LibGuides: Constitution Day & Citizenship Day and Week: About the U.S. Constitution

The Constitution at the National Archives

Making of the Charters

Rotunda of the Charters of Freedom
The Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom is the permanent home of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the United States, and Bill of Rights.

Federalist Papers

Federalist Papers
Federalist Papers consist of a series of 85 essays, most of which were written by Alexander Hamilton and "probed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and the need for an energetic national government." Jefferson called it the "best commentary on the principles of government ever written."

Events Leading to Independence

Lesser known facts about the Constitution

Although written and signed in 1787, it wasn’t until 1788 that it was ratified by the necessary nine of thirteen states to become binding.
There are 39 signatures on the Constitution. Two of America’s “founding fathers”, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, did not sign the Constitution as they were working as diplomats in France and Great Britain respectively.
The first ten amendments to the Constitution, known as The Bill of Rights, were added in 1791 describing individual rights.
The only language besides English used in the Constitution is Latin.
George Washington and James Madison were the only presidents who signed the Constitution.
George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation on November 26, 1789, establishing the first national “Thanksgiving Day” as a way of “giving thanks” for the Constitution.

-- (source: Today In History, accessed 9/17/18)

The National Constitution Center

Visit the Constitution Center online. The National Constitution Center is an excellent non-governmental resource that was created by the Constitution Heritage Act of 1988, signed by President Reagan. Although it sits on federal land, it is privately run.

Have an in-depth look at the Articles and Amendments through the organization's Inter-Active Constitution

Explore the Constitution Center's virtual exhibits.

Want 10 Fast Facts about the Constitution? (from the Constitution Center)

First Amendment Encyclopedia

Explore freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and freedom of assembly in the context of landmark and current court cases, current events and more.

Free to access, this online encyclopedia from Middle Tennessee State University contains more than 1,500 essays and articles about court decisions, doctrines, people, law and events.

Constitution of the United States

Bill of Rights
While debating the adoption of the Constitution, its opponents, demanded a "bill of rights" that would spell out the immunities of individual citizens. the First Congress of the United States proposed to the state legislatures 12 amendments to the Constitution. Articles 3-12 were ratified and constitute the first 10 ammendments of the Constitution known as the Bill of Rights.
Charters of Freedom
The three documents, The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are collectively known as the Charters of Freedom.
Constitution
"The Constitution, drafted in 1787 after a hard-won victory in the War for Independence, codified the spirit of the Revolution into an ingenious practical scheme of government to promote the welfare of all its citizens".
Declaration of Independence
In June 1776, Thomas Jefferson composed a draft of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration announced to the world the separation of the thirteen colonies from Great Britain and the establishment of the United States of America.
The First Constitution: Articles of the Confederation
The Articles of the Confederation were the first attempts at creating a constitution.

Examine Washington's annotated copy

George Washington's Annotated Copy of a Draft of the U.S. Constitution (1789)

Source: DocsTeach, National Archives

America's Founding Documents (at NARA)

Peruse the the Constitution and other founding documents at the National Archives.

Search the DAR Catalogs

Search the Daughters of the American Revolution Library Catalog

(books and manuscripts)

Search the DAR's Americana Collection and the DAR's Archives

(includes images)

American History: From Pre-Columbian to the New Millennium

ushistory.org
Created and Hosted by Independence Hall Association in Philadelphia.

Browse government documents

Browse Constitution materials in government documents in the University Libraries catalog.

Search and browse the Constitution Annotated

Constitution.Congress.gov
web-based analysis and interpretation of the U.S. Constitution
Constitution of the United States of America - analysis and interpretation
library access to US Government Publishing Office analysis and interpretation (PDF version)

Treatise on the U.S. Constitution

View The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation (Centennial Edition, 2013) (opens PDF document, 2800+ pp.)

or browse individual chapters.

The CONAN has evolved from the very beginning as the need was then recognized for a comprehensive guide to our nation's constitution. This guide continues to grow with Supreme Court interpretations of constitutional law.

The Library of Congress offers a free mobile search app to the CONAN.

Creating the United States - A Library of Congress Exhibit

Creating the United States
This Library of Congress exhibition "offers a remarkable opportunity to learn in a fresh new way how the founding documents that emerged from this period were forged out of insight, invention, and creativity, as well as collaboration and much compromise"

Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute
Bill of Rights Institute is a non-profit organization that is focused on providing educational resources on America’s Founding documents and principles for teachers and students of American History and Civics.