The State Constitutions Illustrated database is a treasure trove of information on constitutional histories. It has a clean, simple interface that allows the user to find primary documentation about how the United States acquired each state in the union. This new database is the helpful, local friend of the World Constitutions Illustrated that you may have seen in the Advanced Legal Research classes.
From HeinOnline, “Containing the text of every constitution that has been in force for every state with the original, consolidated and current texts and an extensive collection of documents from before statehood, State Constitutions Illustrated provides comprehensive coverage and allows researchers to compare multiple editions from multiple sources. It currently has nearly 9,000 historical and current constitutions and constitutional documents.”
Looking for more information about how a state came into being? This database has an archive on each state that includes pre-territorial documents relating to other nations.
Would you like to read materials from pre-statehood, including colonial charters, laws, and royal instructions for the original thirteen colonies; treaties, territorial laws, and federal acts for the other states?
Here’s how to navigate to the database from the Ross-Blakley Law Library’s homepage:
Our Arizona Constitutional History Bibliography is also a great resource for researching Arizona constitutional history.
Sean Harrington, Electronic Resources Librarian
