Primary sources
Here are a few examples of primary sources for the Drafting of the U.S. Constitution. They include two letters written by George Washington, noted American framer and the first President of the United States, and the Federalist Papers, essays written in defense of the new Constitution and published in 1787 and 1788.
Washington, G. (1786, May 18). Letter to John Jay, 18 May 1786.
- Read transcript of Washington's letter to John Jay from National Archives' Founders Online Collection
- Read scan of Washington's handwritten letter to John Jay from the Library of Congress Digital Collections
Take a look at this letter from George Washington, framer and first President of the United States, to John Jay, framer, co-author of The Federalist Papers and first Chief Justice of the United States. In this letter, penned about a year before the Continental Congress called for amendments to the the Articles of Confederation, Washington agrees with Jay from a previous letter when he identified flaws in the current system of government. Washington indicates that he is agreeable to changes to the Amendments.
Washington, G. (1787, March 31). Letter to James Madison, 31 March 1787.
- Read transcript of Washington's letter to James Madison from National Archives' Founders Online Collection
- Read scan of Washington's handwritten letter to James Madison from the Library of Congress Digital Collections
Also consider this letter from George Washington to James Madison, framer and fourth President of the United States dated March 31, 1787, shortly after the continental congress called for a convention to amend the original governing document, the Articles of Confederation. In this letter, Washington reflects on the reasons for amending the Articles.
Hamilton, A., Madison, J. & Jay, J. (1788). The federalist: A collection of essays, written in favour of the new Constitution, as agreed upon by the Federal Convention, September 17, 1787: In two volumes. New York, NY: J. and A. M'Lean.
- Read transcript from Congress.gov
- Read scan of first edition at the Library of Congress, previously owned by Elizabeth Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson
- Read transcript in History Reference Center database
The Federalist Papers were essays written by Hamilton, Madison and Jay under the pseudonym "Publius" arguing in favor of the the new Constitution and published in the Independent Journal, the New York Packet, and the Daily Advertiser between October 1787 and April 1788. The scanned copy you see above is a republished collection.
Searching for More
To look for more primary sources related to the Drafting of the U.S. Constitution, consider exploring the following resources. Some good keywords to try include names of the framers (Washington, Madison, Jay, Hamilton, Jefferson, Franklin, Randolph), Constitution, Articles of Confederation, and related issues (The Virginia Plan, The New Jersey Plan, Three-Fifths Compromise, Slavery, Compromise, Connecticut Compromise).
- Primary Source Collections by Adam Matthew This link opens in a new windowAdam Matthew publishes unique primary source collections from archives around the world. SNHU Shapiro Library subscribes to the following collections: African American Communities, American History 1493-1945, the Confidential Print: North America collection in Archives Direct, Defining Gender, Empire Online, Everyday Life and Women in America 1800-1920, Race Relations in America, and Socialism On Film. For more information on how to use these database, please see these tutorial videos.
- History Reference Center - EBSCO This link opens in a new windowDesigned for secondary schools, public libraries, junior/community colleges and undergraduate research, this database features full text for thousands of primary source documents and informational texts.
- Library of Congress Digital CollectionsExplore a wide variety of primary documents related to American history through the Library of Congress' Digital Collections.
- DOCSTeach National ArchivePrimary Documents related to the Constitution held by the National Archives.