“Unlocking Humanity: The Surprising Secret Behind What Makes Us Truly Human”
What’s even more remarkable about all this is that, as previously alluded to, the average Constitution lasts only about a decade. And, indeed, discussing this fact, Thomas Jefferson noted in a letter to James Madison that he felt that these brief lifespans were a good thing, writing, “Every constitution, then, and every law, naturally expires at the end of 19. years. If it be enforced longer, it is an act of force and not of right.” As to why, he stated, “The earth belongs always to the living generation. They may manage it then, and what proceeds from it, as they please…. They are masters too of their own persons, and consequently may govern them as they please.”
And, funny enough, a figure often thrown about is that the average life of a given codified constitution is only about 17-19 years. Although, it should be noted, this isn’t quite telling the whole story as a large number of constitutions don’t make it even a year (about 10%), and there are also a great number that don’t make it 10, all driving down that number. Nonetheless, a codified constitution that lasts for centuries largely unchanged is exceptionally rare.
So what made John Adams’ work and ideas on government so special that they have endured for nearly two and a half centuries largely unchanged? Well, let’s dive into it, shall we?
Doing a Bad Job in a Good Way
As we’ve previously discussed, in our video That Time Ben Franklin and John Adams Slept Together and the Hilarity That Ensued, in the late 18th century John Adams found himself rather discontented and shunted to the side in France where he’d been sent to help convince the French to support the traitors to king and country in the British American colonies.
