9/24/2024

Last week’s curation at RealClear’s American Civics portal focused on Constitution Day, which occurred on September 17th. At RealClearBooks&Culture, Jack Miller Center President Hans Zeiger reviews Yuval Levin’s latest book, “American Covenant.” Zeiger notes that rather than dismissing the Constitution “as an outdated relic of a bygone age,” Levin “celebrates it as the very thing that makes us Americans.” He heartily recommends the book, writing that “Levin has beautifully described what makes our form of government so exceptional, and provided a realistic assessment of the challenges facing it.” In an age of deep partisanship, Zeiger argues that through his non-polemical writing, Levin demonstrates that “people on both sides of the aisle can learn much from his wisdom.” In conclusion, Zeiger writes, “Levin’s account of its fundamental purposes should be essential reading for America’s political leaders, media commentators, scholars, and civics teachers—and any citizen who seeks to better understand the role of the U.S. Constitution in the 21st century.”

At RealClearPolitics, Jack Miller Center fellow Lynn Uzzell looks at two problematic assumptions in modern politics and pits them against the views of the American founders: that the purest form of democracy is best and the process that led to Kamala Harris being nominated for the presidency was in keeping with democratic principles. Regarding the first argument, Uzzell contends that the Framers of the Constitution instead built in institutional guardrails that tried to ensure that consent would be consistent with wisdom and the common good. And regarding the second argument, Uzzell writes that the idea that the “preferences of only 6% of eligible voters is sufficient to satisfy” the standard of democracy is a “sham.”

Finally, at RealClearHistory, Matthew Riffe considers the relationship between the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Riffe argues that “both documents were integral in creating the political philosophy of the United States of America.” He continues: “Both feature famous phrases that are studied and memorized by each rising generation of Americans in classrooms and on naturalization tests. Both documents have been invoked by politicians, activists, and leaders to strengthen arguments or to solidify a point.” Ultimately, at the core of Riffe’s argument is this important lesson: the Constitution cannot be viewed without looking back to the political philosophy laid out in the Declaration of Independence.