Resources on the United States Constitution

Sprague Library Resources

Sprague Library has many resources on the Constitution. Among some reference sources on the Constitution are:

• The American Constitution : an annotated bibliography. Janosik, Robert J.Salem Press, 1991.
  REF KF4546.A1 J36 1991
• A comprehensive bibliography of American constitutional and legal history, 1896-1979. Hall, Kermit. Kraus International Publications, 1984. (5 volumes)
  REF KF4541.H34 1984
• The Constitution and its amendments. Newman, Roger K. Macmillan Reference USA,1999. (4 volumes)
  REF KF4557 .C66 1999
• The Constitution of the United States : a guide and bibliography to current scholarly research. Reams, Bernard D. Oceana Publications,1987.
  REF KF4546.A1 R4 1987
• Constitutional amendments, 1789 to the present. Palmer, Kris E. Gale Group, 2000.
  REF KF4557 .C665 2000
• The constitutional law dictionary. Chandler, Ralph C. ABC-Clio Informations Services, 1985-c1987. (2 volumes)
  REF KF4548.5 .C47 1985
• Encyclopedia of constitutional amendments, proposed amendments, and amending issues, 1789-2002. Vile, John R. ABC-CLIO, 2003.
  REF KF4557 .V555 2003
• Encyclopedia of the American Constitution. Levy, Leonard Williams. Macmillan Reference USA, 2000. (6 volumes)
  REF KF4548 .E53 2000
• The evolving Constitution : how the Supreme Court has ruled on issues from abortion to zoning. Lieberman, Jethro Koller. Random House,1992.
  REF KF4548 .L54 1992
• The Federalist concordance. Engeman, Thomas S. Wesleyan University Press, 1980.
  REF KF4515.E53
• The illustrated dictionary of constitutional concepts. Maddex, Robert L. Congressional Quarterly, 1996.
  REF JA61 .M28 1996
• Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789. United States Continental Congress. U.S. Govt. print off., 1904-37. (34 volumes)
  REF J10 .A5
• Landmark decisions of the United States Supreme Court. Finkelman, Paul. CQ Press,2003.
  REF KF4549 .F56 2003
• Leading constitutional decisions. Cushman, Robert Fairchild. Prentice-Hall, 1987.
  REF KF4549 .C83 1987
• The Oxford guide to United States Supreme Court decisions. Hall, Kermit. Oxford University Press, 1999.
  REF KF4548 .O97 1999
• Papers of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789. United States. National Archives and Records Service. National Archives and Records Service, General Services Administration, 1971.
  REF Z1238 .U54 1971

Web Sites

• The Avalon Project: Constitution of the United States (text of the Constitution)
• Back to School for Constitution Day (instructional resources on the Constitution; from LLRX.com)
• Celebrating Constitution Day (lesson plans and material from CQ Press on the Constitution)
• Centuries of Citizenship: A Constitution Timeline (key dates and events of our constitutional history; from the National Constitution Center)
• Constitution Day Resources from the Library of Congress
• Constitution of the United States (a reproduction of the Constitution at the National Archives and Records Administration)
• Constitution of the United States, Analysis and Interpretation (analyzes U.S. Supreme Court cases that have interpreted the Constitution; from the Government Printing Office)
• Constitutional Newswire (news story that involve the U.S. Constitution)
• Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention: 1774-1789 (Library of Congress American Memory Project)
• The Founders' Constitution (primary documents, from the early seventeenth century to the 1830s on the philosophical arguments underpinning the Constitution)
• Interactive Constitution (explanation of the text of the Constitution, based on Linda Monk's The Words We Live By. Also allows you to search for a word or phrase in the Constitution, search for sections of the Constitution that deal with a topic, and find court cases that apply to sections of the Constitution; from the National Constitution Center)

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Video/DVDs from Sprague Library

Educational videos and DVDs on the Constitution and constitutional issues in Sprague Library can be found by searching the online Library catalog. To limit your search to videos and DVDs, click the "Advanced Search" link on the main page of the catalog. In the Advanced Search mode, type in a keyword on your topic (for example "United States Constitution" in first search box (Words and Phrases) and, in the search box labeled "format," use the drop down menu to choose "MARC Visual Material."

For help in finding visual material in the online catalog, contact the Reference Desk at 973-655-4291.

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Video Broadcasts

From Annenberg Media
(free, but registration required)

The Constitution: That Delicate Balance series

• Executive Privilege and Delegation of Powers
  Can the President's conversations with advisors remain secret when Congress demands to know what was said? Congresswoman Barbara Mikulski, former President Gerald Ford, and Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox bring first-hand experience to this topic.
• War Powers and Covert Action
  If the president, as commander in chief, decides to declare war, can Congress restrain him? Debating the issue are Gerald Ford, former CIA deputy director Bobby Inman, former secretary of state Edmund Muskie, and others.
• Nomination, Election, and Succession of the President
  A tangled web of issues is involved in electing a president. Edmund Muskie, former presidential press secretary Jody Powell, party officials, and others discuss the role of political parties, the electoral college, and what to do if a president becomes disabled.
• Criminal Justice and a Defendant's Right to a Fair Trial
  Should a lawyer defend a guilty person? This and other questions are debated by Bronx district attorney Mario Merola, former New York mayor Edward Koch, CBS News anchor Dan Rather, and others.
• Crime and Insanity
  Is a psychiatric evaluation precise enough to be allowed as testimony in a court of law? U.S. Court of Appeals judge Irving Kaufman, Hastings Center president Willard Gaylin, and others discuss the use of psychiatry in law.
• Crime and Punishments
  Cruel and unusual punishment, from overcrowding in prisons to the death penalty, is debated by U.S. Court of Appeals judge Arthur Alarcon, Federal Bureau of Prisons director Norman Carlson, government leaders, civil libertarians, and journalists.
• Campaign Spending
  Do limits on campaign spending infringe on First Amendment rights? Political consultant David Garth, Washington Post columnist David Broder, Bill Moyers, and others explore the issues.
• National Security and Freedom of the Press
  What right does the public have to know about national security issues? Former CIA director and secretary of defense James Schlesinger, former attorney general Griffin Bell, and others debate the issue.
• School Prayer, Gun Control, and the Right To Assemble
  A series of events embroils a small town in First and Second Amendment controversies. Featured are Griffin Bell, former secretary of education Shirley Hufstedler, and civil liberties counsel Jeanne Baker.
• Right To Live, Right To Die
  Gloria Steinem, Joseph Califano, Rep. Henry Hyde, Phil Donahue, and others discuss the right to make intensely individual decisions about dying, abortion, personal freedom, and privacy.
• Immigration Reform
  The rights of legal and illegal aliens to employment and to medical and educational services are debated by U.S. Court of Appeals judge Arlin Adams, Notre Dame president Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, and immigration officials and journalists.
• Affirmative Action Versus Reverse Discrimination
  Are quotas based on sex or race unconstitutional? Participants include Ellen Goodman, former EEOC chair Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington Post columnist William Raspberry, and United Federation of Teachers president Albert Shanker.
• Federalism
  How much power the federal government can wield over state and local affairs is debated in this final episode. Among those featured are Senators Orrin Hatch and Daniel Moynihan and Columbia University professor Diane Ravitch.

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From Duke University Law School

• Presidential Signing Statements: What Is the Problem with Them?
  Sponsored by the Program in Public Law.
  (August 21, 2006)
• The Supreme Court in Transition: Join Duke Law professors and constitutional law scholars Erwin Chemerinsky and Neil Siegel as well as a panel of your alumni peers as they discuss current issues of the US Supreme Court.
  (April 22, 2006)
• Distinctive Aspects of American Law Documentary Series: Van Orden v. Perry: Professor Thomas Metzloff presents his latest documentary on Van Orden v. Perry, a landmark Supreme Court case that tested the limits of church and state. Through interviews with the people involved, including Van Orden, Duke Law Professor Erwin Chemerinsky (who argued Van Orden's case before the Court), and Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz, the video explores the factual and legal underpinnings of the case, its path to the U.S. Supreme Court, and its effects on the people involved. Following the video, Professor Metzloff will lead a discussion of the Court's decision and the current legal landscape of the Establishment Clause.
  (April 22, 2006)
• Current Issues of Law & Policy in the War on Terrorism: Professor Scott Silliman will be outlining the current legal and policy issues in the ongoing War Against Terrorism. Among other things, he will be discussing the ongoing controversy surrounding the Administration's detention of alleged terrorists at Guantanamo Bay and its claim to be able to detain even American citizens within this country without charging them or affording them counsel; the use of military commissions to prosecute terrorists; extraordinary rendition; and the President's use of electronic surveillance within the United States by the National Security Agency without a court order.
  (April 22, 2006)

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US National Security Strategy: Finding the Right Balance:
Law Ethics and National Security Conference
(April 20-21, 2006)

• Opening Remarks
• Panel 1
• Panel 2
• Panel 3
• Panel 4 - Unavailable
• Panel 5
• Panel 6
• Thursday Lunch
• Thursday Dinner
• Friday Lunch
• The Terrorist Surveillance Program - Constitutional or Impeachable? Professor Douglas Kmiec of Pepperdine University discusses the constitutionality of the terrorist surveillance program. He recently testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in regard to the program.
  (April 11, 2006)
• Reflections on the Pursuit of Racial Justice Duke Law School pays tribute to the late Professor Jerome Culp, Jr., with a panel discussion on “Reflections on Racial Justice
  (February 13, 2006)
• "Replacing the Justice in the Middle: Selection Standards, Superprecedents, and Constitutional Change", with speaker Dawn Johnsen, Professor at Indiana University School of Law and former Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel, Department of Justice.
  (November 16, 2005)
• Does the Bill of Rights Stop at the Border? - Come hear Kal Raustiala, Professor at UCLA, give a talk entitled "Does the Bill of Rights Stop at the Border?" This is a great opportunity for an intimate discussion on law and international relations.
  (November 9, 2005)
• Rule of Law: Does Our Constitution Face Death by 'Due Process'? Professors Lino Graglia and Arnold Loewy debate whether the Supreme Court's recent interpretation of the 'Due Process' clause is injuring the Constitution.
  (November 3, 2005)
• Reflections on the "O'Connor Court" and the Prospects for Change in Constitutional Doctrine After Her Retirement
  Panel discussion sponsored by the Program in Public Law and featuring Curtis Bradley, Erwin Chemerinsky, Walter Dellinger, Katharine Bartlett, and Neil Siegel of the Duke law faculty, Michael Gerhardt of the UNC law faculty, plus Sam Sankar, a clerk to Justice O'Connor during the 2003 Term and currently with Wilmer, Cutler, Pickering, Hale & Dorr.
  (August, 29, 2005)
• "National Security: The Changing Role of the Courts"
  D.C. Circuit Judge David Sentelle, arguably the foremost expert on national security in the federal judiciary, speaks to Duke Law on his perspective about how the role of courts has changed and will continue to change in light of modern national security concerns.
  (April 13, 2005)
• Interrogation, Detention and the Commander in Chief Power: A Roundtable.
  Sponsored by the Program in Public Law. A day-long conversation regarding some important issues raised during last year's Supreme Court
  Panel 1 | Panel 2 | Panel 3 | Panel 4
  (September 17, 2004)
• Constitutional Law: Is Doctrine Possible?
  Debate co-sponsored by the Federalist Society and the Program in Public Law, featuring Harvard Professor Charles Fried and Duke Professor Walter Dellinger
  (September 16, 2004)
• Civil Liberties and the War on Terror : Preventing, Detaining, and Prosecuting Terrorists with Professors Chris Schroeder and Scott Silliman
  (September 7, 2004)
• 4th Annual Public Law Conference, "The Constitution and Other Legal Systems: Are There Progressive & Conservative Versions?"
  (December 13, 2002)
  Day 1: Panel I | Panel II | Panel III | Panel IV
  Day 2: Panel I | Panel II | Panel III | Panel IV | Panel V | Panel VI | Panel VII
• "National Security and Civil Liberties: How to Strike the Balance?", one in a series of public forums at Duke University on critical issues surrounding the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. October 2, 2001.

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From the National Constitution Center

• Constitutional Conversation with Supreme Court Justices
  April 21, 2005 - The National Constitution Center hosted an unprecedented “Constitutional Conversation” with three Supreme Court Justices, Stephen Breyer, Antonin Scalia and Sandra Day O’Connor. The program was moderated by Tim Russert, host of NBC’s "Meet the Press."
• Free Speech in Wartime
  January 16th, 2005 - This conference, developed by the Rutgers School of Law at Camden in collaboration with the National Constitution Center, delves into the effects of war on our First Amendment rights and civil liberties.
• Should the Constitution Bend in an Emergency
  November 11th, 2004 - Should we expect the government to be confined within the same constitutional boundaries during periods of crisis as periods of calm?
• Is Our Constitution in Crisis
  October 27th, 2004 - Sen. Robert Byrd (D) of West Virginia has a “Constitutional Conversation” about his new book, Losing America: Confronting a Reckless and Arrogant Presidency.
• The Constitution and the African American Experience
  February 3rd, 2004 - Dr. Henry Lois Gates, Jr. and Lorene Cary discuss Dr. Gates' new book, America Behind the Color Line.

From Princeton University

April 8, 2002 - Center for the Study of Democratic Politics - James Madison Program
Robert Dahl, Yale University: "How Democratic is the American Constitution?"

Encoded from Tape 56K 300K 56K 300K

February 22 and 23, 2001 - Conference: A Constitution For The Ages: James Madison The Framer
"Welcome and Introduction of Conference"

56K 220K 56K 220K
Gordon Wood, Brown University: "Is There 'A James Madison Problem'?"
56K 220K 56K 220K
Jack Rakove, Stanford University: "Reading Madison's Mind"
56K 220K 56K 220K
Jennifer Nedelsky, University of Toronto: "James Madison and Constitutionalism"
56K 220K 56K 220K
John Stagg *73, University of Virginia: "Was James Madison Really the Founding Father of the CIA?"
56K 220K 56K 220K
Pauline Maier, MIT: "The States and the Nation: James Madison and American Federalism"
56K 220K 56K 220K
The Honorable Lloyd Axworthy *72, former Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and conference presenters: "Summation Panel"
56K 220K 56K 220K

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From Miscellaneous Sources

Constitutional Implications of the Clinton Impeachment Trial [lecture] Thomas B. Griffith, former Senate Legal Counsel
Brigham Young University Law School, February 2, 2001

A Conversation on the Constitution: Judicial Independence

Streaming Windows Media (300 kbps, 320x240) Streaming Windows Media (150 kbps, 240x180)

Domestic Spying: What are the Checks on Presidential Power?

Key Constitutional Concepts

Executive Privilege and the Bush Administration [conference]
Duke Law School, March 29, 2002

Our Constitution: A Conversation

Streaming Windows Media
(300 kbps, 320x240)

Streaming Windows Media
(150 kbps, 240x180)

Download Windows Media
(high quality, full screen)

RealMedia

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Reflections on the Separation of Church and State [lecture] Professor Stephen Carter, Yale Law School
University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, February 28, 2001

The Roberts Court: What Can This Term Tell Us About the Future of the Court?

Was the Emancipation Proclamation Constitutional? Do We - Should We - Care What the Answer Is? [lecture]
Professor Sanford Levinson, University of Texas School of Law
University of Illinois College of Law, April 5, 2001

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Radio Broadcasts on the Internet

• JusticeTalking (weekly radio broadcasts over the Internet, hosted by Margot Adler, on controversial topics, including some on Constitutional issues. Recent broadcasts include:
  • Federal Election Reform
    Last featured: 9/4/2006 3:45:00 PM - First Aired: 5/15/2006
  • Immigration Reform
    Last featured: 8/28/2006 3:45:00 PM
  • The Roberts Court: What Can This Term Tell Us About the Future of the Court?
    Last featured: 7/24/2006 3:45:00 PM - Taped: 7/12/2006
  • Immigration Reform
    Last featured: 5/29/2006 3:45:00 PM
  • The FCC Crackdown on Indecency
    Last featured: 5/22/2006 3:55:00 PM
  • Domestic Spying: What are the Checks on Presidential Power?
    Last featured: 5/8/2006 4:00:00 PM - First Aired: 2/6/2006
  • Writ of Habeas Corpus in Wartime: Can Congress Suspend the Guarantee of Liberty?
    Last featured: 4/24/2006 4:00:00 PM
  • Should Sex Offenders Have Civil Rights?
    Last featured: 3/13/2006 4:00:00 PM - Taped: 11/14/2005
  • The Future of the Supreme Court
    Last featured: 2/13/2006 4:00:00 PM
  • Attorney-Client Confidentiality: Are There Special Rules for Defending Terrorism Suspects?
    Last featured: 12/26/2005 4:00:00 PM - Taped: 6/7/2005
  • “O, Christmas Tree”: Religion in the Public Square
    Last featured: 12/19/2005 4:00:00 PM
  • The Power of the Purse: Can Congress Use it to Control Speech?
    Last featured: 12/5/2005 4:00:00 PM
  • The Supreme Court Tackles Abortion: A Look at Mandatory Parental Involvement Laws
    Last featured: 11/21/2005 4:00:00 PM
  • Should Sex Offenders Have Civil Rights?
    Last featured: 11/14/2005 4:00:00 PM

Constitution Program Planning Committee:
Ken Brook
Rick Brown
Brigid Harrison
Delores McMorrin
Luis Rodriguez
Beverly Ververs