Documents Quote by Barbara Jordan
“We, the people." It is a very elegant beginning. But when that document was completed on the 17th of September in 1787, I was not included in that "We, the people.”
About This Quote
The phrase "We, the people" sounds inclusive, yet historically the framers excluded many groups, highlighting a gap between rhetoric and reality.
In simple terms: Inclusive language often masks exclusion.
Key Takeaway
Question whose voices are truly represented.
Themes
democracy
inclusion
historical irony
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
historical
political
When to use this quote
- political discourse
- education curricula
- public policy
Key Concepts
constitutional law
civil rights
Questions to Reflect On
- Who is left out of "We, the people"?
- How can we make civic language truly inclusive?
A Different Perspective
Idealistic language can perpetuate marginalization if not examined.
![“Utopian fiction is really boring. I had to read a lot of it, and it's not that much fun. But they're fascinating to me as historical documents. Cabet [Icaria's founder and author of the utopian novel, Travels in Icaria], is writing in the 1830s, and his idea of the perfect society reveals a lot…” quote by Christine Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ac0/christine-jennings-20527_book_utopian-fiction-is-really-boring-i-had-t_68118.jpg)
