LibGuides: Legal Research Resources for USD Students (Non-Law): United States Constitution

Annotated U.S. Constitution

An annotated constitution includes commentary and summaries of cases interpreting the Constitution's provisions.

LexisNexis Academic Universe (USD log in required)
Refer to the diagram on the Courts and Case Law tab. Under Legal, choose Federal Statutes and Regulations and Advanced Options. Click on Constitution of the United States and browse by Article or Amendment. Check only "Constitution of the United States" and use the box to conduct a segment search e.g. TEXT (search term), keyword or Boolean search.
CRS Annotated Constitution
This version of the Constitution, from Cornell University's Legal Information Institute, is a hypertexted interpretation of the Congressional Research Service text (see above). It includes links to Supreme Court opinions, the U.S. Code, and the Code of Federal Regulations. There is also a full-text search feature.

The National Archives' Charters of Freedom
Download images of the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights. Other resources include articles, exhibits, and links to questions and answers.
The Library of Congress' American Memory Collection: Documents from the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention
Includes the Continental Congress Broadside Collection, the Constitutional Convention Broadside Collection, and early printed versions of the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.
Yale Law Library's The Avalon Project: "The American Constitution-A Documentary Record"
Provides the full text (in html) of several pre-Constitutional legal documents, including the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights, as well as historical documents under the categories of “Revolution and Independence,” “Credentials of the Members of the Federal Convention,” “The Constitutional Convention,” and “Ratification and Formation of the Government.”

1. Locate and read the text of the constitutional provision or amendment.

2. Find secondary sources (encyclopedias, treatises, law review or journal articles) to obtain background information and analysis.

3. Find cases that interpret or apply the text.

4. Research the history of the provision or amendment for additional background information.

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Records of the Federal Convention of 1787 by Max Farrand
Call Number: MAIN COLLECTION / 3RD FLOOR JK141 1911y
Publication Date: 1911
3 volume set
Supplement to Max Farrand's Records of the Federal Convention of 1787 by James H. Hutson (Editor)
Call Number: KF4510 .U547 1966 suppl.
ISBN: 0300039042
Publication Date: 1987-09-10

How to Cite Constitutions and Statutes
Peter W. Martin, Introduction to Basic Legal Citation, Legal Information Institute, Section 3-300.

Encyclopedia of the American Constitution by Leonard Williams Levy; Kenneth L. Karst; Adam Winkler
ISBN: 0028659864
Publication Date: 2004-07-01
E-book (USD log in required)
Encyclopedia of the American Constitution
Call Number: REFERENCE COLLECTION / 1ST FLOOR KF4548 |b .E53 2000
ISBN: 0028648803
Publication Date: 2000-06-19
Six-volume print set