Diagramming the Preamble


Beautiful, indeed!

I’ve often recommended students diagram the Preamble to the Constitution, to better understand the source of authority in our government (“We, the People”).

Betsy (I have no surname) sent me a link to this:

Preamble to the Constitution as your English teacher wishes you would have diagrammed it. JPEG version

Preamble to the Constitution as your English teacher wishes you would have diagrammed it.

Sentence diagram of the Preamble to the Constitution

Sentence diagram of the Preamble to the Constitution. GIF version

 

The work is done at a the site of Capital Community College, their “Guide to Grammar and Writing.”

Here’s the Preamble as it usually appears:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, 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.

I wonder: Has anyone diagrammed the Mayflower Compact?

Tip of the old scrub brush to Betsy at The Reality Based News Feed, and to Boing Boing.

5 Responses to Diagramming the Preamble

  1. Ed Darrell's avatar Ed Darrell says:

    I’d like to get it in poster form, too. If you’re teaching at a high school, see if you can get the drafting class to print it out for you in poster size.

    And, if anyone knows where to get it as a poster, please let us know here.

    Like

  2. Deborah Dessaso's avatar Deborah Dessaso says:

    I’ve seen this in poster form on a professor’s door. She said she picked it up a convention…does anyone know where I can get a copy? Thanks!

    Like

  3. seth's avatar seth says:

    Hey that is beasty i could never do that help me diagram I like to give my students various writing assignments to challenge my students

    Like

  4. Ed Darrell's avatar Ed Darrell says:

    Ah! That Betsy! Thanks for solving the mystery.

    Like

  5. Betsy is my aunt. This is her website: http://www.youthinkleft.com/news/

    She’s the one I mentioned in my comment about “heavens to Betsy” the other day.

    Like

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