A few years ago a history teacher friend of mine gave me a pocket Constitution. I carry it in my purse and whip it out when I’m standing in line. I suppose I could take that precious time and update my Facebook status, but re-reading the First Amendment gives me much more joy than updating my wall with such drivel as, “Tracey is wondering if she needs to buy more Forever Stamps.”

The folks over at the Constitution Center have a listing of Constitution events and interactive quizzes (a la Facebook) on “Which Founder Are You?” and the “Naturalization Test” that would-be citizens have to take.

Well, it turns out I’m Founder James Madison, the scholarly, diligent, shy signer, and I scored 100% on the citizen test. I fared much better on the citizen test than the high school students of Oklahoma: apparently only one in four can name the first president of the United States.

But I’m not gloating. I only scored a B- on the American Civics Literacy test.

Read the full text of the Constitution.

And if you’re curious about the Declaration of Independence, read Paul VanDevelder’s fascinating story about how Jefferson came to write that famous document that now gives you a long weekend in early July.

About the Author: Tracey's interests in history range from the ancient Greeks to the medieval monks to the women of the American West. She holds a B.A. in History, Math/Philosophy, and the Classics. When not writing, editing, or teaching, she's out exploring, via her mountain bike, the Anasazi ruins in and around her home state of Colorado.

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