Jill Lepore Discusses New Book ‘We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution’ and the Future of American Democracy

On the evening of Oct. 6, First Parish Church was packed for Jill Lepore’s talk on her newly published book, “We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution.” A Harvard professor of History and Law, internationally bestselling author, and staff writer at “The New Yorker,” Lepore delved into the historical context and challenges of amending the U.S. Constitution while examining the impact of originalism: the idea of adhering to the Constitution’s original intent. Published about 10 months shy of the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, Lepore’s book seeks to rekindle a sense of constitutional responsibility and warn against the risk of political violence.

Lepore’s 15th book, “We the People” has already been longlisted for the 2025 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. Spanning from the Bill of Rights in 1789 to the present day, the book examines the philosophy of constitutional amendments and challenges what Lepore views as the flawed theory of originalism, detailing many failed and forgotten attempts to amend the Constitution.

During the Harvard Book Store event, Lepore explored a wide variety of examples: the constitutional conventions organized by Black Americans and Native American Nations, Progressive Era amendments, New Deal reforms, and failed attempts to protect reproductive rights and the environment. She reflected on the current inability to amend the Constitution and the declining belief in the possibility of doing so.

“It really concerns me that we cannot even imagine a world in which we could trust one another to deliberate over fundamental matters,” Lepore said.

In an interview with The Crimson, Lepore shared that the new book emerged from her interactions with readers and undergraduate students. The idea began to take shape between 2019 and 2020, inspired by readers of her 2018 bestseller “These Truths: A History of the United States” who appreciated the book’s constitutional history, and by a Harvard course she taught called Gen Ed 1002: The Democracy Project.

In Gen Ed 1002, students hosted mock constitutional conventions and researched the history of failed amendments. Under Lepore’s leadership, a team of undergraduate researchers developed the project into an online archive called the Amendment Project, which provided a substantial portion of her sources.

Lepore notes a significant public interest in “These Truths” as readers seek history-fueled insight into present-day issues.

“On the part of the public, I think there’s a real hunger for some kind of a historical understanding to what are really urgent day by day issues,” Lepore said. “Having a longer vantage on the situation is always helpful.”

Publishing “We the People” near a pivotal moment in American history — the nation’s founding anniversary — Lepore wants readers to reconsider the Constitution and its fundamental meaning.

“I try to make the point that in 2026 we’re celebrating the birth of the United States because of the Declaration of Independence,” Lepore said. “But before the United States declared independence, the states began writing constitutions.”

After the book talk, audience members emphasized the importance of understanding the Constitution’s historical context and its relevance to current issues, as well as the need to defend it.

Retired Northfield, Minn. City Councilor Suzie Nakasian stressed the importance of reading the Constitution to appreciate its value and history.

“Maybe even well-educated people haven’t read the Constitution, or forgot why it was our parents came here, because it articulates rights that were denied us in other places, basic freedoms. And other places don’t grant those freedoms recently, or if you win them, you have to fight to keep them,” Nakasian said.

For Nakasian, Lepore’s emphasis on community was highly valuable.

“I love that she frames her discussion in the context of ‘We, the People’ — yes, of course, the people through the ages,” Nakasian said. “We have to fight for it. We have to know it and defend it. We have to read it.”

Mark McKenna, a Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Sydney, pointed out the book’s timeliness amid ongoing debates over constitutional interpretations concerning the executive authority of the President and the judicial authority of the Supreme Court.

“I think that there is a sense that people are a little bit afraid of even discussing the question of changing the Constitution or even raising it, because everything’s filtered through the discussion of history, especially now, filtered more and more through the question of one’s attitude to the current regime,” McKenna said.

McKenna found that Lepore’s talk and book encouraged public engagement with constitutional change, noting a general reluctance to discuss such matters due to associations with the current political climate.

“[Lepore is] also trying to encourage people to think more actively about how they might and why they might change the Constitution, and that’s a good thing,” McKenna said.

When asked about the role of historians during moments of social change and unrest, Lepore emphasized during the interview that understanding history is crucial for informed decision-making.

“We live in a world now where the study of history has largely been abandoned, given — I think — for a kind of endless fascination with the future as driven by technological change, [in] which the study of the past is deemed irrelevant and antique and remote,” Lepore said. “And I don’t believe that to be the case.”

Looking ahead, Lepore is already preparing to publish another book in 2026, titled “The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State.” Her new book will explore how multinational corporate interests erode liberal democracies and constitutional nation-states, limiting human capacity for self-governance.

Lepore’s talk at First Parish Church highlighted not only the role and responsibilities of historians and public intellectuals during moments of crisis, but also underscored the significance of reading foundational texts like the Constitution for civic engagement and the protection of democratic rights.

—Staff writer Dailan Xu can be reached at dailan.xu@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @Dailansusie.