Reimagine the Constitution

The  Story of the Constitution

At the close of America’s Constitutional Convention in 1787, Benjamin Franklin was reportedly asked by George Washington’s friend, Mrs. Elizabeth Powell of Philadelphia, “Well, doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” Franklin responded, “A republic, madam, if you can keep it.

This initiative offers insights into the rationale that led to the constitutional convention. The initiative focuses on the current implications of the constitution created at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. It will be structured to allow the presentation of topics to be presented in the time frame that they were discussed in Philadelphia in 1787.  We start with a discussion of the principles and history of the period and the motivation of the founders in convening the constitutional convention. It will build on the notes kept by James Madison during the convention.

We envision a process that is informed by a “modern” understanding of human nature to "develop" a constitutional framework adequate for social, political and economic life in the twenty-first century. Our process provides an easy to use a framework that embraces crowdsourcing and other tools and events for collaboration to address challenges in our society.  We invite anyone who shares our vision and mission to take part in our work, suggest topics, pose questions, write posts, and most importantly, contribute to the conversation.  

A “daily topic”, coinciding with the debates in the constitutional convention and the publication of the Federalist and Antifederalist papers, and other relevant documents and interpretation   will be introduced and discussed.   Psychological insights used to build the constitutional framework by the founders will be analyzed and modern understanding will be used to suggest ways to reimagine the Constitution.  The topic will be linked where possible to The Medical Case Presentation and My Political Ecosystem.  

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What if the 1787 Constitutional Convention took place in the present?  

What would the constitution look like? 

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The Re-Imagine the Constitution Initiative 
 

We invite anyone who shares our vision and mission to take part in our work, suggest topics, pose questions, write posts, and most importantly, contribute to the conversation.

The Case of the United States 1787 

We start with the Case of the United States 1787  as a vehicle for the discussion of the principles and history of the period and the motivation of the founders in convening the constitutional convention. 

Resources about Major Themes Debated at the 1787 Constitutional Convention are available.