Awakening the Constitution: What Should I Know?

Research shows that most Americans are unable to accurately identify or correctly name various elements of the U.S. Constitution. A 2023 study conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania found that, despite 66% of Americans being able to name all three branches of government, “a concerning number [of people] cannot muster the knowledge needed to exercise their constitutional rights or make sense of the workings of our system of government.” Why is this the case? Well, the simple answer is that constitutional law is not taught as a requisite in American education (short of law school), nor is the U.S. Constitution a required text in that same setting.  So, what should Americans know about the U.S. Constitution?

A Brief History

Well, for starters, the Constitution was written in the summer of 1787, starting on May 25 and finishing on September 17 of that same year. The Constitution was written initially as a way to amend the prevailing governing document at the time, the Articles of Confederation. However, a few of the delegates had something else in mind.

After months of rigorous debate and discussion - of which we’ll cover in later articles - the framers of the Constitution created a document that was designed to be fixed enough to govern a nation but flexible enough to turn with the tides. Despite being billed as historically democratic in nature, this new republic was, in many ways,  the first of its kind.

What You Should Know...

In its truest form, the U.S. Constitution is a short 4-page document, comprised of seven Articles, that outlines the future of a nation. Since 1787, though, this document has expanded greatly to include twenty-seven amendments comprised of fundamentally binding individual, state, and federal rights. The first set of amendments was made official (or, ratified) in 1791, while the most recent amendment, as of 2025, was made official in 1992. 

As an American citizen or resident, you are welcome to read and understand every page of the U.S. Constitution, but unless you are a constitutional scholar like myself, that can be kind of boring. Instead, I would implore you to get familiar with the first three Articles - aka, the three Branches of Government - the Bill of Rights, and the Fourteenth Amendment. 

You don’t need to know each of these elements cold, but it’d be good for you to at least be able to articulate what they are. For example, you don’t need to know precisely what Articles I, II, and III are but you should be able to tell me what the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches are (which are, in fact, those three articles and in that order).

Similarly, the Bill of Rights is a classic piece of American history that would serve you well in your day-to-day endeavors, especially when it comes to dealing with government agents and officials (like law enforcement, or even school and work policies.). If I were to highlight just a few of Amendments for you to get started, I would say to focus on the First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendments  of the Bill of Rights, and, of course, the Fourteenth Amendment.

Why It’s Important to Know the Constitution

Understanding the Constitution gives a couple benefits to the average American. For starters, it allows you access to a living part of history in a way that is really only unique to the Constitution. Not only will you become a more informed citizen, but you’ll be able to hold yourself, your peers, and the entire system of government accountable simply by knowing how things operate; which leads to your second benefit.

Understanding the Constitution also means knowing your rights. Franklin D. Roosevelt said in his 1937 address that “the Constitution was a layman's document, not a lawyer's contract.” Putting the power back in your hands will come in handy when federal and state governments, alike, try to prevent you  from using certain words, or identifying in certain ways.

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Awakening the Constitution is a series designed to help bring the power of the United States Constitution back into the hands and minds of Americans. This series makes a concerted effort to not only provide education around the U.S. Constitution, but to highlight the role of the courts, as well; taking a constitutional eye towards everyday life and telling the true story of the document's relationship to the nation and its people.