Isabella Carter
Citing the Constitution in a footnote depends on the citation style required for your work. For example, in MLA style, you should include information about where you accessed the Constitution in the Works Cited entry. In the in-text citation, use article/amendment and section numbers instead of page numbers. For Chicago style, only a footnote citation is required for legal documents, and the document does not need to be listed in the bibliography. For APA style, when referring to a whole constitution, indicating the constitution in the narrative is sufficient.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Style | MLA, APA, Chicago, Bluebook |
| Document type | Legal document |
| In-text citation | Use article/amendment and section numbers instead of page numbers |
| Works Cited entry | Include information about where you accessed it |
| Abbreviations | Use "art." (Article), "amend." (Amendment), and "sec." (Section) |
| Numerals | Use Arabic numerals for article and amendment numbers, and Roman numerals for section and clause numbers |
| State Constitutions | Use the abbreviated name of the state |
| Foreign Constitutions | Cite by name |
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What You'll Learn
Citing the US Constitution in MLA style
To cite the US Constitution in MLA style, you should include information about where you accessed it in the 'Works Cited' entry. In the in-text citation, use article/amendment and section numbers instead of page numbers.
For example, if you were citing the 14th Amendment, Section 2 of the US Constitution, the correct citation would be:
> U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2.
Use the abbreviations "art." (Article), "amend." (Amendment), and "sec." (Section) as appropriate in your citations, and convert any Roman numerals used in the text to Arabic numerals (e.g. "XIV" becomes "14").
When mentioning the Constitution in your paper, you can generally just call it the Constitution without using italics or quotation marks. However, in the parenthetical citation, you should specify the version cited to match the first words of the Works Cited entry.
If you are citing a specific edition of the Constitution published in book form, write the title of the book in italics, and list any editors, annotators, or other main contributors to the edition after the title.
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Citing specific pieces of the Constitution
When citing specific pieces of the Constitution, it is essential to follow the appropriate style guide, such as MLA or APA. Here are some detailed instructions for each:
MLA Style
When citing the Constitution in MLA style, use article/amendment and section numbers instead of page numbers in the in-text citation. For example, when citing Article 1, Section 4 of the Constitution, the citation would look like this: ("Constitution of the United States," art. 1, sec. 4).
Additionally, when citing an online version of the Constitution, include information about where you accessed it in the Works Cited entry. If citing a printed book version of the Constitution, write the title in italics and list any editors or contributors.
APA Style
For APA style, all citations of the U.S. Constitution begin with "U.S. Const.," followed by the relevant article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers. The terms "article" and "amendment" are abbreviated as "art." and "amend." in APA style, while "section" and "clause" are abbreviated as "§" and "cl." respectively.
Article and amendment numbers are given in Roman numerals (I, II, III), while section and clause numbers are given in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3). For example, to cite the 14th Amendment, Section 2, the citation would be: U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2.
If you are referring to a part of the Constitution that has been repealed or amended, include the year in parentheses. The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation is the standard reference for legal citations and should be consulted for further guidance.
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Using Roman and Arabic numerals
When citing the U.S. Constitution, it is important to know the amendment, section, article, or clause that you are referencing. This is because the citation style varies depending on the specific piece you are citing.
Firstly, let's discuss the use of Roman numerals. Roman numerals are used for articles and parts within the U.S. Constitution. For example, if you are citing Article 1, Section 4, your footnote would look like this:
U.S. Const. art. I, § 4.
In this example, "U.S. Const." refers to the United States Constitution, "art." is the abbreviation for "article", "I" is the Roman numeral for one, "§" represents the section symbol, and "4" is the Arabic numeral for four.
Additionally, when citing amendments, you would also use Roman numerals. Here is an example:
U.S. Const. amend. V
In this case, "amend." is the abbreviation for "amendment", and "V" is the Roman numeral for five.
Now, let's discuss the use of Arabic numerals. Arabic numerals are used for sections and clauses within the U.S. Constitution. For instance, if you are citing Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment, your footnote would appear as follows:
U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2.
In this example, "XIV" is the Roman numeral for fourteen, and "2" is the Arabic numeral for two.
It is worth noting that the style for citing the Constitution may vary slightly depending on the specific formatting style guide you are using, such as APA, MLA, or Chicago style. However, the fundamental principles of using Roman numerals for articles and amendments and Arabic numerals for sections and clauses remain consistent across these styles.
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Citing the Constitution in Chicago style
When citing the US Constitution in Chicago style, you only need to include a footnote citation and not a bibliography entry.
The first footnote citation of the US Constitution may look like this:
> US Constitution, art. 2, sec. 1, cl. 3.
Alternatively, you can cite specific amendments, like so:
> US Const. amend. XIV, § 2.
Note that article and amendment numbers are given in Roman numerals (I, II, III), while section and clause numbers are given in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3).
If you are citing a state constitution, use the abbreviated name of the state, e.g.:
> Ariz. Const. art. IX, pt. IV.
Remember, when citing the Constitution, it is generally best to cite the specific pieces you are using instead of the whole document.
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Citing state constitutions
When citing a state constitution in a footnote, the basic format is as follows:
Abbreviated state name, "Const." (short for Constitution), "art." (for Article), the article number in Roman numerals, "§" (for Section), and the section number.
For example, to cite Article 9, Section 1, Clause 2 of the Hawaii Constitution, the footnote would look like this:
Haw. Const. art. IX, § 1, cl. 2.
Note that the abbreviated state name is used ("Haw." for Hawaii) and the Arabic numeral "2" for the clause number.
If you are citing a state constitution in MLA style, you would include information about where you accessed the document in the Works Cited entry. In the in-text citation, use article/amendment and section numbers instead of page numbers. For example:
Mass. Const. art. IX, § 4, cl. 2
When mentioning a specific state constitution in your paper, you can generally refer to it as "the Constitution of [state name]" without using italics or quotation marks. For example, "The Constitution of Hawaii guarantees certain rights, including..."
Remember to be consistent in your citation format and to follow the specific guidelines of the citation style you are using, such as MLA or Bluebook.
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Frequently asked questions
Chicago style requires only footnote citations for legal documents. The citation format is: U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2.
Cite state constitutions using the abbreviated name of the state, e.g. "Haw. Const. art. IX, § 1, cl. 2" for the Hawaii Constitution.
Use the abbreviations "art." (Article), "amend." (Amendment), and "sec." (Section) as appropriate in your citations. For example, U.S. Const. art. I, § 9, cl. 2.
