This is the second of a pair. Having made the case for reading the Constitution narrowly, the series now gives the living-constitution view its full strength: that the framers wrote broad moral language on purpose, and that honest interpretation brings each generation's understanding to the document's open words. The aim is not to declare a winner, but to make sure a citizen knows what is actually being defended.

Field Notes on the Republic was written and read by Michael Fowler. It was produced for Quorum (Supply Co.), an American civic purveyor. Music is "When Johnny Comes Marching Home," performed by the U.S. Military Academy Band, West Point.