Melissa Murray

You should know what it says and what it doesn't and what it authorizes and what it does not.

You should know that

This is a trauma-informed document.

When these guys sat down to write the Constitution, they were going through it.

They had this period, this colonial period, where England was literally on their necks constantly.

So they wanted to have rights and they wanted to be able to have a society where they were free to do things.

But then they'd also just had...

this revolutionary war against the biggest global superpower in the world.

And they were basically trying to fight them with what, which was a government that was made up of like friendship bracelets.

And they were like, we actually need a strong central government, but not one that's so strong that it becomes despotic.

Like that's the tension.

And they try to structure this government that is limited.

And we need to remember that.

And this is now for John Lovett.

This is a government right now that doesn't feel that limited.

And in being unlimited and even excessive in certain ways, that's not in keeping with what they were trying to do and what we have continued to try to do.

And what this book reminds us is that there have been times where the people have just said, I'm not having it.

I'm not doing this anymore.

I want something different.

And they've actually stepped up and they've made constitutional change.