See authorities cited above, and J.A.  Jameson’s Treatise on Constitutional Conventions.  The official sources of information are:  the meagre Journal, Acts, and Proceedings of the Convention; and Elliot’s Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution, * * * * together with the Journal of the Federal Convention, the last volume of which contains Madison’s notes of Debates in the Federal Convention, frequently called The Madison Papers.

The Constitution.

The number of valuable works concerned more or less directly with a study of the Constitution is very great.  Only a very few can be mentioned.  A very complete list of references to the Constitution, is that by W.E.  Foster, already referred to.  The leading works upon Constitutional Law are Cooley’s General Principles of Constitutional Law, and Constitutional Limitations; Von Holst’s, Hare’s and Pomeroy’s treatises on Constitutional Law.  Story’s Commentaries on the Constitution are invaluable.  The character and value of The Federalist have been noticed in the text (p. 25).  On Constitutional Amendments, see Johnston’s article on Amendments in Lalor’s Encyclopaedia.  Concerning Constitutional developments, due to judicial construction, see Willoughby’s Supreme Court of the United States:  its History and Influence in our Constitutional System, published in the Johns Hopkins Studies, Extra Vol.  VII; and The Constitutional History of the United States as Seen in the Development of American Law, by Judge Cooley and others, edited by H.W.  Rogers. The Unwritten Constitution of the United States, is the title of a very recent book by C.G.  Tiedeman.

For constitutional development due to war experiences, see Dunning’s United States in Civil War and in Reconstruction.  W.E.  Foster has in press a pamphlet of references on The United States Constitution in Civil War.

On Federal Government, see Jellinek’s Die Lehre von den Staatenverbindungen; and Hart’s Introduction to the Study of Federal Government, Harvard Historical Monographs, No. 2.  Besides giving an outline of the political history of the successive federations in the world’s history, with an account of the literature upon each, Mr. Hart’s monograph contains a very excellent bibliographical note on Federal Government in general, and the United States Constitution in particular.

The laws of the United States are known as United States Statutes at Large.  In 1878 was published a large volume containing all Federal laws in force in 1874.  In 1881 was published a Supplement (known as Richardson’s Supplement) containing congressional legislation during the years 1874—­1881.

Congressional Government.

The official reports of the debates of Congress have been published under the following titles:  Annals of Congress (1789—­1823), Congressional Debates (1824-1837), Congressional Globe (1833-1873), Congressional Record (1873 to the present time).  Benton’s Abridgment of Debates in 16 volumes covers the period 1789 to 1850.