I have read it, along with all of the amendments, and have read a book or two on it. I recommend the companion book to the PBS series The Constitution: That Delicate Balance.
In fact, based on some of the posts I have made here (mainly based on whether “elected” in the 22nd Amendment includes becoming President in other ways, or if, based on a strict reading, both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush can run for Vice President without violating the 12th Amendment), some people claim that I have read it a little too much.
It’s still not actually in there, though. I mean, all court decisions claim that their ruling is implicit in the Constitution–well, unless it’s explicit.
No, Marbury v. Madison didn’t invent it out of the whole cloth, and it wasn’t a form of “judicial activism.” But it’s still something you might not know if you didn’t read the decision.
I also had a Civics class, which is when I actually read the constitution, even reading the parts they crossed out to say they were amended. And it was in my textbook, hence I’ve read a book on it. I’ve read a lot more articles, though.
At the high school level it’s usually called American Government. At my school it is a required semester-long class for seniors. The other semester is Economics.
I took a Constitution test (both U.S. and Illinois) in 8th(?) grade and again in high school, as required by the State of Illinois and/or the federal government at the time.
As with most source material upon which I was tested in school, I didn’t read it cover-to-cover and instead focused on only the relevant bits. More importantly, the teachers “taught to the test,” as they say, and only focused on the relevant bits that would be on the test.
