ConSource
 | This article contains promotional content. (October 2015) |
The Constitutional Sources Project (ConSource) is a non-profit organization that provides source documents on the history of the United States Constitution to researchers.[1][2]
About
The Constitutional Sources Project 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.[citation needed] It hosts public educational programs, professional development workshops for educators, and provides additional research and educational services to the public.[citation needed]
History
The Constitutional Sources Project was founded in 2005 and its website launched in 2007 under the leadership of Lorianne Updike Toler. Julie Silverbrook serves as the organization's current executive director.[citation needed] ConSource was created to provide free digital access to the documentary history of the United States Constitution.
Staff/board of directors
Executive director Julie Silverbrook
Board of directors
- Gene Schaerr, appellate attorney [citation needed]
- Peggy Duckett, former chairman, Miracle at Philadelphia, the U.S. Constitutional Convention Bicentennial Exhibition [citation needed]
- Randall D. Guynn, partner, Davis Polk & Wardwell [citation needed]
- Dr. John Kaminski, editor, Documentary History of the Ratification of the U.S. Constitution [citation needed]
- Ronald Maines, of counsel, Kirton & McConkie [citation needed]
- Dr. Maeva Marcus, director, Institute for Constitutional History [citation needed]
- Lorianne Updike Toler, co-founder, former president & executive director, ConSource [citation needed]
Academic advisory board
- Chair: Dr. John Kaminski, editor, Documentary History of the Ratification of the U.S. Constitution[citation needed]
- Professor Randy E. Barnett, Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Legal Theory, Georgetown University Law Center[citation needed]
- Susanna Dokupil, assistant solicitor general, Office of the Attorney General of Texas[citation needed]
- Ralph Ketcham, emeritus, Syracuse University[citation needed]
- Dr. Gordon Lloyd, professor of public policy, Pepperdine University professor [citation needed]
- Tara Ross, Esp., author[citation needed]
- Lisa Grow Sun, associate professor of law, Brigham Young University Law School[citation needed]
- Dr. James Taylor, editor, John Adams Papers[citation needed]
Legal advisory board
- Thomas G. Goldstein, partner, Goldstein & Russell, P.C.[citation needed]
- Carl Cecere, appellate attorney[citation needed]
- Ashley C. Parrish, partner, King & Spalding[citation needed]
- Travis M. Seegmiller, partner, Patton Boggs LLP[citation needed]
- Lorianne Updike Toler, co-founder, former president & executive director, ConSource [citation needed]
National advisory board
- Chair: Randall Guynn, partner, Davis Polk & Wardwell[citation needed]
- Professor Akhil Amar, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science, Yale College and Yale Law School[citation needed]
- Professor Jack Balkin, Knight Professor of Constitutional Law, Yale Law School[citation needed]
- Bill Barr, former executive vice president and general counsel, Verizon Communications, Inc.[citation needed]
- Professor Herman Belz, emeritus professor of U.S. and Constitutional history, University of Maryland[citation needed]
- Dr. Robert George, Princeton University[citation needed]
- Thomas W. Luce III, president, National math and Science Initiative, Inc.[citation needed]
- Michael McConnell, director, Stanford Constitutional Law center[citation needed]
- Mr. Edwin Meese III, Fellow, Heritage Foundation[citation needed]
- Randal S. Milch, executive vice president and general counsel, Verizon Communications[citation needed]
- Professor Kenneth Starr, Pepperdine Law School[citation needed]
- Dr. James Taylor, editor, John Adams Papers[citation needed]
- Don Willett, justice, Supreme Court of Texas[citation needed]
- Admiral Paul Yost, president, James Madison Fellowship foundation[citation needed]
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 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 primary source documents. 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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
ConSource education staff members also produce and distribute to teachers nationwide primary source-focused lesson plans on constitutional and historical topics.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
Legal Programming
SCOTUSource Through the SCOTUSource project at Harvard Law School, ConSource aims to guide law students through the process of historical constitutional research.[citation needed] SCOTUSource participants produce research reports related to pending U.S. Supreme Court cases, which are then shared with appellate advocates, scholars, journalists, legal organizations. 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.[citation needed]
References
- ^ Lowe, Zach (9 February 2010). "Discovering a New (Old) Constitution". The Am Law Daily. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
- ^ Tsubata, Kate (6 August 2007). "Web site brings Constitution to life". The Washington Times. Retrieved 19 October 2012.