ConSource

The Constitutional Sources Project (ConSource) is a non-profit organization that provides source documents on the history of the United States Constitution available for research.[1][2]

Mission

The Constitutional Sources Project (www.consource.org) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, based in Washington D.C., that connects individuals directly to the primary source documents comprising United States Constitutional History. To achieve its mission of facilitating greater research and understanding of United States Constitutional history, it hosts public educational programs, professional development workshops for educators, and provides additional research and educational services to the public. More information about ConSource and its programs can be found at www.consource.org.

History

The Constitutional Sources Project was founded in 2005 and its website at www.ConSouce.org publicly launched in 2007. Julie Silverbrook serves as the organization’s current Executive Director. ConSource was created to provide free digital access to the documentary history of the United States Constitution, and to make that history accessible and intelligible to everyone from a fourth grader to a United States Supreme Court Justice.

Quick Facts

  • Founded: 2005
  • Industry: Legal Services
  • Type: Non-Profit
  • Website: www.consource.org
  • Headquarters: 1700 K Street, NW Washington, DC 20006 United States
  • Company Size: 1-10 Employees
  • Contact Information: 202.282.5490

Staff/Board of Directors

Executive Director Julie Silverbrook

Board of Directors

  • Gene Schaerr, Appellate Attorney
  • Peggy Duckett, Former Chairman, Miracle at Philadelphia, the U.S. Constitutional Convention Bicentennial Exhibition
  • Randall D. Guynn, Partner, Davis Polk & Wardwell
  • Dr. John Kaminski, Editor, Documentary History of the Ratification of the U.S. Constitution
  • Ronald Maines, Of Counsel, Kirton & McConkie
  • Dr. Maeva Marcus, Director, Institute for Constitutional History
  • Lorianne Updike Toler, Co-Founder, former President & Executive Director, ConSource

Academic Advisory Board

  • Chair: Dr.John Kaminski, Editor, Documentary History of the Ratification of the U.S. Constitution
  • Professor Randy E. Barnett, Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Legal Theory, Georgetown University Law Center
  • Susanna Dokupil, Assistant Solicitor General, Office of the Attorney General of Texas
  • Ralph Ketcham, Emeritus, Syracuse University
  • Dr. Gordon Lloyd, Professor of Public Policy, Pepperdine University Professor
  • Tara Ross, Esp., Author
  • Lisa Grow Sun, Associate Professor of Law, Brigham Young University Law School
  • Dr. James Taylor, Editor, John Adams Papers

Legal Advisory Board

  • Thomas G. Goldstein, Partner, Goldstein & Russell, P.C.
  • Carl Cecere, Appellate Attorney
  • Ashley C. Parrish, Partner, King & Spalding
  • Travis M. Seegmiller, Partner, Patton Boggs LLP
  • Lorianne Updike Toler, Co-Founder, former President & Executive Director, ConSource

National Advisory Board

  • Chair: Randall Guynn, Partner, Davis Polk & Wardwell
  • Professor Akhil Amar, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science, Yale College and Yale Law School
  • Professor Jack Balkin, Knight Professor of Constitutional Law, Yale Law School
  • Bill Barr, former Executive Vice president and General Counsel, Verizon Communications, Inc.
  • Professor Herman Belz, Emeritus Professor of U.S. and Constitutional history, University of Maryland
  • Dr. Robert George, Princeton University
  • Thomas W. Luce III, President, National math and Science Initiative, Inc.
  • Michael McConnell, Director, Stanford Constitutional Law center
  • Mr. Edwin Meese III, Fellow, Heritage Foundation
  • Randal S. Milch, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Verizon Communications
  • Professor Kenneth Starr, Pepperdine Law School
  • Dr. James Taylor, Editor, John Adams Papers
  • Don Willett, Justice, Supreme Court of Texas
  • Admiral Paul Yost, President, James Madison Fellowship foundation

Current ConSource Collections

  • The Constitution, Bill of Rights and Amendments 11-27
  • Precursors to the Constitution (including the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation and Mayflower Compact, Magna Carta and English Bill of Rights)
  • Colonial Charters and Early State Constitutions
  • The Federalist Papers
  • Anti-Federalist and Pro-Federalist Papers
  • James Madison’s Notes on the Constitutional Convention
  • Selections from 10 state ratifying conventions
  • The Legislative History of the Bill of Rights
  • Select correspondences and papers of key Founding Fathers
  • 55 influential political sermons

Programming

Educational Programming

PrimarySource Education Campaign The purpose of ConSource’s PrimarySource campaign is to transform traditional classrooms into vibrant, resource-rich classrooms, where students can access and learn directly from one of the most valuable pedagogical tools-primary source documents. Studies show that students who learn how to interpret primary source materials become historical thinkers, a group of informed and educated citizens who are in turn prepared for the momentous task of self-governance. ConSource assists educators as they cultivate the next generation of historical thinkers by providing free online access to the documentary history of the creation, ratification, and amendment of the United States Constitution.

ConSource provides professional development workshops for educators at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., and in school districts and civic sites nationwide. ConSource also offers a one-to-one lesson plan consulting service, with education staff members providing direct guidance and suggested primary source materials to educators teaching important moments in U.S. history.

ConSource education staff members also produce and distribute to teachers nationwide primary source-focused lesson plans on a variety of constitutional and historical topics.

ConSource-Harlan Institute Virtual Supreme Court Competition During the October 2012 Supreme Court term, the Harlan Institute and ConSource launched the Virtual Supreme Court Competition. By participating in this competition, high school students gain experience in researching contemporary constitutional issues, crafting persuasive appellate briefs on their classroom blogs, and presenting convincing oral arguments to legal experts in a virtual courtroom over Google+ Video Hangouts.

The Virtual Supreme Court Competition takes place in two stages: submission of an appellate brief and presentation of oral argument. The grand prize for the top two high school students is an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., to attend ConSource’s Annual Constitution Day Celebration.

Legal Programming

SCOTUSource Through the SCOTUSource project at Harvard Law School, ConSource aims to guide law students through the process of historical constitutional research. SCOTUSource participants produce research reports related to pending U.S. Supreme Court cases, which are then shared with appellate advocates, scholars, journalists, legal organizations, and will be publicly available on the ConSource blog (blog.consource.org). In past semesters, Harvard Law Students have created historical research reports on constitutional issues in the following U.S. Supreme Court cases, Kiyemba v. Obama, Beer v. United States, PPL Montana, LLC v. Montana, NFIB v. Sebelius, Shelby County v. Holder, and NLRB v. Noel Canning.

References

  1. ↑ Lowe, Zach (9 February 2010). "Discovering a New (Old) Constitution". The Am Law Daily. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  2. ↑ Tsubata, Kate (6 August 2007). "Web site brings Constitution to life". The Washington Times. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
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