“The happy Union of these States is a wonder; their Constitution a miracle; their example the hope of Liberty throughout the world.”
– September, 1829. The Writings of James Madison, ed. Gaillard Hunt, Vol. 9, p.357, 1910.
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James Madison was one of several authors of The Federalist Papers, Virginia delegate to the Constitutional Convention and the fourth President of the United States (1809 – 1817). His belief in this remarkable document is evident and, as history demonstrates, it has endured as the basis of our republic. This guide is an introduction to the United States Constitution, its creation and development. There is an enormous body of research on the topic. For additional research assistance, please contact the University Libraries Reference Desk at the Miller Nichols Library in person, by phone at (816) 235-1534, or email the Reference staff through the online Reference Form at https://library.umkc.edu/forms/ref.htm.
To Find Articles
Remote (off-campus) access to databases is available only to UMKC students, faculty, and staff. All other users must access online resources within the Libraries. Begin searching by selecting a database. After selection you will be prompted to provide a UMKC Single Sign-On user name and password OR a 9-digit UMKC ID number followed by the letter k (example: 0123456789k) and last name, as needed.
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America: History and Life (EBSCOhost) 1964 - present.
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to del.icio.us
Indexes and abstracts articles on the history of the United States and Canada
from prehistory to the present. "Each
year over 1,700 journal titles published worldwide are scanned for relevant articles
of special interest to students of U.S. and Canadian history and related fields.
The database also includes citations and links to book and media reviews from
a selection of over 100 key journals in U.S. and Canadian history." [Source:
America: History and Life on the Web, accessed May 15, 2006] Link
to America
History and Life user's guide. Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost) 1975 - present.
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Selected full text 1975 - present. This multidisciplinary database indexes and abstracts journals in a broad range of subjects. Full text is available for a large proportion of the titles. A high percentage of titles are peer-reviewed. Dates of coverage vary widely by title. All content of Academic Search Elite is included in this resource.JSTOR 1838 - present.
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Full text. Coverage varies by title.Contains fully searchable scanned articles from selected journals in a broad range of disciplines, including African-American studies, art, ecology, economics, education, history, law, literature, music, general science, sociology, and statistics. (To see a complete list of discipines and journal titles, link to the JSTOR browse list.) Covers the full run of journals from the first issue of volume one; however, the most recent three to five years of journals are not generally available.-
U.S. Congressional Serial Set. Full text 1817 - 1859.
The bound, sequentially numbered volumes of all the reports, documents, and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives beginning with the 15th Congress. -
19th Century Masterfile (Paratext) 1786 - 1922.
Save to del.icio.usThis database indexes nineteenth and early twentieth century magazines, journals, and newspapers in several languages.
- The Pennsylvania Gazette (Accessible Archives Web Interface) 1728 - 1750. Save to del.icio.us
Selected full text.Contains articles, advertisements, announcements of ship arrivals, notices of runaway slaves, and other material from the Pennsylvania Gazette, the first newspaper published in Philadelphia. Contains full text of all material relating to the western hemisphere published beginning 1733. Prior to 1733, full text is available for material relating to the middle colonies. Material not related to the western hemisphere is excluded.
Reference Sources: General Reference, Encyclopedias, Indexes and Bibliographies
Reference sources are useful for locating background information, definitions, general descriptions, and basic facts. Use these books to help you select or focus your research topic. Titles are linked to the corresponding MERLIN Library Catalog record.
Items denoted with ‡ are available for checkout at UMKC's Leon E. Bloch Law Library.
General Reference
| The Founders' Constitution. | ‡ UMK MNL Ref KF4502 .F68 1987 v.1-5 |
Federalists and Antifederalists: The Debate over the Ratification of the Constitution. Edited by John P. Kaminski and Richard Leffler. Published for the Center for the Study of the American Constitution. |
UMK MNL KF4515 .F44 1989 |
The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution. Edited by Merrill Jensen. |
UMK MNL KF4502 .D63 v.1-20 |
The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787. Edited by Max Farrand. |
‡ UMK MNL JK141 1966a v.1-4 |
History of the Formation of the Union under the Constitution: With Liberty Documents and Report of the Commission. Sol Bloom, Director General. Reprint. Originally published: [ Washington , D.C. ]: United States Constitution Sesquicentennial Commission; U.S. G.P.O., [1941]. |
UMK LAW MAIN COLL KF4541 .U55 1999 |
The Federalist: A Commentary on the Constitution of the United States. Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison ; edited and with an introduction by Robert Scigliano. "Originally published: New York : Printed and sold by J. and A. 'Lean, 1788. From the original text of Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, James Madison." |
UMK LAW MAIN COLL KF4515 .F4 2001 |
| UMK MNL KF4749 .R87 1991 | |
In Our Defense: The Bill of Rights in Action. Ellen Alderman, Caroline Kennedy. |
UMK MNL KF4750 .A43 1991 |
| Contexts of the Constitution: A Documentary Collection on Principles of American Constitutional Law. Compiled by Neil H. Cogan. | UMK LAW MAIN COLL KF4502 .C66 1999 |
| ‡ UMK LAW MAIN COLL KF4744 1971 V.1 & 2 | |
| The Complete Bill of Rights: The Drafts, Debates, Sources, and Origins. | ‡ UMK MNL Reference Ref KF4744 1997 |
Bicentennial Edition of the Secret Proceedings and Debates of the Convention Assembled at Philadelphia, in the Year 1787: For the Purpose of Forming the Constitution of the United States of America. First published in 1821. |
UMK LAW MAIN COLL KF4510 .U55 1987 |
Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787. Reported by James Madison; with an introduction by Adrienne Koch. |
UMK LAW MAIN COLL KF4510 .U54 1987 |
The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution as Recommended by the General Convention at Philadelphia in 1787. Collected and revised from contemporary publications by Jonathan Elliot. |
UMK MNL JK141 1974 v.1 -5 |
| UMK MNL Ref KF4505 .U55 1904-1937 Vols. 1-34 | |
| Journal of the Federal Convention. Kept by James Madison. Reprinted from the ed. of 1840, which was published under direction of the United States government from the original manuscripts. A complete index specially adapted to this ed. is added. Edited by E. H. Scott. | UMK MNL SpecColl Snyder JK141 1898b vols.1-2 |
Encyclopedias and Indexes
| Encyclopedia of the American Constitution. | UMK MNL Ref KF4548 .E53 2000 Vol. 1-6 |
| Sources and Documents of United States Constitutions. | ‡ UMK MNL Ref KF4530 .S94 v.1-11 |
| Index/Journals of the Continental Congress 1774-1789. Compiled by Kenneth E. Harris and Steven D. Tilley. 1976. | UMK MNL Ref KF4505 .U55 1904 Index |
Bibliographies
Teaching Resources
- National Endowment for the Humanities – Constitution Day (http://edsitement.neh.gov/ConstitutionDay/constitution_index2.html)
- Constitution Day – Educators’ Resources (http://www.constitutioncenter.org/constitutionday/display/EducM/Home)
- The Learning Page – Library of Congress
In Congress Assembled -
(http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/constitu/conintro.html) - Constitution Day Resources The Library of Congress. (http://thomas.loc.gov/teachers/constitution.html)
- Primary Resource Set the Constitution (http://memory.loc.gov/learn/community/cc_wethepeople_kit.php)
Government Documents
Microforms
American Colonial Records. Records of the 13 colonies plus Maine and Vermont. |
Microfilm N-B 4344-4393 |
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American Periodical Series |
MicroRef Z6951 .H65 |
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MicroRef PN4832 .A462 1973 |
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MicroRef PN4832 .A466 year Ref PN4832 .A466 year |
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MicroRef PN4832 .A472 1974 |
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MicroRef PN4832 .A474 1974 Ref PN4832 .A474 1974 |
| MicroRef CD3029.5 .C3 G84 1972 | |
Early American Imprints (EAI), First Series, 1639 – 1800 (Evans) |
UMK MNL Ground Fl Mfich EAI Evans 20456 |
Additional resources for early American Presidential history may be found at:
Library Guide to American Presidency: Selected Resources
Web Resources
U. S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
(http://www.archives.gov/)The Charters of Freedom: “A New World is at Hand”
(http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/charters.html)Constitution of the United States
The National Archives website offers information about the U. S. Constitution, the individuals who worked to frame the document, its impact and a list of all 27 amendments to the document.
(http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution.html)America 's Founding Fathers
Detailed information on the delegates to the Constitutional Convention.
(http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution_founding_fathers.html)Teaching with Documents: Observing Constitution Day
(http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/constitution-day/index.html)
Library of Congress
(http://www.loc.gov/)American Memory Project
(http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html)The James Madison Papers
A salute to the “Father of the Constitution” and one of the authors of the Federalist Papers.
(http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/madison_papers/)Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention 1774 -1789
Historical information regarding the origins of thought and action on the two primary documents in US history.
(http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/bdsds/bdsdhome.html)-
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates 1774-1875
A searchable web page including Journals of the Continental Congress, Letters to the Delegates of Congress, Elliot's Debates, Farrand's Records.
(http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lawhome.html) Elliot's Debates: The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution
Essential to creating the union was the work of the states during the early part of US History. These debates provide insight to the issues of the day. (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwed.html)Farrand's Records: The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787
“Farrand's Records remains the single best source for discussions of the Constitutional Convention. The notes taken at that time by James Madison, and later revised by him, form the largest single block of material other than the official proceedings. The three volumes also include notes and letters by many other participants, as well as the various constitutional plans proposed during the convention.”
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/ftrials.htm
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United States Constitution: Texts, Commentaries, Historical Texts and Judicial Decisions – Law Library of Congress
(http://www.loc.gov/law/guide/usconst.html)
The Avalon Project at Yale Law School – Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy
The Avalon Project is an online source of primary documents and is linked to Constitution and historic materials related to its creation.
(http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon.htm)The American Constitution: A Documentary Record
(http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/constpap.htm)Articles of Confederation
The document that united the American colonies.
(http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/artconf.htm)- The Madison Debates - The Avalon Project Yale University (http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/debates/debcont.htm)
Constitution of the United States – Government Printing Office (GPO)
Analysis and Interpretation of the U.S. Constitution: 1992 Edition Plus Supplements to 2000.
The U.S. GPO offers a web site of its latest material on the US Constitution and “…annotations of cases decided by the Supreme Court….”
(http://www.gpoaccess.gov/constitution/)Constitution of the United States – MacMillan Law Library Electronic Reference Desk, Emory University School of Law
Searchable index of the US Constitution.
(http://www.law.emory.edu/erd/docs/usconst.html)The Federalist Papers – Thomas Legislative Information
One of the most significant discussions of the founding philosophy of the Republic in an online version.
(http://thomas.loc.gov/home/histdox/fedpapers.html)-
Exploring Constitutional Law – UMKC School of Law
A UMKC web site created by the School of Law and dedicated to trials highlighting constitutional issues.
(http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/home.html) - Famous Trials by Doug O. Linder, Professor, UMKC School of Law
(http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/ftrials.htm) Liberty! The American Revolution – PBS TV
(http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/index.html)-
Signers of the Constitution - United States Department of the Interior National Park Service
(http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/constitution/) -
The Constitution of the United States of America with explanatory notes – U.S. Department of State
(http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/constitution/convention.htm)
Use search engines linked on the Internet Search Tools page to identify additional Web resources.
Films and Videos
Use the MERLIN Library Catalog to find resources relevant to your research. See "Finding Films and Videos in the MERLIN Library Catalog" for assistance in locating videos in the University Libraries. The list below will include call numbers for any titles at UMKC. Contact the Reference Department at the Miller Nichols Library or the Bloch Law Library for assistance in locating titles available in local public libraries.
Origins of the Constitution
- Founding Brothers (2002). A&E Televison Networks: The History Channel
- Founding Fathers (2000). A&E Televison Networks: The History Channel
- Liberty! The American Revolution (1997). PBS Home Video
- Thomas Jefferson – Director: Ken Burns (1997). PBS Home Video
- The Constitution of the United States of America [videorecording]. Las Vegas , NV: Library Distributors of America, c1993. A guide to the articles and amendments of the Constitution of the United States and some historical background of those provisions.
UMK LAW VIDEO No.365 - The Amendments to the Constitution: Bill of Rights and Beyond – 20 videocassettes. UMK LAW VIDEO No. 366
- Saving the national treasures WGBH Boston Video 2005. UMK MNL Media AV DVD E303 .S38 2005
Fictional Accounts Origins
- 1776 – Director: Peter H. Hunt (1972). RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video
- The Patriot – Director: Roland Emmerich (2000). Columbia TriStar Home Video
Hollywood Accounts Constitutional Crises
- 7 Days in May – Director: John Frankenheimer (1964). Paramount Pictures
- All the President's Men – Director: Alan J. Pakula (1976). Warner Home Video
Hollywood Account of How Washington Really Works
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington – Director: Frank Capra (1939). Columbia Pictures Home Video
Civil Rights
- One Woman, One Vote (1995). PBS Video, American Experience Series
- Scottsboro: An American Tragedy (2000). PBS Video, American Experience Series
Hollywood Account of Civil Rights
- Mississippi Burning – Director: Alan Parker (1988). Orion Home Video
UMKC University Libraries Special Collections Department
The Preamble to the Constitution states:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Representative Richard W. Bolling (D-MO) lived the values of the Preamble to the Constitution and made a significant contribution to “…establish justice…. And secure the Blessings of Liberty…” by supporting civil rights legislation during his career in the U.S. House of Representatives, 1949-1983. The Richard W. Bolling Papers file presented in our guide offers you an opportunity to research his contributions housed in the UMKC Special Collections.
Contributors
Christine Angolia, Miller Nichols Library Reference: Guide Creator
Dave Lazarus, Miller Nichols Library Reference: Selected U.S. Constitution Film & Video
Robert C. Ray, Special Collections: Bolling Papers
Bruce Sherwood, Special Collections: Bolling Papers
For further assistance, please contact the
Miller Nichols Library Reference Desk at (816) 235-1534.
