Research Guides: Constitution Day 2022: Constitution Day Resources

The Interactive Constitution

The Interactive Constitution
The Interactive Constitution allows you to choose part of the Constitution and read statements by scholars from organizations representing different viewpoints. Those scholars write a joint statement about the parts of the meaning and history where they agree as well as separate essays explaining where they disagree.
Apple App
Android App

Websites

The American Constitution: The Avalon Project
Read full-text of historical documents that influenced the American Constitution (like the Magna Carta and English Bill of Rights 1689) as well as important American historical documents like the early state constitutions and early versions of the US Constitution before ratification.
C-Span
Watch your government in action.
The Charters of Freedom
U.S. Government Archives website with articles about the important founding documents.
Congressional Research Service
Search for reports provided to members of Congress to help inform policy and legislative decisions.
Constitute Project
The world's constitutions to read, search, and compare. Find relevant passages by keyword or by topic. Information on this site is provided under a Creative Commons license (which means you can reuse information freely for noncommercial purposes).
Guide to Government Information
Research guide for information resources by and about the federal government. Created and maintained by UC San Diego.
National Archives Electoral College website
Learn about the election process as well as historical election information.
National Constitution Center
The official website for the first and only institution in America established by Congress to "disseminate information about the United States Constitution on a non-partisan basis in order to increase the awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the American people."
SCOTUSblog
The Supreme Court of the United States blog offers non-biased, journalistic-style summaries of cases.
The Supreme Court
Learn about the judicial branch. Read Supreme Court documents, transcripts, and opinions. Follow current cases and recent decisions.
The U.S. House of Representatives
Learn about the legislative process, find your Representative, and follow legislative activity.
The U.S. Senate
Learn about the history of the Senate. Track current bills and committees. Read about the issues that concern your Senator.
United Nations
Learn about important issues facing the world today.
USA.gov
As the U.S. government's official web portal, USA.gov makes it easy for the public to get U.S. government information and services on the web.
The White House
Learn about the executive branch and follow issues concerning the President

Oyez.org

The Oyez Project at Chicago-Kent is a multimedia archive devoted to the Supreme Court of the United States and its work. It aims to be a complete and authoritative source for all audio recorded in the Court since the installation of a recording system in October 1955.

Data.census.gov

Demographic and economic data collected by the US Census Bureau.

Catalog of US Government Publications

Finding tool for all US Government publications by keyword, title, and agency. 1976 to present.

Congressional Research Service Reports

Research reports compiled at the request of members of Congress. Posted by the US State Department. 1999 - date.

Data.gov

Portal to US Government's open data - 180,000+ data sets across a range of topics.

FDSys

Federal Digital System provides full-text access to official publications from the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

FCSM

Portal to federal statistical programs by topic and agency.

USA.gov

US Government's official web portal to services and information.

MetaLib

MetaLib is a federated search engine that searches multiple U.S. Federal government databases, retrieving reports, articles, and citations while providing direct links to selected resources available online

Proceedings of the Old Bailey, 1674-1913

Searchable archive of documents, reports and summaries of trials held at the Old Bailey, London’s central criminal court, dating from 1674-1913.

Regulations.gov

Regulations.gov provides information on the development of Federal regulations and other related documents issued by the U.S. government.

Sam Sheppard Case: 1954-2000

Documents related to the murder case brought against Dr. Sam Sheppard, provided by the law library at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. The case was the inspiration behind the television series and subsequent movie, The Fugitive.

Social Science Research Network (SSRN)

Open access archive of scholarly papers in the social sciences. Some content restricted to subscribing institutions.

United Nations Treaty Collection

Includes United Nations Treaty Series documents since 1946 as well as multilateral treaties deposited with the Secretary-General.

Executive Branch

Compilation of Presidential Documents
Official publications released by the White House, 1993 to date

Federal Agency Directory
A-Z index of US government departments and agencies.

Historic Documents

Core Documents of Our Democracy
Cornerstone documents of American democracy digitized by the US Government Printing Office.

Primary Documents in American History
Digitized historical documents from the Library of Congress collections, 1775-1872.

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court of the United States
Legal information including opinions, court rules, and transcripts of oral arguments.

Legislative Branch

Congress.gov
Official site for US federal legislative information. Covers committees, members of Congress, legislation.

American Civil Liberties Union - "The ACLU is our nation's guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country. The ACLU's mission is to conserve America's original civic values: the Constitution and the Bill of Rights."

National Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Special Interest Groups - Project Vote Smart reports on performance evaluations from all special interest groups (SIGs) who provide them, regardless of issue or bias.

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) History - The ACLU, or American Civil Liberties Union, is a nonprofit legal organization whose goal is to protect the constitutional rights of Americans through litigation and lobbying.

Family Research Council - Founded in 1983, Family Research Council is a nonprofit research and educational organization dedicated to articulating and advancing a family-centered philosophy of public life. In addition to providing policy research and analysis for the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal government, FRC seeks to inform the news media, the academic community, business leaders, and the general public about family issues that affect the nation from a biblical worldview.

FRC Action - Based in Washington, D.C., FRC Action is the legislative affiliate of Family Research Council. We seek to educate and influence elected officials on Capitol Hill and in the states, activate our grassroots network, and mobilize Values Voters on behalf of faith, family, and freedom. FRC Action is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit and was founded in 1992. FRC Action exists so that our nation’s most fundamental values are represented as we impact public policy, influence elections, and support candidates who share our values for public office.

Celebrate Constitution Day 2021!

"The members of the Constitutional Convention signed the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Constitutional Convention convened in response to dissatisfaction with the Articles of Confederation and the need for a strong centralized government. After four months of secret debate and many compromises, the proposed Constitution was submitted to the states for approval. Although the vote was close in some states, the Constitution was eventually ratified and the new Federal government came into existence in 1789. The Constitution established the U.S. government as it exists today."

-- United States Constitution: Primary Documents in American History - Library of Congress

Constitution Day Resources & Events

National Archives
The National Archives website provides Constitution Day activities and materials.
The Library of Congress American Memory
The "American Memory" site from the U.S. Library Of Congress provides numerous resources on the Constitution.
National Endowment for the Humanities
The NEH provides content on the U.S. Constitution through the EDSITEMENT.
The Census Bureau's Statistics in Schools
The Census Bureau's Statistics in Schools (SIS) program offers many activities to highlight Constitution Day.