Is It Time for Another Constitutional Convention?

Thomas Jefferson famously advocated for periodic Constitutional Conventions. In fact, he thought each generation ought to write its own Constitution. He lost that debate, of course. But in light of America’s current hyper-partisanship and seemingly intractable political division, we are right to ask: is it time for us to adopt Jefferson’s position? Is it time for a return to Philadelphia to draft a new Constitution? This lecture will explore two fascinating questions: 1) what would America’s Constitutions have looked like if Jefferson had prevailed in the debate over periodic constitutional revision; and 2) what would a new Constitution include if we convened a Constitutional Convention in 2022? Beau Breslin is Professor of Political Science. He has been a member of the Skidmore faculty since 1998 and has written widely on topics ranging from capital punishment to comparative constitutional studies. He was Skidmore’s Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs from 2011-2018. He holds a B.A. from Hobart College and a M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. His current book project is called America’s Generational Constitutions and will be published by Stanford University Press.