How Recently Did You Read The Entire US Constitution?

[MineralMan]

This is a serious poll. Before you vote, by reading the constitution, I mean reading the entire thing, including all Amendments. Reading part of it doesn't count. After answering, I encourage those who haven't read it in some time to do so. It doesn't take that long. You can find an excellent online copy of it at: http://topics.law.cornell.edu/constitution

When reading it at that site, the main body of the document has some sections which link to amendments that alter that section. You can jump to those amendments, then return.

Thanks for participating in this poll.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

1. It's surprisingly short

[MineralMan]

3. It is quite short. It's not that lengthy that it doesn't deserve an

annual reading. Sometimes, it seems that not everyone is familiar with it, based on things I read in forums like this one.

[brendan120678]

2. Cover-to-cover in one sitting?

Never that I can recall.

I've read every part of it many times, but never the whole thing all at once.

[MineralMan]

4. It's not really all that long a document. It's not really a

cover to cover concept. It's a short document.

[slackmaster]

5. That's a fine edition, but it's missing one piece that IMO should be included

The Bill of Rights has its own preamble. People should read it too, as it puts the first 10 amendments in context.

http://www.billofrights.org/

[MineralMan]

6. That is true. It's not a crucial part of the document, but

definitely has historical interest:

Preamble

Congress OF THE United States
begun and held at the City of New York, on Wednesday
the Fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine.

THE Conventions of a number of the States having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best insure the beneficent ends of its institution

RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all or any of which Articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the said Constitution; viz.:

ARTICLES in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution.

http://www.billofrights.org/

[Turbineguy]

7. It's been a year.

Has anything been changed? According to the wingnuts it's not being used anymore.

[MineralMan]

8. Nope. No changes. I still read it once a year, just to refresh my

memory of the details, so I can comfortably discuss them when the occasion arises.

[zipplewrath]

9. I read sections all the time.

But I don't sit down and read it end to end anymore.

[jobycom]

10. I read it not too long ago to prove that it doesn't contain the word God.

Someone swore that it did, in the Oath of Office.

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

We read the rest of it because he kept saying he knew it said "So help me God" somewhere.

By the way, here it is. You can even do a Control F for the word God. Not there, just as George Washington said.

http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html

[mmonk]

11. I read the whole thing once or twice a year and sections

nearly every month as I write and enter into discussions to defend it. This has been going on too long for me. I'm tired of trying to reason with people sometimes.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[POAS]

15. Now you know the mods will delete this right?

What's the point?

[SeattleGirl]

13. I've read it within the last six months

I often refer to different parts of it when I read something referencing the Constitution that doesn't seem quite right. Handy thing to have around.

[MineralMan]

23. As long as you're online, it's always available. Even though

I know the document very well, I frequently refer to it before posting something about the Constitution. I don't want to make any mistakes when I discuss it. Thanks for knowing our founding document.

[pnorman]

14. Complete? "Within the past 6 months", was my response.

But I have it in my cell-phone and a few other PDAs, and have checked out some portions frequently in that time. It's a commercial app., so I can navigate through it with ease.

[JonLP24]

16. I guess I never read it

if part of it doesn't count. I've read all the amendments at once many times but never the whole thing in one sitting. I've read the whole thing over time but not at once. I go back to look at certain parts time-to-time.

That is a great link BTW. Bookmarked.

[MineralMan]

24. Thanks. That's the link I have bookmarked. I refer to it frequently.

[Spazito]

17. I have it bookmarked for easy access and it has been very helpful...

in understanding the roles each of the three branches, the Presidency, the Congress and the Supreme Court has and their responsibilities/powers. I sometimes read where, mistakenly, the President is expected to act in areas that are in the Congress's purview and so I check to see if my understanding of the roles is correct based on the Constitution.

Good OP and poll, very interesting.

Recommended.

[TBF]

18. In high school we read & discussed the whole thing -

that probably wouldn't jive with today's standardized test environment.

But your poll is a good reminder that we should take a look again every so often.

[dimbear]

19. Seriously, so much of it is crossed out and dead......

it doesn't make sense to plow through it more than once in your life. Just keep a copy beside your monitor.

[MineralMan]

21. Actually, if you aren't all that young, it has changed in your

lifetime. The changed sections all refer to one or another amendment. It does take a little study, which is why the link I offered is an excellent one, since it links to the changes in the amendments.

[MineralMan]

20. Thanks to everyone who has voted so far. The results are

interesting, and informative for all of us.

[HopeHoops]

22. About a week ago - it isn't that long.

[MineralMan]

25. It's not long, is it. Imagine a document that sets up an entire

government in that few words. Some great thinkers put that together, and it hasn't been bettered.

[HopeHoops]

28. You can get a "pocket" copy (along with the Declaration of Independence) for five bucks or so (new).

And yes, you are correct - that's an amazing piece of work, especially when you consider how long it has survived with only minor modifications. The GOP is doing everything they can to cut it down to nothing but the 2nd Amendment (and THEIR version of the 2nd Amendment at that), but fortunately that isn't a simple process.

[fishwax]

26. Delete -- dupe

[fishwax]

27. I voted I don't remember, based on the specifications in the OP

I don't remember the last time I read it all the way through in one sitting. It was more than a year ago and less than five--probably two or three. I've read all of it since then, though -- I read it fairly regularly, but in parts. I've found I get more out of it that way, personally, because it meshes better with my general study habits and learning style.

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. AGAIN... I re-read it every so often.

[AsahinaKimi]

30. Once our teacher got mad at us..

Made us write the Preamble to the United States Constitution on paper 200 times. Then we had to recite it, and if we blew it, got an F. I remembered it for years.. not so sure, I could recite it now..Well, maybe..

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common Defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Thanks Mr. Tan!

[proud patriot]

31. I carry mine in my purse

I read it when ever bored and waiting for something .

[X_Digger]

32. At least once a year, I read the Constitution, BofR (including preamble), DofI..

.. and a rotating selection of the federalist / anti-federalist papers.

[Swamp Rat]

33. This past July 4th

Sometimes I read up through the Bill of Rights, but other times I read the whole document, as well as the Declaration of Independence. I might even throw in a little "Common Sense" too.

[depakid]

34. Sounds like a question a teabagger would ask

Indeed, at the 1st teabagging even in April of 2009, a guy was holding up a big sign imploring people to READ THE CONSTITUTION.

As I was on a "photo-journalistic" mission, I asked this fellow a simple question: "how many Articles are in the Constitution?" He fumbled around and said :wait, I have one in my pack?" I then said, come on how about the first three, what do those cover?

Again, he drew a blank...

Point is of course, it's easy to read a document (and organic document in this case) and not have a clue about either the concepts or how specifics in it relate to concrete situations (as is proven nearly every day by Amendment citing posters on message boards far and wide).

Thus people are left just a manipulatable (or perhaps even more so) than if they'd not read the document at all.

[MineralMan]

35. Well, thanks for checking in.

Actually, the teabaggers have no exclusive deal on the Constitution. While they tout it, they don't demonstrate any real knowledge of it. If you look at the results of this poll, you'll see that most people who voted have read the Constitution in full. That's a very good thing. If you believe that the Constitution is a teabagger document, then I'm not sure what to say to you.

[depakid]

37. "I'm not sure what to say to you."

Those are my sentiments at times too about what you write. I want to ask: what do you believe in anyway?

What about the words written in the document(s) are important to you- or to anyone?

No matter- just per reference.

April 15, 2009.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5467525

[MineralMan]

38. What words in the Constitution are important to me?

The entire document. It lays out how our nation operates, how our government works, how federal elected officials are selected, and what the powers and restrictions on the government are. In its amendments, many things get clarified on each of those issues, and our rights are described and further restrictions on the national government are imposed.

I guess I don't understand your question? Everything in the Constitution is important, and understanding it is crucial to our understanding of our political system. Without that understanding, people can have mistaken ideas of how the federal government functions.

Many people wrongly believe, for example, that our nation is founded on Christian principles, even though no reference to any deity is made in our Constitution. Many people wrongly believe that the oath of office of our President and other officials includes, "under God." Many people wrongly believe that the President can make laws and set our budget. There are so many things that people are confused about that would be corrected if they read and understood the Constitution.

The Constitution is not a document of the left or the right. It is a document for all citizens of the United States of America. It is the framework of our system of government and our guarantee of a number of our rights as citizens of this nation. Why would a US Citizen not want to be familiar with that document?

I'm not sure what you're implying with your question of what parts of the Constitution are important to me. The entire document is. It is what the United States of America is about. Understanding what it says, how it has been changed, and how it works is central to understanding what is going on today, what has gone on in history, and what we should expect for the future.

What words in the Constitution are NOT important? I can't think of any. Can you?

[depakid]

41. If I had a dollar for every dumb ass American who wagged or flailed the Constitution around

without even the vaguest clue of what the provisions actually mean, I'd be a very wealthy man.

Reading it- waving it around- acting all hyper nationalistic (often to the point of derangement) is not the same as understanding the principles and concepts- how they've been interpreted, developed and applied over time.

As is proven nearly every day on this board and others by someone making some absurd yet "authoritative" claim.

[Toots]

36. What difference would it make, the Right Wing Extreme Court will tell

you what they interpret it to say..That is the ONLY thing that matters. Words mean nothing...

[MineralMan]

39. The Supreme Court is, under the Constitution, the arbiter

of that document. Another reason that it's crucially important to keep Republicans from regaining power in the Congress. The SCOTUS changes. We need to be the one to make the next change. Right?

[lonestarnot]

40. Refer to sections often. Been a while since I've read the entire thing straight through w/o a stop.