A.J. Jacobs Will Not Abandon the Republic!
Want to bicker about the U.S. Constitution? As the say at the tent city on the quad, Wag Supremo A.J. Jacobs has done the work. The bestselling author turns hoovering up errata into performance art. For his latest book, The Year of Living Constitutionally, he explored the meaning of the founding document by going about in knickers and writing with a quill pen (no word on whether he used a chamber pot). He’s returned from this cosplay with a deeper appreciation of democracy as it teeters on a cliff’s edge. Thankfully, he’s still optimistic about our grand national experiment. BookWag Bethanne Patrick met A.J. when they were both twelve. Now he’s all grown up and living somewhere on the Upper West Side with his patient wife Julie and their three sons. Here’s why he treasures America’s Bundle of Compromises — and you should, too.
What is the most important thing you’ve learned since our first interview in 2004?
I'm going to have to go with gratitude. I do. My default mode is Larry David, very cranky. I feel that we all have our Larry David side and our Mr. Rogers side. So my career and my life have been about trying to build up the Mr. Rogers side and weaken the Larry David side. In each one of my books, there's a theme of gratitude.
And this new book has gratitude. I'm grateful for the elastic in my socks, because I was wearing 18th-century clothing for a year, and I had to put on these tiny belts around my socks every morning. And I'm grateful for democracy. I want to celebrate it more and remind people that it is a gift and it might go away if we don't pay attention.
Will your book party serve colonial treats like malmsey and syllabub?
The book party is at Fraunces Tavern, which is allegedly the oldest restaurant in New York, so that seems appropriate [George Washington ate there]. You’re invited!
I don’t know what syllabub is [whipped cream flavored with wine], but malmsey is a type of Madeira wine, and we actually specified on our invitations that it would be served.
Did you think of this book’s concept in a light bulb moment? Or was it more of a tallow-candle-based moment?
Actually, it was a series of tallow-based moments. By the way, I did use tallow candles during my year of living constitutionally, and they’re a little rank. My wife said they smelled like meatloaf left out for three days.
I actually had the idea for the book a long time ago, when I was writing The Year of Living Biblically. I always thought that there were so many parallels between the Bible and the Constitution. Both have supporters who believe in the meaning of the original words, and those who believe the meaning evolves.
But two years ago, when the originalist group became a majority on the Supreme Court and there were decisions that had a huge impact on millions of Americans’ lives, I decided that it was the time for me to write about the Constitution, to understand it and know how to interpret it. Which for me means I’m going to go all in and do live time travel back to the 18th century.
Here is something we have in common: I also know how to play the fife!
I’m very impressed, because it’s not an easy instrument to play. It is also not an instrument that my wife appreciated at all, because it is loud and piercing. It was meant to all retreat or advance on the battlefield, so it had to cut through muskets being fired. It’s not a pleasant, relaxing sound.
My wife also did not like the sound of my quill pen scratching across parchment. I do! It makes me feel like I’m doing something, as a writer. There are videos on YouTube of people doing ASMR with quill pens. So that could be a new source of income for me.
Speaking of family, you have three kids. Do you embarrass them? Do you at least try?
I don't need to try. It comes naturally! My 17-year-old twins would walk 20 feet ahead of me when I was wearing my tricorn hat. They were also not happy when we would go to a Chinese restaurant and I would sign the bill with a quill pen. However, for some reason, my 20-year-old got on board. I think he thought of it as some sort of performance art, like Eric Andre. So he put on a tricorn too, and came to Times Square with me and gathered signatures for my petition to Congress with a quill pen. But they were all good sports, really. One twin dressed up for a Revolutionary War re-enactment and the other cooked an entire 18th-century meal for a dinner party. Lit by tallow candles, of course.
Why do you think Constitutional originalists are so loyal to one document when most of them probably don’t even have their original library cards? I have mine. Archiving is important!
One of the takeaways from this project for me was that I love the rights of individuals. But back in the 1700s, they didn’t just think about individuals owning guns. They thought a lot about responsibility, duty, and civics, about how important it would be to be on the bucket brigade, for example. Now, I don’t want to go back to militias or to the 18th century, because it was a sexist and racist time, but this sense of responsibility to your community and your country and your world, that is something I would like to recapture.
What is your advice for finding common ground?
Oh, that's a great question. Well, I do think the founders were better than we are at changing their minds and being flexible. Ben Franklin said the older he got, the less certain he was of his own opinions. I would say two things: Be more open to listening to the other side when they present evidence. Second, I believe we can all agree on democracy. Let’s be out there trying to ensure that this system persists.
Everything to Love About the Constitution that Gouverneur Morris Forgot to Tell You
A.J.’s Takeaways About Our Founding Document
The Constitution contains multitudes. It contains strands both of oligarchy and democracy. Our job, as Frederick Douglass said, is to push America to live up to its promissory note of equal protection and liberty for all.
Think slow. By writing with a quill pen (away from the dings and pings of my devices), Jacobs was able to think more deeply. You don’t need to use a quill, but off-line thinking is crucial.
