A.J. Jacobs on "The Year of Living Constitutionally"

For much than a twelvemonth now, writer A.J. Jacobs pulled connected woolen leggings much often than you put connected socks. Why? "A mates of years ago, I realized I had ne'er publication nan American Constitution," he said. "But each time I'd unfastened nan news and there's different communicative astir really this 230-year-old archive is affecting our lives. And I said, I request to cognize much astir our founding document. And nan measurement I for illustration to study is, I for illustration to spell all-in."

For Jacobs, all-in intends full immersion. For his bestselling book, "The Know-It-All," Jacobs spent 18 months reference nan full Encyclopædia Britannica. For "The Year of Living Biblically," he tried to travel each nan rules successful nan Old and New Testaments. And now, his latest immersion: "The Year of Living Constitutionally."

"I do look profoundly absurd," he said, dressed for nan precocious 18th century. "But I americium besides profoundly superior astir this project. Part of my extremity is to get wrong nan minds of these Founding Fathers arsenic overmuch arsenic I can."

Humorist A.J. Jacobs gets his Colonial-era attire correct (except from nan ankles down).  Reed Young

Accordingly, Jacobs joined nan New Jersey Third Regiment of Revolutionary War Reenactors. He showed Dickerson his musket: "This is nan existent woody from nan 1700s," he said. "I sewage it online, which I presume is not really they did it backmost then."

The reenactors, Jacobs noted, "are very committed. Of course, we were not utilizing lead balls; we were utilizing blanks."

Regardless, he really "died." He said, "I did dice for my country, but I died successful nan shade."

To research his Second Amendment rights, Jacobs besides carried his ancient firearm astir New York City: "I was astatine a java shop successful statement pinch my musket, and a feline successful beforehand of maine said, 'You spell ahead. I'm not messin' pinch you.'"

To amended understand nan U.S. Constitution, A.J. Jacobs, writer of "The Year of Living Constitutionally," immersed himself successful nan era of nan Founding Fathers.  PapaRead News

While visiting nan 1765 Morris-Jumel Mansion successful Manhattan (which Gen. George Washington concisely made his subject headquarters), Jacobs was asked what frightened nan creators of nan Constitution. "They had conscionable fought a warfare to get free of nan monarch," he said. "That's 1 of nan astir superb parts of nan Constitution, is really they built successful these mechanisms to extremity 1 personification aliases 1 branch from taking over, this equilibrium of power. I ne'er really appreciated nan equilibrium of power. It has helped support america from having a tyrant. So far!"

Jacobs' investigation besides took him to Washington, D.C., wherever he dove into nan First Amendment correct to petition nan government. Jacobs brought on his ain petition, a agelong scroll pinch 423 signatures, to Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, to reconsider Ben Franklin's thought of having much than 1 president. Wyden remarked, "You are injecting logic and communal sense, which often is lacking successful nationalist discourse."

A.J. Jacobs presents his petition to Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon.  PapaRead News

So, really was nan petition received? "I deliberation he considered it for astir 5 seconds, and that was nan extremity of nan consideration!" Jacobs laughed. "I will opportunity he wholly bought my underlying thesis that nan president has excessively overmuch power."

While doing his research, Jacobs utilized a quill pen, which meant surviving nan remainder of his time pinch stained fingertips. "I emotion penning by hand," he said. "There is thing awesome astir taking retired a quill pen, dipping it successful ink, and conscionable penning those sentences. I emotion nan sound of nan scratch, scratch, scratch."

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A.J.'s woman of 24 years, Julie Jacobs … not truthful much. "We've lived done a batch together," she said. "So, this is nothing! This is nothing."

Asked if she is nan World's Most Patient Wife, Julie laughed, "I deliberation so! Feel free to telephone maine St. Julie whenever you like!"

A.J. not only wrote pinch a quill pen, he scratched his words onto parchment, which is not paper; it's stretched and dried animal skin, for illustration sheepskin. To study really it's made Jacobs sewage a instruction from brothers Jesse and Stephen Meyer, who tally Pergamena, 1 of nan fewer places parchment is made successful North America.

A.J. Jacobs astatine Pergamena, 1 of nan fewer places successful North America wherever parchment is made.  PapaRead News

Asked to picture nan smell, Jesse Meyer replied, "Somewhere betwixt rotting soma and really beardown cheese." 

That aforesaid process was utilized to create nan Constitution, which now rests nether glass, displayed astatine nan National Archives successful Washington, protected by unbreakable glass.

"People travel present and they look astatine it and they're rejuvenated," said historiographer Jessie Kratz. "And possibly they will spell vote, not conscionable successful a statesmanlike election, but possibly successful a section election."

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Jacobs said, "I don't wanna opportunity 'Just publication nan Constitution.' That's not really nan point. Read nan Constitution and talk astir it pinch people, particularly pinch group who disagree pinch you. That, to me, is what populist is about."

Crown

All this moving astir mightiness look for illustration a gimmick, but Jacobs says nan immersive attack helped attraction him connected nan cardinal lessons of nan strategy we each still unrecorded nether today. "They thought astir rights, but they besides thought astir responsibilities," he said. "It was truthful ingrained successful them that they had a work to their community, to their country. But I consciousness we've mislaid immoderate of that. It's each astir putting others earlier yourself sometimes."

That instruction isn't conscionable a pleasing notion; it is captious to nan Constitution's survival.

Asked if his task made him much optimistic aliases pessimistic, Jacobs replied, "George Washington sat successful a woody chair astatine nan Constitutional Convention. And it had a carving connected nan backmost of nan sun, but not nan afloat sun, conscionable half of nan sun, nan apical half. So, you couldn't tell: Is it setting, aliases is it rising? At nan extremity of nan Convention, against each odds, they person this Constitution. Ben Franklin says, 'Now I cognize nan sun is rising connected America.'

"And my mobility was: Is nan sun still rising connected America? It's up to us. 'Cause if we do nothing, past nan sun will set."

     
READ AN EXCERPT: "The Year of Living Constitutionally" by A.J. Jacobs

      
For much info:

• "The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow nan Constitution's Original Meaning" by A.J. Jacobs (Crown), successful Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, disposable May 7 via Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org
• The Morris-Jumel Mansion, New York, N.Y.
• Third New Jersey Regiment, nan Jersey Blues – Revolutionary War Re-enactors (Facebook)
• Pergamena, Montgomery, N.Y.
• National Archives, Washington, D.C.
• Thanks to photographer Reed Young

      
Story produced by Jay Kernis. Editor: George Pozderec. 

In:
• United States Constitution