insure domestic tranquility.
R1-7: provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare,
All: and secure the blessings of liberty, to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
From the author:
My children love this piece! Taking an historical document and annotating it, is a great way to
teach the meaning behind the familiar words. The children were very proud of themselves for memorizing
the preamble in the process of learning the script. During a performance for parents on the last part, they
all looked up at the audience and recited the preamble from memory. It was very effective.
If you loved the theater number, you'll love this song that is promoted in schools called
We The People.
We the people, every color.
We the people, every voice.
We the people, every chapter.
We the people, every country.
We the people, every age.
We the people, every body.
We the people, no slavery.
We the people, no hunger.
We the people, no poverty.
We the people, no tyranny.
We the people, no pollution.
We the people, no cruelty.
We the people, free to speak.
We the people, free to learn.
We the people, free to vote.
We the people, free to choose.
We love people. Our humanity.
We love people. Our one humanity.
