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Massachusetts Constitution
 
 
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The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the fundamental governing document of the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It was drafted by John Adams
John Adams

John Adams was an Politics of the United States and the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States , after being the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States for two terms....
, Samuel Adams
Samuel Adams

Samuel Adams was a statesman, Political philosophy, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. As a politician in Province of Massachusetts Bay, Adams was a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, and was one of the architects of the principles of Republicanism in the United States that shaped the political cul...
, and James Bowdoin
James Bowdoin

James Bowdoin was an American political and intellectual leader from Boston, Massachusetts, Massachusetts during the American Revolution. He served in both branches of the Massachusetts General Court in the colonial era and was president of the state's constitutional convention ....
 during the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention between September 1 and October 30, 1779. Following approval by town meetings, the Constitution was ratified on June 15, 1780, became effective on October 25, 1780, and remains the oldest functioning written constitution in continuous effect in the world.

The Massachusetts Constitution was the last of the first set of the state constitutions to be written.






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The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the fundamental governing document of the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It was drafted by John Adams
John Adams

John Adams was an Politics of the United States and the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States , after being the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States for two terms....
, Samuel Adams
Samuel Adams

Samuel Adams was a statesman, Political philosophy, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. As a politician in Province of Massachusetts Bay, Adams was a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, and was one of the architects of the principles of Republicanism in the United States that shaped the political cul...
, and James Bowdoin
James Bowdoin

James Bowdoin was an American political and intellectual leader from Boston, Massachusetts, Massachusetts during the American Revolution. He served in both branches of the Massachusetts General Court in the colonial era and was president of the state's constitutional convention ....
 during the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention between September 1 and October 30, 1779. Following approval by town meetings, the Constitution was ratified on June 15, 1780, became effective on October 25, 1780, and remains the oldest functioning written constitution in continuous effect in the world.

The Massachusetts Constitution was the last of the first set of the state constitutions to be written. Consequently, it was more sophisticated than many of the other documents. Among the improvements was the structure of the document itself: instead of just a listing of provisions, it had a structure of chapters, sections, and articles. This structure was replicated by the US Constitution. It also had substantial influence on the subsequent revisions of many of the other state constitutions. The Massachusetts Constitution has four parts: a preamble, a declaration of rights, a description of the framework of government, and articles of amendment.

History


An earlier draft by the Massachusetts General Court
Massachusetts General Court

The Massachusetts General Court is the State legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonialism Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases....
 was rejected by the people due to lack of public participation.

Preamble

The preamble of the constitution bears some resemblance to the United States Constitution's
United States Constitution

The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the United States. It is the foundation and source of the legal authority underlying the existence of the United States of America; the Federal Government of the United States; and all the State & local governments and Territorial Administrative bodies contained therein....
 in a few phrases near the end. It is as follows:

Part the First: A Declaration of the Rights of the Inhabitants of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

This part consists of thirty articles, the first of which states:

This article was later amended to substitute the word "people" for the word "men".

Part the Second: The Frame of Government

This part begins as follows:

They both check on each other and make sure no one abuses their power or goes out of line.

Articles of Amendment

As of 2003, there are 120 Articles of Amendment.

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