U.S. Constitution · Article IV

Relations Among the States

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Live in the VFA record

Cited in 5 SI Solutions, 112 grades, 3 Think Tank ideas and 1 SI Senate measure this month.

212 public items cite this provision or its parts · 121 in October 2026 (last month: 2)

Week of 2026-08-03: 1Week of 2026-08-10: 1Week of 2026-08-17: 1Week of 2026-08-24: 0Week of 2026-08-31: 2Week of 2026-09-07: 0Week of 2026-09-14: 1Week of 2026-09-21: 0Week of 2026-09-28: 0Week of 2026-10-05: 86Week of 2026-10-12: 35Week of 2026-10-19: 0

Citations per week, last 12 weeks

The text

  1. Article IV, Section 1 · Full Faith and Credit

    Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be proved, and the Effect thereof.

  2. Article IV, Section 2 · Interstate Privileges, Extradition, and Fugitives from Labor

    The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. A Person charged in any State with Treason, Felony, or other Crime, who shall flee from Justice, and be found in another State, shall on Demand of the executive Authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having Jurisdiction of the Crime. No Person held to Service or Labour in one State, under the Laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in Consequence of any Law or Regulation therein, be discharged from such Service or Labour, but shall be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom such Service or Labour may be due.

  3. Article IV, Section 3 · New States and Federal Territory 209 cites

    New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress. The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United States, or of any particular State.

  4. Article IV, Section 4 · Republican Government and Protection of the States 1 cite

    The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.

National Archives transcription (public domain; original spelling and capitalization). archives.gov

In the founders’ words

  • “It may be esteemed the basis of the Union, that "the citizens of each State shall be entitled to all the privileges and immunities of citizens of the several States.” Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist No. 80 (1788-05-28)
  • “The power of prescribing by general laws, the manner in which the public acts, records and judicial proceedings of each State shall be proved, and the effect they shall have in other States, is an evident and valuable improvement on the clause relating to this subject in the articles of Confederation. The meaning of the latter is extremely indeterminate, and can be of little importance under any interpretation which it will bear.” James Madison, The Federalist No. 42 (1788-01-22)
  • “In the fourth article of the Confederation, it is declared "that the FREE INHABITANTS of each of these States, paupers, vagabonds, and fugitives from justice, excepted, shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of FREE CITIZENS in the several States;” James Madison, The Federalist No. 42 (1788-01-22)
  • “This is a power of very great importance, and required by considerations similar to those which show the propriety of the former. The proviso annexed is proper in itself, and was probably rendered absolutely necessary by jealousies and questions concerning the Western territory sufficiently known to the public.” James Madison, The Federalist No. 43 (1788-01-23)
  • “The Legislature shall have power to dispose of and make all needful rules and regulations respecting the territory or other property belonging to the United States: and nothing in this Constitution contained shall be so construed as to prejudice any claims either of the United States or of any particular State” Journal of the Federal Convention, Records of the Federal Convention: the Territory Clause (Journal, August 30, 1787) (1787-08-30)
  • “As the general government possesses the right to acquire territory, either by conquest, or by treaty, it would seem to follow, as an inevitable consequence, that it possesses the power to govern, what it has so acquired. The territory does not, when so acquired, become entitled to self-government, and it is not subject to the jurisdiction of any state. It must, consequently, be under the dominion and jurisdiction of the Union, or it would be without any government at all.” Joseph Story, Joseph Story, Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States, sections 1317-22 (1833-01-01)
  • “In a confederacy founded on republican principles, and composed of republican members, the superintending government ought clearly to possess authority to defend the system against aristocratic or monarchial innovations. The more intimate the nature of such a union may be, the greater interest have the members in the political institutions of each other; and the greater right to insist that the forms of government under which the compact was entered into should be SUBSTANTIALLY maintained.” James Madison, The Federalist No. 43 (1788-01-23)
  • “Mr. Govr. MORRIS -thought the Resol: very objectionable. He should be very unwilling that such laws as exist in R. Island should be guaranteid. Mr. WILSON . The object is merely to secure the States agst. dangerous commotions, insurrections and rebellions. Col. MASON . If the Genl. Govt. should have no right to suppress rebellions agst. particular States, it will be in a bad situation indeed. As Rebellions agst. itself originate in & agst. individual States, it must remain a passive Spectator of its own subversion.” James Madison, Madison's Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention, July 18, 1787 (1787-07-18)
  • “To these privileges and immunities, whatever they may be—for they are not and cannot be fully defined in their entire extent and precise nature—to these should be added the personal rights guaranteed and secured by the first eight amendments of the Constitution;” Jacob M. Howard, Sen. Jacob M. Howard, Speech Introducing the Fourteenth Amendment, Senate, May 23, 1866 (Congressional Globe, 39th Cong., 1st Sess., 2764-66) (1866-05-23)
  • “The amendment is exactly in the language of the Constitution; that is to say, it secures to the citizens of each of the States all the privileges and immunities of citizens of the several States. It is not to transfer the laws of one State to another State at all. It is to secure to the citizen of each State all the privileges and immunities of citizens of the United States in the several States. If the State laws do not interfere, those immunities follow under the Constitution.” John A. Bingham; Giles W. Hotchkiss, House of Representatives, Debate on Bingham's Proposed Amendment, February 28, 1866 (Congressional Globe, 39th Cong., 1st Sess.) (1866-02-28)

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Values for America Constitution Explorer, https://www.valuesforamerica.com/constitution (text: National Archives transcription, public domain), Article IV, https://www.valuesforamerica.com/constitution/article-4

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