Can a Dictionary Save the Constitution? Steven Ferry on the General Welfare Clause
Fifty-two words. One sentence. Six purposes. Kids can recite the Preamble, but ask most adults what the general welfare clause actually means and you get an argument.
Ask them to name all six purposes and you get silence.
So I took that question to Steven Ferry on The Brian Nichols Show. Steven is a writer, author and educator, and he is the new national spokesperson for Citizens Academy US.
Two phrases in the Preamble carry a lot of weight: promote the general welfare, and provide for the common defense. They sit underneath much of what Washington spends. Yet a court in 1905 said the Preamble does not grant any power. And Steven's group uses a dictionary from 1828 to explain a document written in 1787.
Fair questions. Let's dig in as America's 250th birthday gets closer.
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Who Is Steven Ferry, and What Is Citizens Academy US?
Steven is a volunteer spokesperson for Citizens Academy US, a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) built around one idea: you cannot use a document you do not understand.
The organization is not new to this show. I talked with Christopher Nesbitt of Citizens Academy US in an earlier episode on why the Preamble matters. Steven is the new face.
Their Guide to Complete Understanding of the Preamble walks through those 52 words one term at a time.
The Preamble's Six Purposes, Explained
Steven argues that when people do not know why something exists, they invent a purpose for it. Then, 250 years later, they decide it is outdated.
He says the group surveyed hundreds of Americans and found that many confuse the Preamble with the Declaration of Independence. He also says even the civics teachers he asked struggled to name the six purposes.
His claim is that once readers learn the purposes, they tend to back them, whatever party they belong to.
The Case for the Webster 1828 Dictionary
Steven's argument starts with how language drifts. New words show up, old words pick up new meanings, and some disappear. Eventually a text reads like something you can pronounce but not quite follow.
That is why Citizens Academy US goes back to Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary. Steven says Webster spent 26 years on it. He also points out that the Founders had to find fresh words to describe a constitutional republic, one where citizens own responsibility for themselves and for the country.
Then he brought up John Locke in 1690. Steven's paraphrase: most disputes are really fights over what words mean, so settle the meanings before you argue. He says the Founders did exactly that, and it is how people who disagreed sharply still managed to work together.
Where I Pushed Back: Kleenex, Xerox, Google
I came in skeptical, and I still have questions.
Words change with use. We say Kleenex when we mean tissue. We say Xerox when we mean copy. We say Google when we mean search. Nobody asked a dictionary for permission.
So I asked Steven whether definitions matter less than meeting people where they are in 2026.
He agreed in part. But Steven argues the Constitution was written in the language of its day, so if people cannot read that language, they cannot use the document. That is the whole strategy, he says.
Fair point. I am not sold that a dictionary settles everything.
Here is my fitness-industry version. Some clients showed up because they wanted change. Others showed up because their spouse made them come. They checked the box. Plenty of people treat the Constitution the same way.
The General Welfare Clause in 2026: What People Hear Today
I told Steven that in 2026 most people hear "welfare" and think handout. A check. A benefit. Something government gives you.
My own reading is different. I am a libertarian, so I start with property rights and not harming people. Keep public space as small as possible. Then let churches, civic groups and community organizations do the helping, and let volunteers do it without fear of being fined over some code.
That is my version of the general welfare clause. Not a program. A free society that works.
The General Welfare Clause: What Steven Says the Founders Meant
Steven argues that reading the word as benefits is a misunderstanding. His version of the Founders' meaning is abundance that comes from your own efforts and the efforts of your neighbors.
He points to the boom the country saw after the Constitution was adopted. If shared understanding helped create prosperity once, Steven says, it can do so again.
He also argues that turning the idea into handouts to keep everyone happy does not work, because a productive society is what creates abundance for everyone.
Does Any of This Still Matter in 2026?
Here is the greater issue for me. The national debt is around $40 trillion, and the federal government is larger than any in history. More people on the right are checking out of the Constitution because of it.
My view is that we have changed the document and drifted so far from the six purposes that people reasonably ask whether it worked at all.
I also pressed Steven on culture and H-1B visas. He said Citizens Academy US is nonpartisan and stayed out of it.
On whether we need fresh eyes, Steven says yes, always look at current conditions. He believes the new problems are solvable using what the Founders learned from thousands of years of governments.
Do the Guide Yourself
Steven says the Guide takes about 3 to 4 hours, and for some readers 2 to 3. He read several reader reviews on air, including one from a couple whose friends began on different political sides and ended up agreeing on the Constitution's goals.
Start here:
- Citizens Academy US
- The Guide to Complete Understanding of the Preamble
- Free E-Book
- Free Live Constitution Talk, Sunday, Nov 8, 2026
Today's Sponsor: Oasis of Hope
Today's episode is brought to you by Oasis of Hope. If you want to learn more, there is a free consultation at https://www.oasisofhope.com.
Listen to the Full Episode
Can a dictionary save the Constitution? Steven Ferry makes his case, I push back, and you can decide.
🎧 Listen to Steven Ferry on The Brian Nichols Show
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Educated. Enlightened. Informed.
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Host
I'm Brian Nichols... and I spent years watching the liberty movement lose arguments it should've won.
Not because the ideas were wrong. Because nobody knew how to sell them. That's where I come in.
I come from the world of sales and marketing - helping businesses communicate better, close more deals, and actually solve real problems. Somewhere along the way, I realized those same skills translate directly to politics, policy, and culture. So that's what TBNS is.
Sales. Business. Politics. Health. Taught like a real human talks. No partisan cosplay. No debating obscure philosophy. Just practical conversations about what actually works - one episode at a time.
1,100+ episodes in. Still going.
Also: unapologetic Cowboys fan. We don't need to talk about it.
