Thomas Jefferson believed that a country’s constitution should
be rewritten every 19 years. Instead, the U.S. Constitution, which Jefferson
did not help to write (he was in Paris serving as U.S. minister to France
when the Constitutional Convention was held in Philadelphia), has prevailed
since 1789.
“Jefferson thought the dead should not rule the living, thus constitutions
should expire frequently, but the fact is that the U.S. Constitution
quickly became enshrined by the public and is the oldest constitution
in the world,” said Zachary Elkins, a professor of political
science at Illinois.
