Constitution class is back in session!
We could all use a refresher course on our rights. Jill Lepore's "We the People" can help
Judging by the results of the quiz the Ink Book Club posted on Sunday, most of us could use a refresher course on the foundational document. Why? The current administration is openly flouting it with its moves to snatch the power of the purse away from Congress; kidnap, detain, and deport people without due process; declare emergency powers where no emergency exists; federalize the National Guard without cause; trample on voting rights; and run circles around the First Amendment. For starters. And it’s hard to understand or talk about why that’s so wrong without knowing how the government is supposed to work.
I openly admit that much of what I’m reading in Jill Lepore’s We the People is either new to me or knowledge I once had and has since evaporated. But reading the book provides a sense of power. I’m being reminded that our country has been messy since the very beginning. To create the Constitution, the thirteen states had to hash it out, often agonizingly so. Their agendas were frequently in conflict, especially over how to balance states and federal power — and over slavery.
Ultimately, though, the common thread was a desire to forge democracy. Without doubt the definition of what that meant varied from state to state and from white man to white man (each state had delegations, all of them made up exclusively of white men), with some arguing that “we the people” should include all people, including women, “Indians,” the enslaved — and others wanting to, let’s say, hedge the definition with lots of restrictions. The hedgers won out, despite attempts by certain states (go, Rhode Island!) and an array of influential women (Abigail Adams!) to produce a more inclusive document.
Here’s where I think things are different now: the framers strove for democracy above all. It was the guiding principle behind the formation of the republic. Contrast the founders with the people in charge now. Is democracy their overriding concern? Does it even factor in? Their disregard arrives after a concerted effort, over decades, to undermine Americans’ pursuit of knowledge. That campaign has had devastating effects.
But as Francis Bacon wrote: “knowledge itself is power.” Or, as Book Club member Vicki said of the quiz: “I flunked, and glad of it, as it sent me beneath the surface of politics to a deeper understanding of the issues I care about.” And, Bill Huber — who told us he knew he knew he would flunk — brazenly waded in anyway: “I read the questions and decided to ditch class, go to the nurse, check out the book, and ask for a make-up exam.”
Answers below for our Book Club members. Look out for a new quiz on Sunday, fellow pupils! And join us when we meet with Jill Lepore on Friday, October 17, at 12:30 p.m. Eastern, and then again on Wednesday, October 22, also at 12:30 p.m. Eastern.
The Ink Book Club is open to all paid subscribers to The Ink. If you haven’t yet become part of our community, join today. And if you’re already a member, consider giving a gift or group subscription.