Thomas Jefferson expected the Constitution to be revised or replaced once every generation. George Washington thought it would be effective for a quarter of a century, perhaps a bit longer. We are now 238 years into this constitution and it is clearly fraying. It was written by 55 white men in wigs and buckled shoes. When a constitution ceases to address the questions of human freedom, rights, and effective governance, mischief inevitably follows. Well before the current administration, we have had unitary executives and runaway presidential authority. Join humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson as we look at the Constitution together with an eye to its original intentions, its evolution through the course of American history, and its current status in American life.
Recommended reading available at The Bookworm in Edwards:
“We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution” by Jill Lepore
