Good News! This book is now on sale at the National Museum of American History's bookstore in Washington, D.C.

The following is from the introduction of the book:

Since being a U.S. History and U.S. Government teacher in the Baltimore City Public School System, I became convinced that the United States Constitution needs to not only be read by everyone in the United States, but that it also needs to be understood by everyone in the United States.  After memorizing and reciting it, I would often speak to youth and adults about the document.  Whenever I speak to groups about the Constitution, I feel like a priest, listening to all the confessions, “I’ve never read it,” or “I’ve read bits and pieces,” or, “I think I read it in high school.”

When I read other books attempting to translate the U.S. Constitution, a couple of common themes emerge.  One, even the translated sections are not written with words that the average person uses, much less, words that our youths use.  In fact, most translations use words that are too similar to the verbiage used by those at the Constitutional Convention.  For those that do not have law degrees and need to understand the Constitution, many college-educated translators miss the mark. Many of the translations I read use words that are not in the vocabulary of most of my colleagues, much less inner city students.
Most of my students never use the words “posterity,” “inhabitant,” “writs of election,” “enumeration,” “quorum,” “executive,” or “adjourn” in general conversation.  Going even further, most educated adults I know do not use these words.  I do not hear adults talking about their “executive;” I hear them refer to their Governor or President.  I never hear my teaching comrades say, “enumeration.”   They might say count or counted instead.  What I mean is that students and adults alike need a Constitution that is written in words close to their own.

The other “small” theme is the omitted language in the Constitution.  Nowhere in the document do you see the word “Female” or “She.” You will find, however, the word “Male” and the pronoun “He.”  The closest the Constitution comes to referring to women is by using the term “sex.” I am not proposing that the word “Female” is a word that a woman should even want in the Constitution, but the point is that women, specifically, are not represented in the words of the U.S. Constitution—and they need to be! This translation aims to level the playing field of gender in the Constitution simply by interjecting pronouns.  Also, while the Constitution protects slavery, there is no mention of a “slave” in the main document (does not appear until the 14th Amendment). Other words were strategically used, but this translation substitutes “other persons” with the actual people in mind—slaves.
Although I try to use words that are more “down to earth,” this translation sticks closely to the original text, making sure to honor the intricacies of our most precious document.  It is closer to a translation than an interpretation.

Let me end with the idea that the United States Constitution is an exceptional document.  I can only hope that this effort means that more students and adults alike will read it.  I strongly believe that the more it is read, the more perfected our democracy (and union) will become!