Project 2026: Reimagine the US Constitution for Our Time
A citizen journey to rethink the Constitution for the AI age.
In Brief
Project 2026: Reimagine the US Constitution for Our Time is a civic learning and engagement initiative exploring the enduring significance of the U.S. Constitution—and how its principles might be adapted for our times. Through daily explorations modeled after the 1787 Constitutional Convention, this project revisits the debates, compromises, and hopes that shaped the original document while offering a framework for citizens to reflect on the social contract’s relevance in the age of AI and complex global interdependence.
This initiative complements other Project 2026 efforts, including Election 2026 and The First 1000 Days of Life, each advancing the mission of fostering a democracy rooted in citizen agency, well-being, and opportunity.
Additional Content
Project 2026: Background Analysis for Reimagining the Constitution
Project 2026: A Madisonian Approach
Reimagine the Constitution: Daily Content Plan (Mirroring the 1787 Convention)
Andrej Karpathy: Founding Fathers on Today's America
Introduction and Implementation Plan
In the summer of 1787, delegates gathered in Philadelphia to debate and draft a new framework of government, working behind closed doors in what became the Constitutional Convention. Now, as we approach America’s 250th anniversary, Project 2026: Reimagine the Constitution invites the public to step into that grand experiment. This journalistic initiative, hosted on Moonshot Press, will run from May 29 to September 17, 2025 – mirroring the exact timeline of the 1787 Convention – and rekindle the spirited debates that gave birth to the United States Constitution. Each day during this period, Moonshot Press will publish an accessible, engaging feature that examines the Convention’s historical discussions (drawing on James Madison’s famous notes, the arguments of Federalists and Antifederalists, and the meaning of each constitutional provision. Crucially, we will bridge past and present, exploring how those 18th-century ideas resonate in today’s America and what they teach us about the changes needed for our modern democracy.
The vision for Project 2026 is both inspiring and inclusive. We aim to reimagine the Constitution not by starting from scratch in secret, but by opening up a national conversation that anyone can join. Through daily storytelling and analysis, readers will relive the Convention’s turning points – the big-state versus small-state clashes, the compromises over representation, the creation of the presidency and judiciary, the struggle over fundamental rights – and see how those founding debates shaped the country we have today. Each feature will connect the original debates with present-day challenges: for example, how the framers argued about electing a president and how we grapple with the Electoral College now, or what the founders feared about centralized power and how federal authority is viewed in the 21st century.
By the project’s end on Constitution Day (September 17, 2025), our audience will not only have a richer understanding of why the Constitution took the shape it did, but also be empowered to envision new possibilities for our government’s future. Above all, Reimagine the Constitution is designed for a broad public audience – from students to seniors, casual readers to civic leaders. The tone will be inspiring and accessible, avoiding legal jargon and connecting big ideas to everyday life. We want everyone to feel they have a stake in this conversation. Just as importantly, this initiative will be a two-way dialogue. It harnesses the latest technology – including AI tools and interactive media – to turn readers from passive observers into active participants in shaping the next chapter of America’s constitutional story.
AI-Powered Insights and Analysis
A distinguishing feature of Reimagine the Constitution is the strategic use of artificial intelligence (AI) to enrich our research, content creation, and community engagement. We will leverage AI tools thoughtfully to generate insights, summarize complex debates, enhance public understanding, and support civic participation throughout the project.
Vision and Objectives
Project 2026 Reimagine the Constitution’s is guided by a clear vision and mission to revitalize American democracy as we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. We seek to ignite a national dialogue on constitutional renewal by blending historical insight, modern analysis, and citizen participation. Key objectives include:
Educate and Inspire: Provide a captivating day-by-day journey through the 1787 Constitutional Convention, using James Madison’s detailed notes (long regarded as the definitive record of the debates as our historical backbone. We will illuminate the founders’ arguments and thought processes in a way that inspires readers and deepens civic understanding.
Bridge History and Modern Issues: For each topic the founders grappled with – from the balance of power to the rights of individuals – draw connections to contemporary challenges. We will show how debates from over two centuries ago relate to issues Americans face today (e.g. federal vs. state authority, representation fairness, executive power, judiciary role, etc.) and examine whether current constitutional structures still serve the public well.
Leverage Psychological Insights: Infuse the analysis with psychological perspectives – both historical (the founders’ own understanding of human nature and group dynamics) and modern (current psychology research on decision-making, conflict, and governance). This adds a unique layer of insight into why certain decisions were made in 1787 and how human factors like compromise, fear, ambition, and bias influence constitutional debates then and now. A recurring “Shrink Notes” feature will offer a “behind the scenes” psychological analysis of the framers’ deliberations and today’s political climate, making complex dynamics more relatable.
Engage Citizens and Encourage Participation: Transform the series into a participatory project where readers are not just learning but also contributing. Through crowdsourcing platforms, social media (#MyConstitution), and interactive forums, Americans from all walks of life will be invited to share their own ideas, questions, and visions for a “reimagined” Constitution. The project strives to elevate civic participation – making people feel heard and fostering a sense of collective ownership over our governing principles.
Generate Solutions and Reflections: Each daily installment will not only inform but also encourage reflection on civic action and policy. By spotlighting possible reforms or updates (informed by expert opinions and citizen input), the series will act as a springboard for discussing how we might address current constitutional shortcomings. Over the course of the project, we will gather and highlight promising ideas for constitutional improvements, culminating in a set of recommendations or guiding principles for the future (in time for 2026’s anniversary).
With these goals in mind, Project 2026 aims to be more than a history lesson or a thought experiment – it will be a living civic exercise that educates, engages, and empowers.
AI-Powered Insights and Analysis
A distinguishing feature of Reimagine the Constitution is the strategic use of artificial intelligence (AI) to enrich our research, content creation, and community engagement. We will leverage AI tools thoughtfully to generate insights, summarize complex debates, enhance public understanding, and support civic participation throughout the project.
Key uses of AI include:
Historical Analysis and Summarization: The transcripts of 1787 debates (chiefly Madison’s notes and other delegates’ records) and the texts of the Federalist and Antifederalist Papers are voluminous and often written in 18th-century prose. AI language models can assist our editorial team by quickly scanning these historical documents and generating concise summaries of key arguments each day. For example, before writing a feature on the Great Compromise, the team can use AI to pull together the main points made by figures like Madison, Roger Sherman, and Alexander Hamilton on representation. This ensures our writers capture the essential facts and quotations without missing important details. The AI-generated summaries will be carefully verified by our historians, but they’ll speed up the research process and allow us to tackle each day’s topic with depth and accuracy.
Insight Generation and Thematic Analysis: AI can help draw connections that might not be immediately obvious. By analyzing the entire corpus of founding-era writings and comparing it to modern data (such as contemporary scholarly articles or public opinion surveys), AI tools might highlight patterns or contrasts for our team to explore. For instance, an AI might detect that arguments in Federalist Paper No. 51 about checks and balances align with certain modern political science findings on government accountability. These kinds of AI-flagged insights will be fed into our editorial discussions, sparking fresh angles and questions for each feature.
Natural Language Q&A and Explainers: To enhance public understanding, we plan to deploy an AI-driven interactive tool on the Moonshot Press site – a kind of “Constitution Chatbot” that readers can query. This AI assistant will be trained on reliable sources (the Constitution’s text, explanatory materials, our published articles, etc.) and can answer reader questions in plain language. Whether someone asks “What was the Virginia Plan?” or “How does the Electoral College work and why was it created?”, the AI can provide a quick, digestible answer and even point to our relevant daily feature for deeper reading. This on-demand AI explainer makes the project more accessible, especially for readers who might not be familiar with historical details and need a brief primer. It’s like having a knowledgeable guide available 24/7 to support learning.
Content Creation and Enhancement: While all analytical writing will be done by our journalists, we may use AI in creative ways to enhance the storytelling. For example, AI can help generate simulated dialogues or re-imaginings of debates – clearly labeled as playful reconstructions – to bring historical figures’ viewpoints to life. Imagine a short sidebar where an AI-generated James Madison and a modern citizen “discuss” an issue like freedom of speech; this could make the content more engaging. Additionally, AI tools can assist in creating visuals such as word clouds (e.g. showing the most common terms in the Federalist Papers vs. Antifederalist writings) or simple infographics that summarize complex info, under the guidance of our design team.
Analyzing Public Input: As citizens contribute ideas and feedback through #MyConstitution and other channels, AI will be invaluable in sifting through large volumes of comments. We will use natural language processing to aggregate themes and sentiments from the crowdsourced content. For instance, if thousands of people submit suggestions for constitutional changes, AI can categorize these by topic (e.g. calls for electoral reform, suggestions about Supreme Court term limits, proposals for new rights) and help the team identify the most frequently mentioned or most insightful contributions. This analysis will then feed back into our reporting – we can feature “This week’s top citizen ideas” or adjust our coverage to address questions many people are asking. In this way, AI supports civic participation by ensuring every voice is heard and none of the collective wisdom is lost in the noise.
Throughout all these applications, we will use AI as a supporting tool rather than a driver. All AI outputs will be reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy and bias. By blending human editorial judgment with AI’s speed and scale, Project 2026 aims to deliver rich, well-rounded content and an interactive experience that would be impossible through traditional methods alone.
Citizen Engagement: Crowdsourcing, Video Meetings, and #MyConstitution
Public participation stands at the heart of Reimagine the Constitution. Just as the original Convention was a meeting of many minds (though unfortunately limited to a select few in 1787), our project seeks to open up the constitutional conversation to all Americans. We have a multi-pronged citizen engagement strategy that includes crowdsourcing input, hosting interactive discussions, and leveraging social media to create a nationwide dialogue:
Crowdsourcing Ideas and Stories: From day one, we will invite citizens to share their thoughts on constitutional issues and how our nation’s founding document affects their lives. The project’s website will feature a “Your Voice – Your Constitution” portal where people can submit short essays, ideas for amendments, personal stories, or even creative proposals for a future constitution. To prompt participation, each daily article will end with a question or challenge (for example: “How would you balance big and small states’ interests today?” or “What freedoms do you feel are missing from the Constitution?”) and a call to share responses via the portal or on social media. Our team will moderate submissions and each week we plan to highlight some of the most insightful or thought-provoking contributions from the public, either by featuring excerpts in our articles or publishing a separate “Citizen Voices” roundup. This crowdsourced material not only enriches the content with diverse perspectives, but also makes participants feel directly involved in reimagining our governing framework.
Interactive Video Meetings and Deliberative Sessions: In addition to written contributions, Project 2026 will host a series of live video meetings/town halls to simulate the spirit of deliberation. These could be weekly Zoom webinars, live-streamed on social platforms, where our journalists and guest experts discuss the week’s constitutional topic and then open the floor for questions and ideas from viewers. For example, after a week focused on the debate over executive power, we might convene a panel including a constitutional scholar, a psychologist (to discuss leadership psychology), and a civic leader to field public questions and comments on how presidential power should look in the 21st century. Using webinar Q&A features or social media live comments, citizens can engage in real time. We will also encourage local libraries, schools, and community groups to host their own discussion circles following our content, and we’ll provide a facilitation guide (The Citizen Toolbox) to support those conversations. By the end of the project, we aim to have held multiple interactive events, including a grand finale virtual convention on the eve of Constitution Day 2025, where citizens and experts come together to reflect on all the ideas generated.
Social Media Campaign (#MyConstitution): To cast the net widely, we will run a vibrant social media campaign with the hashtag #MyConstitution. This campaign invites people to share, in short form, what they would keep or change in the U.S. Constitution. For example, someone might tweet “#MyConstitution would include a right to privacy in the digital age,” or post a short video on Instagram explaining why they value the First Amendment. We’ll pose daily prompts tied to the day’s theme (e.g., on the day we cover the Bill of Rights debates, ask “What amendment would you propose in a Bill of Rights for today’s world? #MyConstitution”). The #MyConstitution hashtag will allow us to find and engage with these public contributions. We plan to repost or feature some of the most popular or insightful social media posts on the Moonshot Press site (with permission), effectively crowdsourcing a portion of our content. This approach not only spreads the conversation beyond our website but also builds a community of followers who are actively thinking about constitutional issues throughout the summer.
Accessible and Inclusive Participation: We recognize that not everyone engages in the same way, so our strategy is inclusive. For those who prefer structured input, we might run weekly polls or surveys (e.g., “Vote on which proposed constitutional reform you find most urgent this week”). For the creatively inclined, we could host a contest for best alternative preamble or illustrative artwork depicting “We the People in 2025.” Additionally, we will ensure all our engagement efforts are accessible – providing options to participate offline (such as a mailing address for written letters that we can digitize and share, or partnerships with radio shows for call-in segments discussing our project topics). The idea is to remove barriers and meet citizens where they are.
Through these combined efforts, Reimagine the Constitution will transform from a series of articles into a national civic forum. Readers become contributors, and the American public becomes, in effect, delegates to a new convention – one that spans all 50 states and the vast diversity of our modern society. The hashtag #MyConstitution will serve as the rallying cry uniting these activities, symbolizing that the Constitution belongs to everyone and that everyone has a voice in envisioning its future.