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ConstitutionDAO

ConstitutionDAO PEOPLE

About

What Is Constitution DAO (PEOPLE)?

Constitution DAO was an experiment that has now been dissolved. In November 2021, a group web3-enthusiasts gathered as a decentralized autonomous organization with the shared objective of buying a copy of the U.S. Constitution at a Sotheby’s Auction. There are only 13 original physical copies of the U.S Constitution in existence, which meant that this auction sparked a competitive bidding battle. Even though the group managed to raise well over $40 million in ETH, it ultimately fell short and was outbid by Ken Griffin, a billionaire hedge fund manager and CEO of Citadel.

Constitution DAO announced that it would disband after its unsuccessful grassroots attempt to buy one of the most valuable and iconic documents in U.S. history. All donations are being refunded.

Who Are the Founders of Constitution DAO?

Constitution DAO did not have a single source of origin, but can instead be seen as an evolution to the grassroots fundraising movements that led to the rise of meme coins like Dogecoin and Shiba Inu. The DAO raised more than $47 million from 17,000+ donors in just a few days, with a median donation size of $206. It also sparked a viral Twitter movement that cheered on the DAO’s efforts with memes. Key contributors to the DAO were Brian Wagner and Liminal Warmth.

Technical Details

How Is the Constitution DAO Network Secured?

Constitution DAO was a non-profit connected to the DAO’s LLC that was legally owned by two of the DAO’s members.

More Info

What Makes Constitution DAO Unique?

Constitution DAO was another instance of an internet-based grassroots movement taking on establishment symbols with the help of cryptocurrencies. Similar to what happened with GameStop, Constitution DAO channeled the virtual power of the masses to only narrowly miss out on making real-world history.

The DAO published its first tweet on November 12, only six days before the Sotheby’s auction on November 18. The copy of the Constitution was the last remaining privately-owned copy, and the first time a copy of the Constitution went on sale in 33 years. Within hours, the DAO’s Discord server grew several thousand people strong and eventually reached 20,000 members within a little over a week.

Relying on a mix of Nicolas Cage memes, inspired by a movie in which Cage is trying to steal the Constitution, and the crypto-specific (x,x) meme first popularized by Olympus (OHM), the attempt quickly went viral on Crypto Twitter. The DAO used Juicebox to receive donations in Ether and collected a sum north of $47 million, which would have easily been enough to win the auction, had it not been for the auction house fees and storage costs for the document that were not accounted for by the DAO. Ironically, Ken Griffin, a declared opponent of Bitcoin, won the auction.

In the aftermath of this saga, Constitution DAO announced it would dissolve as it had planned in case of failure from the very beginning. It cited technical and administrative requirements as reasons for doing so, and donations can be reclaimed for an indefinite period of time via the project’s website.

How Many Constitution DAO (PEOPLE) Coins Are There in Circulation?

Since a DAO could not own the copy of the Constitution, its contributors would not have received fractional ownership of the Constitution. Instead, PEOPLE is a governance token that would have given its owners voting rights over where the Constitution would have been placed, i.e., which museum would host the physical copy.

Where Can You Buy Constitution DAO (PEOPLE)?

PEOPLE is available on Uniswap (V3) and 0x Protocol.

AI Analysis

Analyzed on March 2, 2026

What is the ConstitutionDAO (PEOPLE) cryptocurrency good for? What are its main use cases?

ConstitutionDAO (PEOPLE) is a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) that was initially formed to collectively purchase a rare copy of the U.S. Constitution at auction. While the DAO ultimately failed to secure the document, the community behind it transitioned into a broader decentralized governance and utility token project.

Main Use Cases of PEOPLE Token:

  1. Governance & Voting

    • Holders of PEOPLE tokens can participate in DAO governance, voting on proposals, and shaping the future of the project.
    • Decisions may include treasury management, new initiatives, and partnerships.
  2. Access to DAO Resources

    • Token holders may gain access to exclusive DAO events, grants, and collaborative projects.
    • Potential future airdrops or rewards for active participants.
  3. Community & Membership

    • The token represents membership in the ConstitutionDAO community, fostering collaboration on decentralized projects.
    • Could be used for reputation-based systems within the DAO.
  4. Potential Future Utility

    • The DAO may explore new initiatives, such as funding public goods, supporting decentralized governance experiments, or launching new decentralized applications (dApps).
    • If the DAO evolves, PEOPLE could be used in staking, liquidity provision, or other DeFi mechanisms.
  5. Speculative & Investment Value

    • Like many governance tokens, PEOPLE may be held as an investment, with value tied to the DAO’s growth and adoption.

Current Status & Future Outlook

  • After the failed Constitution purchase, the DAO refunded contributors and transitioned into a broader governance-focused project.
  • The long-term success of PEOPLE depends on the DAO’s ability to attract new members, secure funding, and execute on its vision.

Would you like more details on how to participate in ConstitutionDAO or its governance mechanisms?

Answered by mistral-small-latest (mistral)

What blockchain does ConstitutionDAO use? Is it its own blockchain or built on top of another?

ConstitutionDAO, the decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) that famously attempted to purchase a rare copy of the U.S. Constitution in 2021, primarily operated on the Ethereum blockchain.

Key Details:

  1. Blockchain Used: Ethereum (Layer 1)

    • ConstitutionDAO used Ethereum for its smart contracts, governance, and token transactions (e.g., the $PEOPLE token, which was an ERC-20 token).
    • The DAO leveraged Ethereum’s decentralized infrastructure for transparency and security.
  2. Not a Custom Blockchain:

    • ConstitutionDAO did not build its own blockchain. Instead, it relied on Ethereum’s existing ecosystem, including tools like Aragon (for DAO governance) and Gitcoin (for coordination).
  3. Why Ethereum?

    • Ethereum was the dominant smart contract platform at the time, offering robust developer tools, liquidity, and a large user base.
    • The ERC-20 standard made it easy to create and manage the $PEOPLE token.

Post-Auction Context:

After the failed bid for the Constitution, the DAO dissolved, and funds were returned to contributors. However, the project demonstrated the potential of DAOs to mobilize collective action on a blockchain.

If you’re exploring similar DAOs today, many still use Ethereum or Layer 2 solutions (e.g., Arbitrum, Optimism) for lower fees and scalability. Some newer DAOs might experiment with other chains like Solana or Cosmos-based networks, but Ethereum remains a foundational choice for governance-focused projects.

Answered by mistral-small-latest (mistral)

Is ConstitutionDAO programmable? Does it support smart contracts or decentralized applications?

ConstitutionDAO was a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) formed in 2021 to collectively purchase a rare copy of the U.S. Constitution at auction. While it was a notable experiment in decentralized governance, ConstitutionDAO itself was not inherently programmable in the sense of supporting smart contracts or decentralized applications (dApps).

Key Points:

  1. Purpose & Structure:

    • ConstitutionDAO was primarily a crowdfunding and governance experiment using a multi-signature wallet (managed by a small group of trusted individuals) rather than a fully on-chain, programmable DAO.
    • It relied on off-chain coordination (e.g., Discord, GitHub) and a single-purpose treasury (a crypto wallet) rather than a smart contract-based system.
  2. Smart Contracts & dApps:

    • It did not use smart contracts for governance or operations. The DAO was more of a social experiment in decentralized decision-making rather than a technical implementation.
    • Unlike DAOs like MakerDAO, Uniswap, or Aragon, which are built on programmable smart contracts, ConstitutionDAO was not designed to support dApps or complex on-chain logic.
  3. Post-Auction Evolution:

    • After failing to win the auction, the DAO dissolved, and funds were returned to contributors.
    • Some members later explored rebuilding the DAO on-chain (e.g., using ENS DAO or other frameworks), but this was not part of the original design.

Could It Have Been Programmable?

Yes, in theory, ConstitutionDAO could have been built on a programmable blockchain (e.g., Ethereum) using smart contracts for:

  • Automated governance (e.g., voting via Snapshot or on-chain proposals).
  • Treasury management (e.g., multi-sig wallets with programmable rules).
  • dApp integrations (e.g., NFT-based membership or tokenized voting).

However, the original DAO was not designed with these features and remained largely off-chain.

Conclusion:

ConstitutionDAO was not programmable in the traditional sense (no smart contracts or dApps). It was a social and financial experiment rather than a technical one. Future DAOs inspired by it could incorporate programmability, but the original was not built that way.

Answered by mistral-small-latest (mistral)

How fast are ConstitutionDAO transactions? What is the typical confirmation time and throughput (transactions per second)?

ConstitutionDAO, which was built on the Ethereum blockchain, inherits the transaction speed and throughput characteristics of Ethereum. Here’s a breakdown of its typical performance:

Transaction Confirmation Time

  • Average Block Time: ~12 seconds (Ethereum's average block time).
  • Typical Confirmation Time:
    • 1 confirmation: ~12 seconds (but often longer due to network congestion).
    • 3-6 confirmations (standard for security): ~36–72 seconds.
    • Finality: ~12–15 minutes (after ~12 blocks, though full finality is probabilistic).

Throughput (Transactions Per Second - TPS)

  • Ethereum’s Theoretical Max TPS: ~15–30 TPS (with Proof-of-Work, before The Merge).
  • Post-Merge (Proof-of-Stake): ~15–30 TPS (slightly improved due to reduced block times).
  • Real-World TPS: Often lower (~10–15 TPS) due to congestion, especially during high-demand periods.

Factors Affecting Speed

  1. Gas Fees & Congestion: High demand (e.g., during NFT mints or DeFi activity) slows transactions.
  2. Priority Fees: Higher gas fees can speed up confirmations.
  3. Layer 2 Solutions: If ConstitutionDAO used a Layer 2 (e.g., Arbitrum, Optimism), transactions would be faster (~1–5 seconds) and cheaper.

Comparison to Other Chains

  • Solana: ~2,000–65,000 TPS (but with occasional outages).
  • Polygon (PoS): ~7,000 TPS (but slower finality).
  • Ethereum L2s: ~1,000–10,000 TPS (e.g., Arbitrum, Optimism).

Conclusion

ConstitutionDAO transactions on Ethereum L1 are relatively slow (~12–72 seconds for confirmations) with limited throughput (~15 TPS). For faster transactions, a Layer 2 solution would be more efficient.

Would you like details on optimizing transaction speed for DAOs?

Answered by mistral-small-latest (mistral)

How much data can I store on the ConstitutionDAO blockchain? Does it support on-chain data storage?

The ConstitutionDAO was a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) that raised funds to purchase a rare copy of the U.S. Constitution in 2021. However, it did not operate on its own blockchain—it used Ethereum (ETH) for transactions and governance.

On-Chain Data Storage on Ethereum

Since ConstitutionDAO was built on Ethereum, its data storage capabilities are limited by Ethereum's design:

  1. Smart Contract Storage – Small amounts of data (a few KB) can be stored in smart contracts, but this is expensive due to gas fees.
  2. IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) – Large files (like documents, images, or videos) are typically stored off-chain on IPFS and referenced via a content hash (CID) in a smart contract.
  3. Ethereum Layer 2 (L2) Solutions – Some L2 networks (like Arbitrum or Optimism) offer cheaper storage, but still not for large-scale data.
  4. Filecoin or Arweave – For decentralized, long-term storage, these blockchains are better suited than Ethereum.

Conclusion

  • ConstitutionDAO itself did not have its own blockchain—it used Ethereum.
  • Ethereum is not ideal for large-scale on-chain storage (due to cost and scalability).
  • For decentralized storage, IPFS + Filecoin/Arweave is a better choice.

If you're looking for a blockchain specifically designed for data storage, consider:

  • Filecoin (decentralized storage)
  • Arweave (permanent storage)
  • Sia (cheap, decentralized storage)

Would you like recommendations for a specific use case?

Answered by mistral-small-latest (mistral)

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