“We the People . . .” —Since 1789
Our Constitution is the supreme law of the land. It was written in 1787, was ratified in 1788 and has been in force since 1789. That makes it the world’s longest-surviving written charter of government. It is what maintains a functioning American democracy.
When was the last time you thought about our Constitution? Was it during Civics class? Or, maybe you thought about it recently, when a newscaster mentioned the 25th Amendment?
Well, an interesting project is underway in Los Gatos where participants are copying the foundational document, line by line. It’s called “Handwriting the Constitution: a public exercise in contemplating our democratic rights.” This doesn’t mean that you personally have to complete the whole thing yourself. No, this is a community effort.
Doing your part
Local resident Gordon Yamate is facilitating the exercise. He and I met up at the Los Gatos Library, on July 14—Flag Day. “I saw an article in the New York Times,” he said, of the Jun. 30, 2017 piece by conceptual artist Morgan O’Hara that sparked his imagination.
Yamate began facilitating an offshoot recently in Los Gatos. “That’s the key thing really, you know,” he remarked. “I want to engage people in thinking about the most important document of the country that unifies us. I want to get to know people who wouldn’t otherwise be in touch with people.” It’s a way for community members to come together on a common goal.
“Morgan O’Hara started handwriting the Constitution over ten years ago, and this has actually been done by thousands of individuals, where they’ve actually transcribed the entire Constitution by hand,” he said. “This project has started recently here in town, and will take as long as it takes.” Participants engage with the important 1700s language—but with a physical, and personal, act.
Morgan O’Hara
O’Hara uses writing as her medium. Her work is in many prominent collections including: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. And internationally, at the British Museum, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the Kupferstichkabinett in Berlin, and many places online (MorganOHara.com). O’Hara has solidified herself as one of the greatest conceptual artists of our time.
Watching the presidential election in 2016 the political antics troubled her. Henry Alford wrote in 2025 in The New Yorker that O’Hara’s Constitution-copying was a way to deepen her understanding of the document. At the time of this publication, “more than 2,000 people across the globe had participated in 147 public writing sessions transcribing the U.S. Constitution inspired by Ms. O’Hara.” Here in Los Gatos, this project has just begun. In other countries, they copy their own governing documents.
A movement
As I met with Yamate, others in the library wondered what we were up to. Yamate brought several large poster boards that already featured sections of the Constitution copied onto them. He also brought a small Constitution booklet.
“I thought of (the handwriting project) from the standpoint of, Is there a way that we could scale this for a community project here in town? When this idea came around, I shopped it to a number of the cultural organizations, as well as local arts organizations that serve the community. For example Silicon Valley Creates. I talked to the folks at Montalvo. Everyone said…This is great, and, We like the idea. I wanted this to be available at different venues.”
Schedule a time to write
Yamate is hopeful many will sign up to write a section. “We put the article sections in as you write,” he said. “You write as long as you can basically write, until you get tired.” Note: It’s not too late to sign up. There are times and places available still. Sign up online-receive a confirmation to write, show up and copy the original document.
Different individuals pick up and write a bit, then another person with a different handwriting style will pick up where the previous contributor left off. “In the end, the idea is to have just a huge amount of these boards…basically the Constitution written in the handwriting of many,” he said. “We will figure out a way to display the entire compilation-assembly of all of these boards in some public places.”
Plus, he noted, “We provide all of the pens. And we have Wite-Out.” I noticed large rubber bands on the boards and was assured these are to keep the lines of penmanship straight across the page. “I tell people, ‘It’s not a race, you know, to get to the end,’” he said. “I mean, it’s not a competition.”
A message from Yamate provided even more exciting details: “Please let your friends, family and members of your organization know to sign up for a handwriting session and wait for a confirmation via email that they are enrolled for their selected session,” he wrote. “We will be adding more sessions each week, so please check back frequently. In addition, the Town’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission will be hosting a Handwriting the Constitution table at the Town’s 4th of July Symphony in the Park event at Oak Meadow Park—you can sign up online for sessions starting at 10:00 am and 11:30 am to guarantee a spot or drop by on the 4th on a space if available basis.”
Carolyn Dufort, with the local Daughters of the American Revolution chapter, said their organization “is thrilled that Gordon Yamate was inspired to share this community-based, participatory, conceptual art event” with the community.
For more information and to request a writing time and location: handwritetheconstitution.com
