US Constitution Inscribed on Bitcoin Blockchain

U.S. Constitution Recorded on Bitcoin Blockchain

A Bitcoin user, whose identity remains anonymous, has successfully inscribed the complete text of the U.S. Constitution onto the Bitcoin blockchain. This milestone was achieved late Thursday and ensures the document's permanence on the network as long as it remains operational.

The transaction, which measured 44.4 kilobytes, incurred a fee of about $83.41, according to blockchain explorer data. In comparison, typical Bitcoin transactions around the same time were significantly smaller, with a standard transfer of 0.01 BTC measuring only 227 bytes and costing roughly $17.

Nothing says freedom like paying 83 bucks to etch the constitution into a blockchain forever

— Macro Bombastic (@MacroBombastic) May 29, 2026

This inscription utilized the OP_RETURN output field, a feature that allows users to attach data to Bitcoin transactions. A recent change to the protocol removed the previous byte limit, enabling this larger inscription. This modification has sparked debate among Bitcoin developers, with some arguing that it expands the network's capabilities, while others contend it diverts focus from financial transactions to data storage.

Inscriptions on the Bitcoin blockchain have surged in popularity in 2023, leading to record levels of activity in the mempool. This trend aligns with the rise of Bitcoin Ordinals, which facilitate the addition of various forms of data, such as text and images, akin to NFTs. Notably, a post from a compromised account of former SEC Commissioner Gary Gensler supporting Bitcoin ETFs has also been permanently recorded on the blockchain.

The motivation for spending $83 to inscribe the U.S. Constitution remains unclear, as no individual has claimed responsibility for the act. The Constitution itself, signed shortly after the U.S. declared independence in 1776, has historical significance within the cryptocurrency community, particularly following the efforts of ConstitutionDAO, which attempted to purchase a rare copy of the document in 2021 for over $45 million but ultimately lost to billionaire Ken Griffin.