US Constitution
The United States Constitution is a document that puts forth the fundamental laws and principles that govern the United States. The Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787, and initially consisted of seven articles. The Constitution has subsequently been amended twenty seven times. The first ten of these amendments are collectively known as the Bill of Rights.
- Constitution (Text Only)
- Amendments (Text Only)
The Constitution of the United States of America including analysis and interpretation of the Constitution with annotations of cases decided by the Supreme Court of the United States through June 29, 2010. Annotations include direct Web links to cited cases.
- Preamble
- Article I. Legislative Department
- Article II. Executive Department
- Article III. Judicial Department
- Article IV. States' Relations
- Article V. Mode of Amendment
- Article VI. Prior Debts, National Supremacy, Oaths of Office
- Article VII. Ratification
- First Through Tenth Amendments: Bill of Rights
- First Amendment--Religion and Expression
- Second Amendment--Bearing Arms
- Third Amendment--Quartering Soldiers
- Fourth Amendment--Search and Seizure
- Fifth Amendment--Rights of Persons
- Sixth Amendment--Rights of Accused in Criminal Prosecutions
- Seventh Amendment--Civil Trials
- Eighth Amendment--Further Guarantees in Criminal Cases
- Ninth Amendment--Unenumerated Rights
- Tenth Amendment--Reserved Powers
- Eleventh Amendment--Suits Against States
- Twelfth Amendment--Election of President
- Thirteenth Amendment--Slavery and Involuntary Servitude
- Fourteenth Amendment--Rights Guaranteed: Privileges and Immunities of Citizenship, Due Process, and Equal Protection
- Fifteenth Amendment--Rights of Citizens to Vote
- Sixteenth Amendment--Income Tax
- Seventeenth Amendment--Popular Election of Senators
- Eighteenth Amendment--Prohibition of Intoxicating Liquors
- Nineteenth Amendment--Women's Suffrage Rights
- Twentieth Amendment--Terms of President, Vice President, Members of Congress: Presidential Vacancy
- Twenty-First Amendment--Repeal of Eighteenth Amendment
- Twenty-Second Amendment--Presidential Tenure
- Twenty-Third Amendment--Presidential Electors for the District of Columbia
- Twenty-Fourth Amendment--Abolition of the Poll Tax Qualification in Federal Elections
- Twenty-Fifth Amendment--Presidential Vacancy, Disability, and Inability
- Twenty-Sixth Amendment--Reduction of Voting Age Qualification
- Twenty-Seventh Amendment--Congressional Pay Limitation
- Introduction to the 2002 Edition
- Historical Note on Formation of the Constitution
- Proposed Amendments not Ratified by the States
- Acts of Congress Held Unconstitutional in Whole or in Part by the Supreme Court of the United States
- State Law Held Unconstitutional
- Ordinances Held Unconstitutional
- State and Local Laws Held Preempted
Prepared by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. Co-Editors: Johnny H. Killian, George A. Costello and Kenneth R. Thomas. Contributors: David M. Ackerman, Henry Cohen and Robert Meltz. 2002 Edition with updates from the 2010 Supplement.
