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"Constitutions are the fundamental law of the land within a particular jurisdiction. A constitution describes the nature of the government and the relationship between the different branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial. It also describes various rights provided to the people of that state." Pennsylvania Legal Research Handbook 7 (Frank Y. Liu, et al, 2008).
Since 1776, the Pennsylvania Constitution has undergone five versions, seven constitutional conventions, and numerous amendments. The purpose of this guide is to make it easier to navigate through the various materials Jenkins has available to research the Pennsylvania Constitution.
Constitution - "the fundamental and organic law of a country or state that establishes the institutions and apparatus of government, defines the scope of governmental sovereign powers, and guarantees individual civil rights and civil liberties." Constitution, Black's Law Dictionary (12th ed. 2024).
"The Constitution of Pennsylvania is the supreme law within the realm and sphere of its authority, and all acts of the Legislature and any governmental agency are subordinate to it." 10 Pennsylvania Law Encyclopedia Constitutional Law § 2 (2nd ed. 2019).
Convention - "a special deliberative assembly elected for the purpose of framing, revising, or amending a constitution. Also termed constitutional convention." Convention, Black's Law Dictionary (12th ed. 2024).
"A constitutional convention represents a proper manner and method by which the citizens of Pennsylvania may initiate an amendment of the Constitution." 10 Pennsylvania Law Encyclopedia Constitutional Law § 4 (2nd ed. 2019).
Duquesne University School of Law has a comprehensive electronic collection of Pennsylvania constitutional materials going back to colonial times. It includes the text of the five Pennsylvania constitutions, the debates and proceedings of the seven Constitutional Conventions, Attorney General opinions, and up-to-date news, caselaw, and commentary on the Pennsylvania Constitution.
When appropriate, the individual pages of this guide will link to the relevant content on the Duquesne website.
50 Constitutions is a project of the University of Wisconsin Law School's State Democracy Research Initiative. The aim of the initiative is to make state constitutions more accessible, by providing a central repository of searchable constitutional text. While the initiative is a work in progress, Pennsylvania is one of the states on this site with full Tracking Constitutional Change capabilities.
This website allows you to explore the Pennsylvania Constitution in two ways: by provision, allowing you to view the current text and history of every article and section of the constitution’s text; and by year, allowing you to view amendments and their context by year of adoption.
Also available is a page of curated additional resources on the history of the Pennsylvania Constitution.