Constitution Primary Sources

Constitution Primary Sources

The Constitution in Original Form

In this special presentation on the Constitution from the Library of Congress, the background of the Constitution is presented along with the text of the original document.

The Process of Constitution-Making

Max Farrand's The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787, published in 1911, compiled the documentary records of the Constitutional Convention into four volumesÑthree of which are included in this online collection.

A Republic in Transition

Jonathan Elliot compiled Elliot's Debates, a five-volume collection, in the mid-nineteenth century. The volumes are the best source for understanding the federal government's transitional period between the closing of the Constitutional Convention in September 1787 and the opening of the First Federal Congress in March 1789.

Broadsides Announcing the Constitution

You can search the broadsides and printed ephemera collection in the Library of Congress for the public announcements concerning the Constitution.

National Constitution Center

The National Constitution Center offers a number of interactive tools and resources for understanding the context and significance of the U.S. Constitution.

Assessing the Constitution: Uses and Abuses

The American Antiquarian Society has hosted a roundtable (in 2002) on the uses and abuses of the Constitution through history, featuring a number of very prominent scholars.