We the People A History of the U. S. Constitution

What if the Constitution was never meant to be frozen in time, but rather a living document shaped by each generation’s hopes for a more perfect union?

In this groundbreaking history, Harvard professor Jill Lepore reveals a Constitution most of us have never encountered—not as a sacred text preserved under glass, but as an arena of fierce democratic struggle. Drawing on her extraordinary research at the Amendments Project, Lepore uncovers a stunning fact: while nearly twelve thousand amendments have been proposed since 1789, only twenty-seven have been ratified. More troubling still, we haven’t meaningfully amended the Constitution since 1971.

This is essential reading for anyone concerned about America’s constitutional future. Lepore challenges the Supreme Court’s monopoly on interpretation and dismantles the flawed theory of “originalism,” arguing instead that the philosophy of amendment is foundational to our democracy. Through shimmering prose and pioneering research, she recounts centuries of attempts—mostly by ordinary Americans—to realize the Constitution’s promise.

Published for the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, We the People serves as a vital companion to Lepore’s landmark These Truths. As Congressman Jamie Raskin notes, Lepore “has thrown us a lifeline,” showing us the Constitution neither as straitjacket nor magic amulet, but as something we must continually mend through orderly, democratic process.

At a time when constitutional vulnerability feels all too real, this book offers something rare: hope for an amended America.

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