Primary Sources
Founding Documents
Read the text before reading anyone's argument about the text. These are official transcripts and government research collections, not summaries.
National Archives
The Constitution of the United States
Full transcript of the Constitution as ratified, with the signed text and article structure.
National Archives
The Bill of Rights
Transcript of the first ten amendments, plus the two articles never ratified.
National Archives
The Declaration of Independence
Transcript of the 1776 Declaration, including the statement of natural rights and the list of grievances.
Library of Congress
Bill of Rights: Primary Documents in American History
Research guide gathering manuscripts, newspapers, and digitized sources on the drafting and ratification debates.
Congress.gov
Constitution Annotated
Clause-by-clause analysis of Supreme Court interpretation, prepared by the Congressional Research Service.
National Archives
Founders Online
Searchable correspondence and papers of Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, Hamilton, and Madison.
Links open on external government and institutional websites. Their content is theirs, not ours. The Declaration, the Constitution, and its amendments are in the public domain and are quoted directly throughout this series.