Presidential Research and Information Resources

The Seton Hall University Libraries contain numerous articles, books, reports, and primary sources that cover the span of the American Presidency from 1789 through the present day. Our electronic resources are accessible both on-campus and remotely alike.

A good place to start is our Presidential Research Library Guide created by Assistant Dean for Public Services, Lisa De Luca that can be accessed here:

Presidential Research Library Guide

While that link is a recommended starting place for presidential history within this country, any search can be modified for individual aspects of the office, historical legacy, individual figures from George Washington to Joseph Biden and all in-between which can be found through the Seton Hall University Libraries catalog using the keyword – “President*” to begin your query:

University Libraries Home Page

Senate Bill Recognizing President’s Day and the Birthday of George Washington, 1878. (National Archives Image)

Additionally, book titles related to Presidential Studies can be found through the following site link to compliment

Presidential Book Titles – University Libraries Catalog

Did you know the archives holds the diary of Bernard Shanley, advisor to President Eisenhower?  This diary provides an incredibly detailed account of the president’s activities and meetings.  It sheds particular light on the relationship between Joseph McCarthy and President Eisenhower.  The 400+ page diary has been completely digitized, thanks to a grant from the National Archives, and can be accessed through the Shanley Collection Finding Aid.  Parts of the collection that have not been digitized can be seen in the Special Collections Reading Room.

We also provide information related to the broader of Political Science maintained by Professor Michael Murphy. Our specialized Library Guide maintained by Professor Murphy covers civil-based and leadership subject matter in broader detail and is readily available to our research community.

Political Science Library Guide

Need more help? Book a research appointment here: Research Appointment Site

American Flag Border (National Archives Image)

Constitutional Anniversaries – New Jersey & United States Statutory Documents, 1787-Present

 

Alan Delozier, Humanities Librarian

This September marks the diamond anniversary of the New Jersey Constitution Committee (1947) and 235 years since the creation of the United States Constitution. The story behind each text carries a deep historical legacy combined with outlining the goals associated with the ideal functions of national and state governments alike. In research terms, each charter has provided extensive scholarship opportunities for the public that the Seton Hall University Libraries has supported over the past several years.

The United States Constitution is the recognized law of the nation which outlines how the government is required to function. It makes provisions for three distinctive divisions of authority – Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. Since 1787, the Constitution proper has been amended 27 times (with the first ten constituting the United States Bill of Rights created on September 25, 1789 and ratified in 1791) through its history and is devoted mainly to individual liberties.

Combined with the abovementioned overview, Articles III-VII principally cover State-focused governance issues. New Jersey was the third state to ratify the United States Constitution in 1789 and in large measure this helped to inspire the content found within the New Jersey Constitution and its two post-Revolution versions. This document is based on the previous State Constitution of 1776 and the first major revised manuscript in 1844 which highlighted such freedoms as religious practice, speech, and related liberties. After a century, the need for an updated State Statute was facilitated through the creation of Governor Alfred E. Driscoll’s Committee on Preparatory Research in early 1947.  (“Convention Proceedings Record,” State of New Jersey Constitutional Convention of 1947, v.1, iii-1)

A Mid-Twentieth Century Volume that was commonly found in schools throughout New Jersey including this 1948 copy included within the Seton Hall University Libraries (Call Number: JK11 1948 O94)

Between June 12th and September 10th of 1947 (a deadline of September 13th for close of the Committee Hearings was set ahead of time and met), the Delegates produced a final draft of the newly updated State Constitution. This document was ultimately ratified via a majority vote on the referendum presented to the citizens of New Jersey during the Election of 1947 held on November 4th of that year. (“Convention Proceedings Record,” State of New Jersey Constitutional Convention of 1947, v.1, 923)

During the 1940s-60s, Students in New Jersey Were Presented With a Copy of the volume – “Our Great State Documents” as part of their study on Citizenship

During the 1940s-60s, Students in New Jersey Were Presented With a Copy of the volume – “Our Great State Documents” as part of their study on Citizenship

There are numerous study prospects for both the United States and New Jersey Constitutions and user friendly access points available through the Seton Hall University Libraries including the following leads and links highlighted below . . .

United States Constitution – SetonCat Holdings (Print and E-Book) .https://setonhall.on.worldcat.org/search?queryString=%22United%20States%20Constitution%22&clusterResults=true&groupVariantRecords=false

United States Constitution – SetonCat Holdings (Articles)

https://eds.s.ebscohost.com/eds/results?vid=0&sid=fa910d90-4058-4ec2-956a-d04961218093%40redis&bquery=%2522United%2BStates%2BConstitution%2522&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPXNzbyZ0eXBlPTAmc2VhcmNoTW9kZT1BbmQmc2l0ZT1lZHMtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d

United States Constitution – Hathi Trust

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=%22united+states+constitution%22&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

United States Constitution – National Archives Site

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript

New Jersey Constitution – SetonCat Holdings (Print and E-Book)

https://setonhall.on.worldcat.org/search?clusterResults=off&queryString=New+Jersey+Constitution

New Jersey Constitution of 1947 – SetonCat Post-Committee and Ratification Produced Holdings (Articles)

https://eds.s.ebscohost.com/eds/results?vid=0&sid=66f892a3-3084-451d-bef5-39fc389ea6da%40redis&bquery=%2522new%2Bjersey%2Bconstitution%2522%2Band%2B%25221947%2522&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPXNzbyZ0eXBlPTAmc2VhcmNoTW9kZT1BbmQmc2l0ZT1lZHMtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d

New Jersey Constitution of 1947, A Retrospective – Seton Hall Legislative Journal, 7:3, 1997

https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/shclj7&id=829&collection=journals&index=

New Jersey Constitution of 1947 – Hathi Trust

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=%22new+jersey+constitution%22+and+1947&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

New Jersey Constitution of 1947 – Full-Text Site

https://www.nj.gov/state/archives/docconst47.html

For more information on the history of constitutions please feel free to contact Alan Delozier, Humanities Librarian at Alan.Delozier@shu.edu or by phone at: (973) 275-2378

Presidential Politics – Contemporary Analysis on the 2020 Election

On Monday, November 9th (5:00-7:00 p.m.)  please join SHU’s Political Science and Public Affairs faculty for an exciting online conversation about the 2020 Presidential Election and the state of the U.S. Supreme Court:

“Presidential Politics – Contemporary Analysis on the 2020 Election and Research Opportunities from 1788-Future”

Monday, November 9th (5:00-7:00 p.m.)

      • Patrick Fisher, PhD will give a statistical recap of the 2020 election as it stands as of November 9.
      • Robert Pallitto, PhD, JD will give a summary of the current status of the U.S. Supreme Court, including implications of the Amy Coney Barrett confirmation.
      • Alan Delozier, D. Litt., University Archivist will round out this panel to discuss “Research Opportunities from 1788-Future.”

To join the discussion, please register (free) here.