Digital Collections

The digital collections of the Library of Congress contain a wide variety of primary source materials associated with the Bill of Rights, including congressional publications, manuscripts, letters, and broadsides.

Provided below is a link to the home page for each relevant digital collection along with selected highlights.

Congressional Publications

Congress.gov
This collection contains congressional publications from the First Federal Congress, including debates, bills, laws, and journals.

Bill of Rights Debate References:

Debate related to the proposed amendments to the Constitution can be located in the Annals of Congress, on the following dates in 1789.

Note: The Senate met in secret at the time. The Senate did not open its doors to the public until 1795.

The appendix to the Annals of Congress, First Congress, contains documents related to the ratification of the Bill of Rights by the various state legislatures.

Ratification of the Amendments to the Constitution of the United States by the States (PDF - 16.63 MB)

Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention

Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774 to 1789
This collection contains 277 documents relating to the work of Congress and the drafting and ratification of the Constitution.

Selected highlight from this collection:

The twelve amendments to the Constitution as passed by Congress on September 25, 1789.
Printed in Providence, Rhode Island, 1789.

Search on the phrase "1st-10th Amendments" in this collection to locate additional documents related to the Bill of Rights.

George Washington Papers

George Washington Papers
The complete George Washington Papers collection from the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress consists of approximately 65,000 documents.

Selected highlights from this collection:

George Washington to Marquis de Lafayette, April 28, 1788.
In this letter Washington discussed the prospects for ratification of the Constitution and the need for a Bill of Rights.
George Washington's first inaugural address, April 30, 1789.
Washington's first inaugural address called for constitutional amendments to satisfy citizens' demands for a Bill of Rights.

Historic Newspapers

Chronicling America
Historic American newspapers selected and contributed by state partners in the National Digital Newspaper Program.

A selection of articles from this collection includes:

Gazette of the United-States. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]), 13 June 1789.
A copy of James Madison's proposed Bill of Rights was published in the Gazette of the United-States on June 13, 1789.
Gazette of the United-States. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]), 03 Oct. 1789.
A copy of the proposed Bill of Rights with twelve articles as submitted to the states was published in the Gazette of the United-States on October 3, 1789.

James Madison Papers

James Madison Papers, 1723 to 1859
The Madison Papers consist of approximately 12,000 items, spanning the period 1723-1859, captured in some 72,000 digital images.

Selected highlights from this collection:

James Madison. Notes for Speech on Constitutional Amendments. June 8, 1789.
Madison used these notes for his speech on June 8, 1789. [Transcription]
James Madison to George Washington, December 5, 1789.
In this letter Madison discussed the political situation in the state of Virginia as it related to the ratification of the Bill of Rights.

Printed Ephemera

Printed Ephemera: Three Centuries of Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera
The Printed Ephemera collection comprises 28,000 primary-source items dating from the seventeenth century to the present and encompasses key events and eras in American history.

Selected highlights from this collection:

The seventeen proposed amendments to the Constitution passed by the House of Representatives on August 24, 1789.
These seventeen amendments were subsequently reduced to the twelve amendments passed by Congress, which were sent to the states on September 25, 1789.
A bill of rights as provided in the ten original amendments to the constitution of the United States in force December 15, 1791. [n. p. 195-].

Rare Book Selections

Rare Book Selections
The digitized selections in this collection represent a few of the most interesting and important items in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division.

Selected highlight from this collection:

Thomas Jefferson Papers

Thomas Jefferson Papers, 1606-1827
The complete Thomas Jefferson Papers from the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress consists of approximately 27,000 documents.

Selected highlights from this collection:

Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, December 20, 1787
Jefferson received a copy of the Constitution in November, 1787, while living in France. Beginning on the second page of this letter, Jefferson expressed his opinions on the new Constitution, including his belief that a Bill of Rights was needed. [Transcription]
Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, March 15, 1789
Jefferson replied to Madison's letter of October 17, 1788, about the need for a Bill of Rights.

Bill of Rights: Primary Documents in American History

History, Humanities & Social Sciences: Ask a Librarian

Digital Collections

Congressional Publications

Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention

George Washington Papers

Historic Newspapers

James Madison Papers

Printed Ephemera

Rare Book Selections

Thomas Jefferson Papers