Isabella Carter
Citing the US Constitution is a unique case because it is a common document that can be found in a variety of places. When citing the Constitution, it is important to cite the specific pieces you are using, such as the amendment, section, article, or clause, rather than the whole document. The citation style may vary depending on the formatting guidelines you are following, such as MLA, APA, or Chicago style. In this paragraph, we will explore the guidelines for citing the US Constitution in different styles and provide examples to ensure accurate and effective referencing.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Amendment | Use Roman numerals |
| Section | Use Arabic numerals |
| Article | Use Roman numerals |
| Clause | Use Arabic numerals |
| Where accessed | List where the Constitution was accessed in the Works Cited |
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What You'll Learn
Citing the US Constitution as a whole
Generally, when citing the US Constitution, you should cite the specific pieces you are using instead of the whole document. APA style explains that when referring to a whole constitution, indicating the constitution in the narrative is sufficient.
If you are using APA style and simply want to make a passing reference to the US Constitution, you can mention it in the text without a reference list entry. However, if you are using some part of the US Constitution as evidence to support a point in your paper, you should construct the citation using Bluebook Rule 11, which covers federal and state constitutions. All citations of the US Constitution in APA style begin with "U.S. Const..", followed by the article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers as relevant. The terms "article", "amendment", "section", and "clause" are abbreviated to "art.", "amend.", "§", and "cl..", respectively. Preamble is abbreviated to "pmbl.". 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 state constitutions, use the abbreviated name of the state, e.g. "N.C. Const.", "Ariz. Const.".
In MLA style, when mentioning the Constitution in your paper, you can generally just call it the Constitution without italicization or quotation marks. In the parenthetical citation, you should specify the version cited to match the first words of the Works Cited entry. The Works Cited entry should include information about where you accessed the Constitution. In the in-text citation, use article/amendment and section numbers instead of page numbers. The abbreviations "art." (Article), "amend." (Amendment), and "sec." (Section) should be used as appropriate in your citations, and any Roman numerals used in the text should be converted to Arabic numerals (e.g. "XIV" becomes "14").
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MLA style
To cite the Constitution in the Works Cited page in MLA style, you should include information on where you accessed it. In the in-text citation, use article/amendment and section numbers instead of page numbers. For example, you would write: ("Constitution of the United States," art. 1, sec. 4). Use the abbreviations "art." (Article), "amend." (Amendment), and "sec." (Section) as appropriate in your citations and convert any Roman numerals to Arabic numerals (e.g. "XIV" becomes "14").
If you are citing a specific bill or resolution, the format is as follows:
Government Entity. "Name of the Bill or Resolution." Title of Container, URL. Congressional session, Bill/Resolution number, date.
For example:
United States, Congress, Senate. "Anti-Phishing Act of 2005." Congress.gov, https://www.congress.gov/bill/109th-congress/senate-bill/472. 109th Congress, Senate Bill 472, Introduced 28 Feb. 2005.
If you are citing the Constitution as a book, write the title in italics and list any editors, annotators, or other main contributors to the edition after the title. For example:
The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription. Edited by James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton, National Archives, 1787.
In general, when mentioning the Constitution in your paper, you can simply call it "the Constitution" without 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.
Additionally, here are some key formatting tips for MLA style:
- Use MLA capitalization style even if the original source title uses different capitalization.
- Spell out months in full in the body of your paper and abbreviate them in the Works Cited list (e.g., "Sept." for "September").
- Capitalize the first letter of every important word in the title, but not words like "in," "of," or "an."
- Include what comes after a colon in the title (also known as the subtitle).
- Write dates in the format: Day Month (shortened) Year (e.g., "5 Sept. 2012").
- Include the date of access if the page may change frequently or does not have a copyright/publication date.
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APA style
The APA style guide recommends following The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation for legal materials. The Bluebook sets the standard for all legal citations, and the style for legal citations in the Publication Manual comes directly from it.
If you are making a passing reference to the U.S. Constitution in an APA Style paper, you can mention it in the text without a reference list entry. However, if you are using a part of the Constitution as evidence to support a point, you should construct the citation using Bluebook Rule 11, which covers federal and state constitutions.
All citations of the U.S. Constitution begin with "U.S. Const." followed by the article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers as relevant. The terms article, amendment, section, and clause are always abbreviated as "art.", "amend.", "§", and "cl." respectively. Preamble is abbreviated as "pmbl.". 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 state constitutions, use the abbreviated name of the state: "N.C. Const.", "Ariz. Const.", etc.
If you are citing a provision that has been amended, add the date it was amended in parentheses. For example: "U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933)".
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Chicago style
When citing the US Constitution in Chicago style, there are a few key guidelines to follow. Firstly, legal documents, including the Constitution, are typically only cited in footnotes or within the text of your paper, and they do not need to be listed in the bibliography. This is because the Constitution is a widely known document, and Chicago style assumes that your readers will be familiar with it.
The basic format for citing the US Constitution in Chicago style is as follows:
> U.S. Const. art. [Article number in Roman numerals] § [Section number]
For example, if you were citing Article I, Section 9, Clause 2 of the US Constitution, your citation would look like this:
> U.S. Const. art. I, §9, cl.2.
If you are citing an amended provision of the Constitution, you should include the amendment number in Roman numerals followed by the section number:
> U.S. Const. amend. [Amendment number in Roman numerals], § [Section number]
For example:
> U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2.
This format can also be used for state constitutions, using the abbreviated name of the state:
> [Abbreviated state name] Const. art. [Article number in Roman numerals] § [Section number]
For example:
> Mass. Const. art. IX, § 4.
Note that article and amendment numbers are written in Roman numerals (I, II, III, etc.), while section and clause numbers are written in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.).
When citing a provision that has been amended, you should include the date it was amended in parentheses, like so:
> U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933)
Additionally, if you are citing a specific case or statute within the Constitution that has been published in a secondary source, such as a book, you would cite the secondary source in your bibliography, following the standard Chicago style guidelines for books.
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Roman numerals and Arabic numerals
When citing the US Constitution, it is important to note that you should cite specific pieces within the document rather than the whole text. In your in-text citations, use article and section numbers instead of page numbers. For example, you can write ("Constitution of the United States," art. 1, sec. 4). Convert any Roman numerals used in the text to Arabic numerals, for instance, "XIV" becomes "14".
Article and amendment numbers in the US Constitution are given in Roman numerals (I, II, III), while section and clause numbers are given in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3). Roman numerals, the letters I, V, X, L, C, D, and M, represent the same numbers regardless of their position. Symbols are ordered by value, starting with the largest values. When a higher numeral precedes a lower one, the values of each are added together. On the other hand, when smaller values come before larger ones, the smaller values are subtracted from the larger ones, and the result is added to the total.
The Roman numeral system was the standard for a long time, but it lacked the number zero. When India introduced the concept of zero, Arab scholars refined and presented it to Europe, and the Arabic numeral system became the new worldwide standard. The Arabic numeral system is highly functional, with characteristic bowls, descenders, counters, and apertures. Its simplicity and effectiveness in mathematics and timekeeping have earned the world's confidence.
Despite the Arabic numeral system taking over, Roman numerals have experienced a resurgence in certain fields, such as architecture, literature, art, and ecclesiastical endeavours, especially in contexts where a sense of timelessness or historical endurance is desired.
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Frequently asked questions
You generally don't cite the U.S. Constitution as a whole. Instead, cite the specific pieces you are using.
Cite the federal constitution by "U.S." or the abbreviated name of the state, followed by the amendment, section, article, and/or clause. Use Roman numerals for articles and amendments, and Arabic numbers for everything else.
In your in-text citations, use article/amendment and section numbers instead of page numbers. Use the abbreviations "art." (Article), "amend." (Amendment), and "sec." (Section) as appropriate in your citations.
