Omar Bennett
The United States Constitution is a vital document in the country's history, and it is often cited in academic and legal contexts. When quoting an amendment to the US Constitution, the citation style may vary depending on the formatting guidelines being used, such as MLA or APA style. In general, citations of the US Constitution begin with U.S. Const. followed by the relevant article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers. The terms article, amendment, section, and clause are abbreviated as art., amend., §, and cl., respectively. It's important to note that article and amendment numbers use Roman numerals, while section and clause numbers use Arabic numerals.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Where to begin | All citations of the U.S. Constitution begin with "U.S. Const." |
| Article, amendment, section, and/or clause numbers | Use "art." for article, "amend." for amendment, "sec." for section, and cl. for clause |
| Numerals | Article and amendment numbers are given in Roman numerals (I, II, III); section and clause numbers are given in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) |
| Date | Include the year that the part in question was repealed or amended in parentheses if referring to a part of the Constitution that has been repealed or amended |
| In-text citation | Use article/amendment and section numbers instead of page numbers |
| Works Cited entry | List where you accessed the Constitution |
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What You'll Learn
Begin with U.S. Const
To quote an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the citation should begin with "U.S. Const." followed by the amendment details. The terms "article", "amendment", "section", and "clause" are abbreviated to "art.", "amend.", "§", and "cl." respectively.
For example, to cite Amendment XIV, Section 2, the correct citation would be: "U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2". When writing out the citation in full, the numbers for the article and amendment are written in Roman numerals, while the section and clause numbers are written in Arabic numerals. So, the full citation for the example would be: "U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2".
If you are referring to a part of the Constitution that is no longer in force, you should include the year it was repealed or amended in parentheses. For example, the 18th Amendment, which was repealed in 1933, would be cited as "U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933)".
When mentioning the Constitution in your paper, you can generally just refer to it as "the Constitution" without using italics or quotation marks. However, if you are citing a specific version or edition, you should include this information in your citation.
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Use Art. for Article, Amend. for Amendment
When citing the United States Constitution, it is important to use the correct abbreviations and format to ensure clarity and consistency. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to quote an article or amendment from the Constitution:
For articles:
Use the abbreviation "Art." to refer to an Article of the Constitution. Always abbreviate "Article" and spell out "Amendment" in full when referring to the Constitution. For example, 'Art. I, § 8, cl. 3 of the Constitution' refers to Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 of the document. Remember to use commas to separate the sections and clauses. When citing a specific section within an article, use the § symbol, which stands for "section." For example, 'Art. II, § 2' refers to Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution.
For amendments:
Use the abbreviation "Amend." for Amendment when citing a specific amendment. For example, the citation 'Amend. I' refers to the First Amendment. If you are citing a specific section within an amendment, you can use the same format as with articles, including the § symbol. For example, 'Amend. V, § 2' refers to Section 2 of the Fifth Amendment.
Additionally, when quoting or referencing a specific clause within an amendment, use the abbreviation "cl." for clause. For example, 'Amend. XIV, § 1, cl. 3' refers to Clause 3 of Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment. Remember to use commas to separate the different parts of the citation. These abbreviations are standard and ensure that legal citations are concise and easily understandable to those familiar with legal documents.
It is worth noting that when writing out a full citation for the first time, you should spell out "Article" and "Amendment" in full, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. For example: "Article (Art.) IV" or "Amendment (Amend.) IX." This helps provide clarity for readers who may not be familiar with these specific abbreviations.
By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your citations of the United States Constitution are accurate and conform to the widely accepted format used in legal writing and scholarship.
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Convert Roman numerals to Arabic numerals
When quoting an amendment in the Constitution, it is important to follow the correct citation style. For example, in MLA style, you would use "art." for "Article", "amend." for "Amendment", and "sec." for "Section". Any Roman numerals should be converted to Arabic numerals, for example, "XIV" becomes "14". Additionally, provide information about where you accessed the Constitution in the Works Cited entry and use article and section numbers in in-text citations.
Now, to convert Roman numerals to Arabic numerals, you must first understand what each Roman numeral represents. The seven Roman numerals in use today are I, V, X, L, C, D, and M, which correspond to the Arabic numerals 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, and 1000, respectively. To convert a Roman numeral to its Arabic equivalent, break it down into its individual components and sum up the values of each. For example, MMMCCCLXXVIII can be separated into MMM, CC, LXX, and VIII, which represent 3000, 200, 70, and 8, respectively. Adding these values together gives us the Arabic numeral equivalent, 3278.
It is important to note that Roman numerals are written from the largest value to the smallest value, from left to right. Additionally, there are rules for writing Roman numerals that enable us to express a wide range of numbers. For instance, L represents 50 multiplied by 1000, which equals 50,000. There are also free online tools available for converting between Roman and Arabic numerals, as well as between different date formats.
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Include the year if repealed or amended
When quoting an amendment in the Constitution, it is important to include the year if the amendment has been repealed or amended. This is crucial for accurately representing the historical context and the evolution of constitutional law.
The process of amending the Constitution is outlined in Article V of the Constitution. Amendments can be proposed by Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the state legislatures. Once an amendment is proposed, it must be ratified by three-fourths of the states (38 out of 50 states) to become part of the Constitution officially.
When an amendment is ratified, the Office of the Federal Register (OFR) adds legislative history notes and publishes the amendment in slip law format. The OFR also creates an information package for the states, including formal "red-line" copies of the joint resolution. This package ensures that all relevant parties have access to the amended language.
Including the year of repeal or amendment helps scholars, legal professionals, and citizens understand the timeline of constitutional changes. It allows for a clear understanding of when specific provisions were in effect and how they may have impacted historical events or legal cases. Additionally, citing the year of repeal or amendment encourages further research and analysis of the factors that led to those changes.
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Provide source details in Works Cited
When providing source details in the Works Cited section, the general format is as follows: "United States Constitution. Art./Amend. [number], Sec. [number]." For example, "United States Constitution. Amend. XIV, Sec. 2".
The terms "article", "amendment", "section", and "clause" are abbreviated as "art.", "amend.", "sec.", and "cl." respectively. Article and amendment numbers are written in Roman numerals (I, II, III), while section and clause numbers use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3).
If you are referencing a part of the Constitution that is no longer in force, include the year it was repealed or amended in parentheses. For example, "U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933)".
Additionally, when citing a specific version of the Constitution, such as an online or book publication, include information about where you accessed it in the Works Cited entry. For book citations, write the title in italics and list any editors or contributors. For example, "The Constitution of the United States, with Case Summaries, edited by Edward Conrad Smith, 9th ed., Barnes and Noble Books, 1972".
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Frequently asked questions
Cite amendments to the US Constitution in the following format: U.S. Const. amend. [number]
For example, the citation for the Fourteenth Amendment would be: U.S. Const. amend. XIV
Cite sections of amendments to the US Constitution in the following format: U.S. Const. amend. [number], § [number]
For example, the citation for Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment would be: U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2
Cite amendments to the US Constitution in a reference list in the following format: U.S. Const. amend. [number]
For example, the citation for the Eighteenth Amendment, which was repealed in 1933, would be: U.S. Const. amend. XVIII (repealed 1933)
