Grid Map of Judicial Independence

Comparisons across world history can be productive if done with care. For example, the Constitute Project from the University of Texas-Austin has created a database of world constitutions that includes a feature for comparing various nations' constitutions to look for similarities and differences. The Constitute website lets users pin and export relevant passages for comparison. For example, students can search how constitutions across the world address “freedom of religion.” Students can view side-by-side text comparisons of two constitutions after clicking the “Compare” button for two results, like France and Liberia. The Constitute Project has also created maps like this one that allows for comparisons of how much political independence the judiciary in various nations' constitutions. A slider bar allows users to view change over time. To read more about the Constitute Project and how to use it in a world history classroom, take a look at Sara Collini's review.

This source is a part of the Primer: Comparative History methods module.