MIDLAND, Mich. — The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation today launched the “Michigan Constitutional Archive,” an online resource that gives Michigan residents full and easy access to the state’s founding documents. The archive compiles and organizes every proposed amendment, the 1961 convention debates, and other key documents related to Michigan’s constitutional history. Spearheaded by Patrick J. Wright, vice president for legal affairs at the Mackinac Center, the project is now live and freely available to the public at www.mackinac.org/constitution.
The Michigan Constitutional Archive is the first database of its kind in the state, offering comprehensive access to Michigan’s constitutional evolution. It includes the full text and language of all 284 proposed amendments since Michigan’s 1835 Constitution, along with primary sources, debate transcripts, and editorial changes associated with each proposal.
The database also features a complete record of the 1961 Constitutional Convention debates, detailing deliberations on each constitutional provision. Users can trace how Michigan’s governing document has developed over nearly two centuries, with direct insight into the exact language changes for each proposed amendment.
“Michigan’s constitutional history is foundational to understanding how our state’s laws, rights, and government originated and remain relevant,” said Wright. “The Michigan Constitutional Archive brings transparency and accessibility to that history in one place for the first time.”
The database builds on the Mackinac Center’s longstanding commitment to government transparency, open access to public records, and educational research. By consolidating and digitizing Michigan’s constitutional history in one searchable platform, the Mackinac Center aims to make this vital information available to anyone interested in law, policy, or civic education.
The archive is available now at www.mackinac.org/constitution.
