Tufts University alumna Jill Lepore spoke on April 6 about the importance of public involvement in constitutional reform and civic life, during a talk at the Cabot Intercultural Center. Lepore, a Harvard history professor and staff writer for The New Yorker, discussed her new book We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution and addressed current debates surrounding America’s founding documents.
Lepore said that her book aims to bring attention to how Americans can interpret and improve their Constitution, which has not been amended since 1971. She noted that “we’re in a moment … where the Supreme Court has a great deal of power,” but argued that citizens have other ways to influence constitutional interpretation. “The book I wanted to write was one that revealed the long history and tradition of popular sovereignty over the Constitution.”
During her conversation with Tufts history lecturer Paul Polgar, Lepore described how many past efforts by marginalized groups to reform or reimagine the Constitution have been overlooked by official channels. She explained that up to 200 constitutional conventions were held by Black men in the late 1800s, with women and Native nations also organizing similar meetings outside state-sanctioned processes.
“All the things that people have wanted and tried to do all along is also the history of the Constitution, and it is largely invisible to us,” she said. “If you think of those meetings as constitutional aspirations, then you can, as carefully as possible, come up with an approximation of a history of the American popular will.”
Lepore emphasized local political participation as essential for rebuilding civic life: “I would look at local politics… The nationalization of politics has been terrible for communities. That’s partly a function of the destruction of the newspaper, which was the willful act of social media companies.” She also called for limiting reliance on social media when engaging democratically: “You’ve got to begin by getting out of bed, and you absolutely have to throw your phone out of the window. We can’t do anything democratically without addressing social media,” where she said information is often lacking.
Looking ahead, Lepore suggested technology could play both positive and negative roles in democracy. She referenced President Franklin Roosevelt’s use of radio broadcasts in defending democracy during times when fascism was rising globally. On artificial intelligence (AI), she remarked: “AI might put enough pressure on a set of political arrangements that we are willing to submit to a constitutional convention.”
Concluding her remarks on future reforms such as abolishing the Electoral College or changing campaign finance rules, Lepore advocated for so-called “sunrise amendments”—changes set far into effect—to overcome partisan resistance: “Most Americans hate the Electoral College… But if you could have an amendment that said ‘We’ll abolish [it] as of 2060,’ you could maybe get that thing through… if you think it’s for good …and future generations…”
