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The Year of Living Constitutionally
The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution's Original Meaning | A.J. Jacobs
3 posts | 3 read | 7 to read
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 Americas foundational document? I didnt 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, andbecause women were not allowed to sign contracts feebly attempting to take over his wifes day job, which involves a lot of contract negotiations. The book blends unforgettable adventuresdelivering 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 groupwith 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 its the 1790s. He relishes, for instance, the slow thinking of the era, free from social media alerts. But also discovers the progress weve made since 1789 when married women couldnt 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.
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Jen2
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I love his books!

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Cortg
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A.J Jacobs is a delight to read. I loved his Year of Living Biblically and was thrilled he wrote about the Constitution. It made me chuckle and it made me think. My book club chose this as our November read and I plan to do a reread with a physical copy the next go round and maybe even bake an election cake to share 😊The audio I just finished was read by Jacobs.

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britt_brooke
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Funny and irreverent. I thoroughly enjoy Jacobs‘s lifestyle experiments. If you haven‘t read The Year of Living Biblically, or any of his others, you‘re missing out on some legit good points, but also general hilarity and embarrassment at his expense. Bless his patient family! PS. His quill-written letter to Majorie Taylor Greene regarding her constitutional originalism is hysterical.

TieDyeDude I saw a profile on him on CBS Sunday Morning. This sounds ridiculous and great! 5mo
britt_brooke @TieDyeDude Very ridiculous! 😄 5mo
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