re: How did the framers understand or define justice?

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I don’t know that this mindset can really be traced back to libraries or public parks though.

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Private libraries were the norm before government got involved. Private parks are the same kind of story, although public parks were around at the same time.

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I see it more as the privileged have outsourced their/our social responsibility to the government.

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A few things on this one. I don't think there's such a thing as "social responsibility", unless you're talking about not harming/defrauding others. I also don't think that the "privileged" are behind this, even though they clearly have a lot of say in government policy. Governments always want more power. What better way to do that than to have people depending on you for services and sustinance?

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How did the framers understand or define justice?

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Assuming you are talking about attendees of the Constitutional Convention, their understanding, and definition was undoubtedly every bit as varied as that of individuals in this thread. The output was a negotiated compromise amongst those participants. What it meant or defined as justice, is laid out in writing within the Constitution itself.

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Perhaps you should reconsider the value of an "85" year old persons wisdom.
This may come as a shock to you, but there exist people with little to no education who possess wisdom you can never hope to achieve.
My ex wifes grandfather was such a person. A 6th grade education, yet the wisest and most intelligent man Ive ever met.

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Well said.
Indeed, wisdom doesn't come from formal education. It comes through living. Experiencing. Learning from the actions of ourselves and others.

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Just take a look at how the constitution is framed. The founders weren’t all that concerned with delivering justice. They were far more worried about preventing, or providing a remedy to, INJUSTICE. If you’re curious about how they defined injustice, take a look at the declaration and the constitution - most certainly the Bill of Rights, but also the constitutional articles as well. These documents provide a laundry list of things they were worried about.

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Best post so far.

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I don't think there's such a thing as "social responsibility", unless you're talking about not harming/defrauding others

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No social responsibility beyond the responsibility to respect other people and their stuff? Dystopian. There’s no cooperation or community in that model.

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I also don't think that the "privileged" are behind this, even though they clearly have a lot of say in government policy

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. I’m not suggesting a grand conspiracy, but it’s always easier to let someone else get their hands dirty. People can still feel good and moral because they pay taxes and some taxes help the poor.

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Indeed.
It is a well considered perspective.

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Preventing injustice and promoting justice aren’t mutually exclusive concepts. My question wasn’t simply what functions the Constitution performs. I’m asking what conception of justice the Founders themselves believed society or government should ultimately serve.

Nothing?

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How can a government prove that rights preexist government?

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Our government founders didn't prove it.

They took it to be self-evident.

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No social responsibility beyond the responsibility to respect other people and their stuff? Dystopian. There’s no cooperation or community in that model.

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I think it's just the opposite. The way I see it is that cooperation would flourish like crazy. I'd argue that the best parts of nearly everyone's lives are of an anarchist nature. We understand that voluntary cooperation is a fantastic thing for society. We are social beings, and the more that's allowed to flourish and not curtailed or disincentivized, the better off we'll be.

Think about it like this; If you're right about how dystopian that kind of society would be, why would you want that very same society picking and choosing who gets to run the monopoly on force, which is government?

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. I’m not suggesting a grand conspiracy, but it’s always easier to let someone else get their hands dirty. People can still feel good and moral because they pay taxes and some taxes help the poor.

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Yep, I completely get that people think that way. I used to as well. But if I rob my neighbor to pay for my nephew's lunch money, is that moral? Goverment is no different, except that it's "legal".