
The Chicago Manual of Style is a widely used citation style, particularly in the humanities. When citing a country's constitution in Chicago style, the basic format is to use the abbreviated name of the country, followed by the abbreviation Const. and then the relevant article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers. For example, to cite Article 1, Section 9, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution, the Chicago style citation would be: U.S. Const. art. I, § 9, cl. 2. It's important to note that the terms article, amendment, section, and clause are abbreviated as art., amend., §, and cl., respectively, and that article and amendment numbers are typically written in Roman numerals.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| First word | Name of the country |
| Abbreviation | "U.S. Const." |
| Article or amendment | Number, preceded by "art." or "amend." |
| Section | Symbol "§" before the number or "sec." |
| Print/online source | "Print" or "Web" |
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What You'll Learn

Citing the US Constitution in Chicago Style
The Chicago Manual of Style outlines specific guidelines for citing the US Constitution. As a legal document, the citation format is adapted from "The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation," published by the Harvard Law Review Association.
To cite the US Constitution in Chicago Style, follow the format below:
- Write the name of the document, abbreviated as "U.S. Const."
- Include the article or amendment number. Use "art." for articles and "amend." for amendments, followed by the number.
- To cite a specific section, add a comma and the symbol "§" before the number.
"U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2."
Alternatively, you can use "sec." instead of the "§" symbol to indicate the section number. For example:
"U.S. Const. amend. XIV, sec. 2."
Remember to include a bibliography with your citations.
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Citing a specific section
To cite a specific section of a country's constitution in Chicago style, follow this format:
> U.S. Const. amend. XIV, sec. 2
Or
> U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2
The "U.S." is an abbreviation for the United States and "Const." is an abbreviation for Constitution. "Amend." is an abbreviation for Amendment, and "sec." or "§" indicates the section number. The section number is given in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3).
> U.S. Const. art. I, § 9, cl. 2
In this example, "art." is an abbreviation for Article, and "cl." is an abbreviation for Clause. The Article number is given in Roman numerals (I, II, III), and the Clause number is given in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3).
Note that the format for citing a specific section of a country's constitution in Chicago style may vary slightly depending on the specific requirements and guidelines of the institution or publication. Always refer to the most up-to-date guidelines and consult with your supervisor or editor if necessary.
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Citing a state constitution
The Chicago Manual of Style provides guidelines for citing legal documents, including state constitutions. Here's how you can format your citations:
For your first footnote or endnote, cite the document name, abbreviated as "Const.", followed by the article or amendment number. Use "art." for articles and "amend." for amendments, then write the number in Roman numerals. For example:
> 1. U.S. Const., art. I, § 9, cl. 2
If you're citing a specific section within an article, add a comma and the section symbol "§" before the number. For instance:
> 1. Mass. Const., amend. XIV, § 2
In subsequent footnotes or endnotes, you can abbreviate the document name to just "Const.":
> 2. U.S. Const., amend. I
> 3. Mass. Const., art. IX, pt. IV
Note that in Chicago style, legal documents are typically cited only in footnotes or within the text of your paper, and they are usually not included in the bibliography. However, if the document is referenced in a secondary publication, such as a book, you would cite that publication in your bibliography.
Additionally, when citing a state constitution, you can cite the federal constitution by using "U.S." or the abbreviated name of the state, as shown in the examples above.
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Citing a congressional document
When citing a country's constitution in Chicago style, the general format is as follows:
> U.S. Const. Amend. XIV, § 2.
Here's a breakdown of what each part of the citation means:
- "U.S." or "Const." is the abbreviated name of the country's constitution.
- "Amend." or "Art." indicates whether you are citing an amendment or article.
- "XIV" is the amendment or article number in Roman numerals.
- "§ 2" refers to the specific section number.
For example, if you are citing the first amendment, your citation would look like this:
> U.S. Const. Amend. I, § 1
Note that in Chicago style, legal documents are typically only cited in footnotes or within the text of your paper, and not in the bibliography. The only exception is if the legal document is included in a secondary publication, such as a book, in which case you would cite the book in the bibliography.
Additionally, the Chicago Manual of Style adapts its legal document citation format from "The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation." This means that the Chicago style for citing the U.S. Constitution is similar to that of the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Psychological Association (APA).
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Citing a legal document
The citation of a country's constitution in Chicago style is adapted from "The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation," published by the Harvard Law Review Association.
To cite a country's constitution in Chicago style, follow the format below:
Print source
- Name of Country. "Name of Document." Article/Amendment number in Roman numerals. § Section number.
- For example: U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2.
Online source
- Name of Country. "Name of Document." Article/Amendment number in Roman numerals. § Section number. Online. Database name. URL (Accessed Date).
- For example: U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2. Online. HeinOnline. http://heinonline.org/constitution/usconst (accessed May 6, 2023).
Note that the format for citing a federal constitution may differ slightly from that of a state constitution. For a federal constitution, you can use "U.S." or the abbreviated name of the country. For a state constitution, use the abbreviated name of the state.
When citing specific articles or amendments, use the abbreviations "art." for "article" and "amend." for "amendment," followed by the number in Roman numerals. To cite a specific section within an article or amendment, use the "§" symbol before the section number.
Additionally, when citing legal documents in Chicago style, it is common to use notes for documentation and only include a bibliography if necessary. The Bluebook recommends using citation sentences and clauses in the text that contain the same information as footnotes. However, if there are many legal-style citations, consider supplementing them with footnotes or endnotes.
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Frequently asked questions
The Chicago Manual of Style has adapted its citation format for legal document citations from "The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation". First, write the name of the document, abbreviated, then the article or amendment number. Abbreviate "article" as "art." and "amendment" as "amend." and then write the number. To cite a specific section, add a comma and use the symbol "§" before the number. For example: "U.S. Const., amend. XIV, sec. 2".
The Bluebook sets the standard for all legal citations. The style for legal citations in the Chicago Manual of Style comes directly from The Bluebook.
The US Constitution is usually not cited in a bibliography.

























