Words have meaning. And the way we use them is critical to understanding. You know that internet joke about grammar saving lives? There’s a big difference between “Let’s Eat Grandma” and “Let’s Eat, Grandma!”
Through our Preamble Project, we took a deep look at word order and capitalization of the Preamble of the US Constitution and noticed something very interesting. The words that seem the most important are those that are capitalized: Union, Justice, Tranquility, Welfare, Blessings of Liberty. While it was common to capitalize nouns in 18th century grammar, we’re not sure that’s the reason. Another key noun in the sequence is the word “defence” (British spelling) – but it remains lower case. Could it be that the positive and proactive ideas have greater importance for our country’s highest legal document than the reactive necessity of defense? What do you think?