From the best-selling author of These Truths comes We the People, a stunning new history of the U.S. Constitution, for a troubling new era.
The U.S. Constitution is among the oldest constitutions in the world—and one of the most difficult to amend. At what cost? In this landmark, lavishly illustrated book, Harvard professor of history and law Jill Lepore argues that the philosophy of amendment is foundational to American constitutionalism. Challenging both originalism and the Supreme Court’s monopoly on constitutional interpretation, Lepore argues that the framers never intended for the Constitution to be kept, like a butterfly, under glass, but instead expected that future generations would be forever tinkering with it, improving the machinery of government. At the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding and in an account as radical as Charles Beard’s An Economic Interpretation of the United States, Lepore offers a sweeping, lyrical, and democratic constitutional history, telling the stories of generations of Americans who have attempted everything from abolishing the Electoral College to guaranteeing environmental rights, hoping to mend America by amending its Constitution.
Jill Lepore is the David Woods Kemper ’41 Professor of American History at Harvard University and Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. She is also a staff writer at The New Yorker. Her many books include the international bestseller, These Truths: A History of the United States.
BOOKS
Copies of We the People are available for pre-order from White Whale Bookstore. After the lecture, the author will sign books in the Music Hall Foyer.
WHEN
Monday, September 15, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. ET
SUBSCRIBE NOW: In-Person
WHERE
Carnegie Music Hall (Oakland)
4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
WATCH AT HOME
Your Online Access Pass includes a livestream of the lecture, as well as on-demand access during a viewing period of one week. The link to view the livestream will be sent to your email on the day of the program.
