Abstract
Pocket editions of the Constitution are incredibly popular in the United States; section-by-section textual or historical analyses are incredibly useful. But the two formats have never seriously met: an edition of the Constitution that combines the portability and popularity of the pocket Constitution with the pedagogical value of an annotated edition. This Article explains why an annotated pocket Constitution should be considered an essential tool in the toolkit of American civic education, both in and out of schools. The Article synthesizes the history and theory of American constitutional literacy — and, more often, illiteracy. What are the reasons Americans should understand the Constitution in the first place? The literature is surprisingly disorganized and contradictory. The Article then surveys and analyzes existing popular editions and annotations of the Constitution: from free pocket editions to thousand-page popular histories. Why have they not made a dent in popular constitutional illiteracy? Finally, the Article offers a solution: suggestions and guidelines for annotating a pocket Constitution — and even a first draft of the annotated pocket Constitution that we, the people, so desperately need.
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