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The New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically chronicles his hilarious adventures in attempting to follow the original meaning of the Constitution, as he searches for answers to one of the most pressing issues of our time: How should we interpret America's foundational document?
"I didn't know how I learned so much while laughing so hard."--Andy Borowitz
A.J. Jacobs learned the hard way that donning a tricorne hat and marching around Manhattan with a 1700s musket will earn you a lot of strange looks. In the wake of several controversial rulings by the Supreme Court and the on-going debate about how the Constitution should be interpreted, Jacobs set out to understand what it means to live by the Constitution.
In The Year of Living Constitutionally , A.J. Jacobs tries to get inside the minds of the Founding Fathers by living as closely as possible to the original meaning of the Constitution. He asserts his right to free speech by writing his opinions on parchment with a quill and handing them out to strangers in Times Square. He consents to quartering a soldier, as is his Third Amendment right. He turns his home into a traditional 1790s household by lighting candles instead of using electricity, boiling mutton, and--because women were not allowed to sign contracts-- feebly attempting to take over his wife's day job, which involves a lot of contract negotiations.
The book blends unforgettable adventures--delivering a handwritten petition to Congress, applying for a Letter of Marque to become a legal pirate for the government, and battling redcoats as part of a Revolutionary War reenactment group--with dozens of interviews from constitutional experts from both sides. Jacobs dives deep into originalism and living constitutionalism, the two rival ways of interpreting the document.
Much like he did with the Bible in The Year of Living Biblically , Jacobs provides a crash course on our Constitution as he experiences the benefits and perils of living like it's the 1790s. He relishes, for instance, the slow thinking of the era, free from social media alerts. But also discovers the progress we've made since 1789 when married women couldn't own property.
Now more than ever, Americans need to understand the meaning and value of the Constitution. As politicians and Supreme Court Justices wage a high-stakes battle over how literally we should interpret the Constitution, A.J. Jacobs provides an entertaining yet illuminating look into how this storied document fits into our democracy today.
Critiques (3)
Critique du Publishers Weekly
Journalist Jacobs (The Year of Living Biblically) delivers another playful account of a zany lifestyle experiment--this time to live by the letter of the U.S. Constitution. Pointing out the uniqueness of America's continued dependence on this centuries-old document--unlike other countries which have more recently rewritten their constitutions--Jacobs explains that those who utilize it (most significantly, Supreme Court justices) are divided into originalists, who want to "hew to the original meaning," and those who think interpretation should evolve with the times. Originalism serves as the inspiration for his goofy attempts to live a Constitutional existence, which include dressing, eating, and acting as the founders did (he discovers that writing with a quill, which sounds like nails on chalkboard to his wife, has a kind of lulling ASMR quality for himself); questioning historian Eric J. Dolan about the best way to become a privateer (Article I of the Constitution gives Congress the power to "grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal" to ship captains, basically a legalized form of piracy); and acquiring a mail-order pillory for punishing his wife and teenage sons (the Eighth Amendment's ban on "cruel and unusual punishment" did not apply to pillories--also, his family declined). Jacobs's well-researched romp carefully reckons with the Constitution's ethical blind spots while staying consistently entertaining. U.S. history buffs will have fun with this one. (May)
Critique de Kirkus
An experiment in following the Constitution's original meanings. Having written previously about "living Biblically" for a year, Jacobs turns now to "living Constitutionally"--i.e., imaginatively transporting himself back to 1787 (or, occasionally, later years when amendments were ratified) in order to reflect on the Founding Fathers' legal and ethical ideals. We follow the author's (sometimes loose) adoption of late-18th-century customs as he probes, for instance, assumptions about free speech, gender roles, and civic participation and considers profound shifts in cultural sensibilities from the founders' era to our own. Much of the text is delightfully lighthearted and playful in its recounting of the author's experiences, but Jacobs consistently offers insightful and informed analysis of the actual content of the Constitution, the reasoning behind it, and the implications of social change and evolving values. Though revered by many as something approximating a sacred and infallible text, the document itself is revealed as a flawed product of its time, steeped in exclusionary prejudices and in many ways incompatible with modern sensibilities, yet still illuminating for its attempt to defend core freedoms and promote a bold version of democracy. The author's commentary on present-day interpretive debates is particularly rewarding. He provides refreshingly clear and sensible accounts of the anachronistic powers granted to the Supreme Court, the ambiguities inherent in the Second Amendment's protection of gun rights, and the competing claims made by originalists and so-called living constitutionalists. Jacobs makes the persuasive argument that, in spite of the moral limitations of the founders from a 21st-century perspective, we might learn from the 18th century's "emphasis on the common good, the quest to control one's rage, the slow thinking, the experimental mindset, the distaste for aristocracy, and the awe at being able to cast a vote." A marvelously witty and wise consideration of the Constitution's legacy. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Critique de Booklist
From Jacobs, the man who brought us The Year of Living Biblically (2007), in which he chronicled his efforts to hew as closely as possible to the Ten Commandments and other biblical precepts, comes a new historical reenactment: taking the United States Constitution literally. Starting with the original text and continuing through the amendments, Jacobs turns his flair for stunt journalism into a fascinating and necessary project. But the book isn't just Jacobs wearing a tricorn hat, boiling mutton, and reading by candlelight. He also interviews dozens of legal scholars, both originalists and "living" constitutionalists (those who think the text's meaning should change with the times). His effort to set up a Jacobs-family constitution is the perfect blend of humor and poignancy. Most of all, he tries to answer the Constitution's most pressing question: is it a document of liberation or oppression? Funny but not snarky, inventive but not obnoxious, learned but not pedantic, this book will make readers think about the nation's founding document more deeply than ever.
