Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention: 1774-1789 (Library of Congress American Memory Project)

The Founders' Constitution (primary documents, from the early seventeenth century to the 1830s on the philosophical arguments underpinning the Constitution)

Interactive Constitution (explanation of the text of the Constitution, based on Linda Monk's The Words We Live By.  Also allows you to search for a word or phrase in the Constitution, search for sections of the Constitution that deal with a topic, and find court cases that apply to sections of the Constitution; from the National Constitution Center)

 

Video/DVDs from Sprague Library

Educational videos and DVDs on the Constitution and constitutional issues in Sprague Library can be found by searching the online Library catalog.  To limit your search to videos and DVDs, click the "Advanced Search" link on the main page of the catalog.  In the Advanced Search mode, type in a keyword on your topic (for example "United States Constitution" in first search box (Words and Phrases) and, in the search box labeled "format," use the drop down menu to choose "MARC Visual Material."

For help in finding visual material in the online catalog, contact the Reference Desk at 973-655-4291.

 

Video Broadcasts

From Annenberg Media
(free, but registration required)

The Constitution: That Delicate Balance series

Executive Privilege and Delegation of Powers Can the President's conversations with advisors remain secret when Congress demands to know what was said? Congresswoman Barbara Mikulski, former President Gerald Ford, and Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox bring first-hand experience to this topic. War Powers and Covert Action If the president, as commander in chief, decides to declare war, can Congress restrain him? Debating the issue are Gerald Ford, former CIA deputy director Bobby Inman, former secretary of state Edmund Muskie, and others. Nomination, Election, and Succession of the President A tangled web of issues is involved in electing a president. Edmund Muskie, former presidential press secretary Jody Powell, party officials, and others discuss the role of political parties, the electoral college, and what to do if a president becomes disabled. Criminal Justice and a Defendant's Right to a Fair Trial Should a lawyer defend a guilty person? This and other questions are debated by Bronx district attorney Mario Merola, former New York mayor Edward Koch, CBS News anchor Dan Rather, and others. Crime and Insanity Is a psychiatric evaluation precise enough to be allowed as testimony in a court of law? U.S. Court of Appeals judge Irving Kaufman, Hastings Center president Willard Gaylin, and others discuss the use of psychiatry in law. Crime and Punishments Cruel and unusual punishment, from overcrowding in prisons to the death penalty, is debated by U.S. Court of Appeals judge Arthur Alarcon, Federal Bureau of Prisons director Norman Carlson, government leaders, civil libertarians, and journalists. Campaign Spending Do limits on campaign spending infringe on First Amendment rights? Political consultant David Garth, Washington Post columnist David Broder, Bill Moyers, and others explore the issues. National Security and Freedom of the Press What right does the public have to know about national security issues? Former CIA director and secretary of defense James Schlesinger, former attorney general Griffin Bell, and others debate the issue. School Prayer, Gun Control, and the Right To Assemble A series of events embroils a small town in First and Second Amendment controversies. Featured are Griffin Bell, former secretary of education Shirley Hufstedler, and civil liberties counsel Jeanne Baker. Right To Live, Right To Die Gloria Steinem, Joseph Califano, Rep. Henry Hyde, Phil Donahue, and others discuss the right to make intensely individual decisions about dying, abortion, personal freedom, and privacy. Immigration Reform The rights of legal and illegal aliens to employment and to medical and educational services are debated by U.S. Court of Appeals judge Arlin Adams, Notre Dame president Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, and immigration officials and journalists. Affirmative Action Versus Reverse Discrimination Are quotas based on sex or race unconstitutional? Participants include Ellen Goodman, former EEOC chair Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington Post columnist William Raspberry, and United Federation of Teachers president Albert Shanker. Federalism How much power the federal government can wield over state and local affairs is debated in this final episode. Among those featured are Senators Orrin Hatch and Daniel Moynihan and Columbia University professor Diane Ravitch.

From Duke University Law School

Presidential Signing Statements: What Is the Problem with Them?
Sponsored by the Program in Public Law.
(August 21, 2006)

The Supreme Court in Transition: Join Duke Law professors and constitutional law scholars Erwin Chemerinsky and Neil Siegel as well as a panel of your alumni peers as they discuss current issues of the US Supreme Court.
(April 22, 2006)

Distinctive Aspects of American Law Documentary Series: Van Orden v. Perry: Professor Thomas Metzloff presents his latest documentary on Van Orden v. Perry, a landmark Supreme Court case that tested the limits of church and state. Through interviews with the people involved, including Van Orden, Duke Law Professor Erwin Chemerinsky (who argued Van Orden's case before the Court), and Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz, the video explores the factual and legal underpinnings of the case, its path to the U.S. Supreme Court, and its effects on the people involved. Following the video, Professor Metzloff will lead a discussion of the Court's decision and the current legal landscape of the Establishment Clause.
(April 22, 2006)

Current Issues of Law & Policy in the War on Terrorism: Professor Scott Silliman will be outlining the current legal and policy issues in the ongoing War Against Terrorism. Among other things, he will be discussing the ongoing controversy surrounding the Administration's detention of alleged terrorists at Guantanamo Bay and its claim to be able to detain even American citizens within this country without charging them or affording them counsel; the use of military commissions to prosecute terrorists; extraordinary rendition; and the President's use of electronic surveillance within the United States by the National Security Agency without a court order.
(April 22, 2006)

US National Security Strategy: Finding the Right Balance:
Law Ethics and National Security Conference
(April 20-21, 2006)

• Opening Remarks
• Panel 1
• Panel 2
• Panel 3
• Panel 4 - Unavailable
• Panel 5
• Panel 6
• Thursday Lunch
• Thursday Dinner
• Friday Lunch

The Terrorist Surveillance Program - Constitutional or Impeachable? Professor Douglas Kmiec of Pepperdine University discusses the constitutionality of the terrorist surveillance program. He recently testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in regard to the program.
(April 11, 2006)

Reflections on the Pursuit of Racial Justice Duke Law School pays tribute to the late Professor Jerome Culp, Jr., with a panel discussion on “Reflections on Racial Justice
(February 13, 2006)

"Replacing the Justice in the Middle: Selection Standards, Superprecedents, and Constitutional Change", with speaker Dawn Johnsen, Professor at Indiana University School of Law and former Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel, Department of Justice.
(November 16, 2005)

Does the Bill of Rights Stop at the Border? - Come hear Kal Raustiala, Professor at UCLA, give a talk entitled "Does the Bill of Rights Stop at the Border?" This is a great opportunity for an intimate discussion on law and international relations.
(November 9, 2005)

Rule of Law: Does Our Constitution Face Death by 'Due Process'? Professors Lino Graglia and Arnold Loewy debate whether the Supreme Court's recent interpretation of the 'Due Process' clause is injuring the Constitution.
(November 3, 2005)

Reflections on the "O'Connor Court" and the Prospects for Change in Constitutional Doctrine After Her Retirement
Panel discussion sponsored by the Program in Public Law and featuring Curtis Bradley, Erwin Chemerinsky, Walter Dellinger, Katharine Bartlett, and Neil Siegel of the Duke law faculty, Michael Gerhardt of the UNC law faculty, plus Sam Sankar, a clerk to Justice O'Connor during the 2003 Term and currently with Wilmer, Cutler, Pickering, Hale & Dorr.
(August, 29, 2005)

"National Security: The Changing Role of the Courts"
D.C. Circuit Judge David Sentelle, arguably the foremost expert on national security in the federal judiciary, speaks to Duke Law on his perspective about how the role of courts has changed and will continue to change in light of modern national security concerns.
(April 13, 2005)

Interrogation, Detention and the Commander in Chief Power: A Roundtable.
Sponsored by the Program in Public Law. A day-long conversation regarding some important issues raised during last year's Supreme Court
Panel 1 | Panel 2 | Panel 3 | Panel 4
(September 17, 2004)

Constitutional Law: Is Doctrine Possible?
Debate co-sponsored by the Federalist Society and the Program in Public Law, featuring Harvard Professor Charles Fried and Duke Professor Walter Dellinger
(September 16, 2004)

Civil Liberties and the War on Terror : Preventing, Detaining, and Prosecuting Terrorists with Professors Chris Schroeder and Scott Silliman
(September 7, 2004)

4th Annual Public Law Conference, "The Constitution and Other Legal Systems: Are There Progressive & Conservative Versions?"
(December 13, 2002)
Day 1: Panel I | Panel II | Panel III | Panel IV
Day 2: Panel I | Panel II | Panel III | Panel IV | Panel V | Panel VI | Panel VII

"National Security and Civil Liberties: How to Strike the Balance?", one in a series of public forums at Duke University on critical issues surrounding the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. October 2, 2001.

From Harvard University's Institute of Politics

Title	Date	Participants	Topic	Links
WATERGATE: A 15 Year Perspective	12/7/1988	Father Father Robert Drinan S.J., Hays Gorey, Mr. Richard Kleindienst, Prof. Roger Porter, The Hon. Fred Thompson	Congress, Federal Government, Judiciary, Law, Media, Politics, Presidency, US Constitution
A Debate Over Housing Remedies: The Examples of Yonkers	11/30/1988	Ms. Linda Chavez, Dr. Nathan Glazer, Mr. John Powell, Mr. Lea Rabin, Dr. Yale Rabin, Mr. Michael Sussman	African American Issues, Civil Rights, Community Development, Economy, Housing, Poverty, US Constitution
THE POLITICS OF DISABILITY: Views on a Growing Electorate	10/3/1988	Mr. Jerry Covell, Dr. Louis Genevie, Mr. Harlan Hahn, Ms. Mary Jane Owen, Mr. Alan Reich, Ms. Ginny Thornburgh	Civil Rights, Federal Government, Public Health/Health Care, US Constitution
Election Reform	3/1/1988	Mr. David S. Broder, The Office of The Hon. Barney Frank, Mr. John W. Gardner, Mr. Edward M Kennedy Jr., Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Mr. David Stockman	Campaigns and Elections, Federal Government, History/Democracy, Media, Politics, US Constitution
The Independent Counsel: Prosecutor or Persecutor?	2/29/1988	Mr. John Bolton, L. Gordon Crovitz, Dr. Philip B. Heymann, The Hon. Richard Thornburgh, Mr. Frederic M. Wertheimer	Criminal Justice, Federal Government, Judiciary, Polling, Presidency, US Constitution
Who's in Charge?: A Debate on the War Powers Act	12/16/1987	Mr. Mike Glennon, Mr. Monroe Leigh, Mr. William G. Miller, Prof. Mark Peterson	Congress, National Security, Presidency, Soviet Union, US Constitution, US Foreign Policy
Facing the Challenge: Consideration of Disability Issues	12/9/1987	Mr. John Chappell, Mr. Edward M Kennedy Jr., Mr. Marc Maurer, Mr. Charles McDowell, Mr. Josef Reum, Mr. Mark Sakaley	Business and Government, Civil Rights, Education, Federal Government, Politics, Social Issues, US Constitution
Redress and Reparations for Japanese Americans: A Constitutional Issue for All	12/8/1987	Mr. Angus Macbeth, Mr. William Marutani, The Hon. Norman Y. Mineta, The Hon. Norman Shumway, Ms. Grayce Uyehara	Asia, Civil Rights, Criminal Justice, Federal Government, History/Democracy, Human Rights, Japan, Judiciary, US Constitution
The Ethics of Public Service	6/9/1987	Ms. Marion Wright Edelman	Civil Rights, Ethics, Federal Government, History/Democracy, Minority Issues, Public Service, Social Issues, US Constitution
The Status of Gay Rights	3/12/1987	The Office of The Hon. Barney Frank	Civil Rights, Congress, Gay and Lesbian Issues, US Constitution
Original Intent of the Constitution	12/11/1986	The Hon. Orrin G. Hatch, Prof. Jack Rakove, Mr. Howard Simon, Prof. Laurence H. Tribe	Civil Rights, Federal Government, History/Democracy, Judiciary, US Constitution
The Black Community in the Post-Civil Rights Era: Challenges to Public Policy	5/1/1986	Prof. Graham T. Allison Jr., Mr. John Jacob, Ms. Rory Kennedy, Prof. Glenn Loury	African American Issues, Civil Rights, Community Development, Federal Government, Minority Issues, US Constitution
The 1965 Voting Rights Act: Expectations and Realities	3/7/1985	Mr. Wiley Branton, Mr. Michael Carvin, Mr. Edgar Jones, Mr. Nicholas Katzenbach	African American Issues, Civil Rights, Congress, Federal Government, History/Democracy, Judiciary, Law, Minority Issues, Politics, Presidency, US Constitution
The Advocates: State Funding for Public Schools	5/9/1979	The Hon. Michael Dukakis, The Hon. Antonin Scalia	Advocates, Civil Rights, Education, Federal Government, Judiciary, State/Local Government, US Constitution

From the National Constitution Center