America’s Constitution: Its Surprising Evolution from 1788 to the 21st Century
Imperial presidents, a diminished Congress and powerful judicial review. History and its players have shaped a Constitution that might surprise the framers.
June 6, 2021 •
Former U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama and then Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden review troops during inauguration ceremonies at the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C., Jan. 21, 2013. Also pictured: U.S. Army Military District of Washington Major General Michael L. Linnington, Commander JFHQ National Capital Region.
Mike Theiler / Reuters/ Brookings
In an earlier article, Editor-at-Large Clay Jenkinson described America’s three constitutions: The capital-c Constitution drafted in 1787; and the small-c constitution of norms and traditions not specified in the written Constitution and the ways the American people actually constitute themselves. In this third in a series, Jenkinson suggests that even — or especially — in our norm-busting times, a president’s bully pulpit has grown bigger, stuffed as it is with extra constitutional executive actions.