It is the smallest text we have covered so far, and the oldest of its kind in the world. Referred to as a trauma-informed document by one constitutional scholar (you’ve got a clue), it was born out of a big screw-up after the American Revolution that made laws unenforceable and made foreign policy a hot, hot mess. It is one of the country’s most important foundational documents, but as you will learn, it is extremely incomplete. We’re talking about the Constitution of the United States of America.
In honor of America’s 250th birthday, Jeff and Rebecca sat down with historical content creator and political commentator Amanda Nelson (yes, Book Riot OG Amanda Nelson—real people know!) for a deeper dive into the U.S. Constitution. They talk about how the Framers reacted when they outlined the foundations of a new government, what the Constitution does and doesn’t say about individual rights, and how a concept that is never specifically named in the document has shaped the country ever since.
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Some Constitution Know-How
- The US Constitution was written in 1787 and ratified in 1788.
- It is only 4400 words, 7700 with amendments.
- Its purpose was really to fix a screw: the vague language of the Articles of Confederation had made our early governing systems as weak as my resolve when presented with a nice piece of cheese.
- The only way to get representatives from the Southern states to sign the Constitution was to allow them not only to continue the practice of slavery, but also to allow the continued importation of human beings, at least for a period of time. They were all saying, “As long as we can continue to violate human rights, we will sign your little paper. Give us twenty years and a year!”
- If that last bullet wasn’t enough to make your eyes roll into the back of your head, those concessions were made without even saying the word “slavery” in the document. not once.
- For the revelers: who remembers it schoolhouse rock Jam?
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constitutional quotes
Jeff and Rebecca are yelling at the mic. On the mic, Jeff, Rebecca and Amanda are a hoot, a holler and a hootenanny. Enjoy these out-of-context quotes from the episode, one of the most fun you’ll ever have learning about the Constitution.
“It was a bunch of guys in the Pennsylvania heat trying to figure it out and missing their family and also hating each other!”
“The best American literature is born out of the problems this document has caused for people living in this country. From Melville to Morrison, in my opinion, it’s all been a constitutional argument, or at least accepting constitutional arguments, and a failure of our leadership to create an acceptable culture in any way to fulfill the promises made in this or that Declaration of Independence.”
“Okay guys. We’ll get out a quill and some parchment, and we’ll give GW the gavel, and we’ll lock ourselves in the room and figure this shit out.”
“I call it the original wet hot American summer!”
“Think of the hassle!”
“Think of Thomas Jefferson’s large language models of learning.”
And to drive it all home, why you should listen to this episode and care is this document:
“You can’t defend yourself if you don’t know what’s defendable.”
