NCW Libraries

Learn about the United States Constitution, one of the most significant documents in U.S. history. Find out about those who were involved in its creation and why studying this primary source is so important.

John Adams said that the United States was a nation of laws. Of all the United States' laws, the legal principles laid out in the U.S. Constitution are the foundation of the country. The document defines the country's deepest ideals, its highest standards, and its wildest ambitions. The Constitution has served as the nation's guiding star for over two hundred years, with only twenty-seven amendments in all that time. Understanding it is the one sure...

"We the people of the United States..." So begins one of the most famous documents in world history, the Constitution of the United States of America. First drafted in 1787 by the Founding Fathers-men like Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington-the United States Constitution gives the framework for what became the United States government. This audiobook also contains all the 27 Amendments.

An up-to-date, all-encompassing, and nonpartisan presentation of questions and answers about the U.S. Constitution and its amendments. -- From publisher description.

The United States Constitution and Bill of Rights (1787-1789) is a foundational document of American democracy. Written by delegates attending the Constitutional Convention, a gathering intended to revise the system of government established under the Articles of Confederation, The Constitution of the United States was ratified in 1788, before becoming effecting in 1789. Nearly two and a half centuries old, it is the oldest continually enforced national...

The basis of our nation's law and government, the Constitution is America's most important political and social document. This convenient and inexpensive reference contains not only the Constitution's main text and amendments but also a wealth of background information. Supplements include selected "Federalist Papers," consisting of memoranda by James Madison, the "Father of the Constitution," as well as speeches by John Jay and Patrick Henry and...

In-depth examination of a rarely studied article of the United States Constitution. While there is a vast amount of scholarship on the US Constitution, very little of it addresses Article IV. The article's first section, the Full Faith and Credit Clause, requires that individual states must respect "the public acts, accords, and judicial proceedings of every other state," and the second section, the Privileges and Immunity Clause, prevents one state...

Americans revere their Constitution. However, most of us are unaware how tumultuous and improbable the drafting and ratification processes were. As Benjamin Franklin keenly observed, any assembly of men bring with them "all their prejudices, their passions, their errors of opinion, their local interests and their selfish views." One need not deny that the Framers had good intentions in order to believe that they also had interests. Based on prodigious...

The controversy surrounding the presidential election in 2000 raised many issues regarding the behavior of some of the United States Supreme Court Justices. The Court's decision in the case of Bush v. Gore effectively stopped a recount of votes in Florida. Many critics felt this decision was politically motivated. If so, what did this say about the ability of the members of the Court to remain non-partisan? And, can justices be removed from office...

An entertaining and essential collection of stories about the surprising and strange fates of the thirty-nine statesmen who created the U.S. Constitution.
Remember when our elected officials knew how to compromise? Here are short, irreverent, fun, and fact-filled biographies of the 39 men who set aside their differences and signed their names to the U.S. Constitution—the oldest written constitution of any nation in the world. You’ll...