State Constitutions Each state in the United States has its own constitution. state constitutions are inferior (in a legal sense) to the United States Constitution, and when reading state constitutions, this must be kept in mind — a state constitution, for example, cannot validly authorize a state

State constitution A state constitution is the governing document of a U.S. state, comparable to the United States Constitution which is the governing document of the United States. Some states have had multiple constitutions and since each state drafts its own, there is great diversity between them, though all have some basic concepts in common.

In the United States, each state has its own written constitution. Usually, they are much longer than the United States Constitution, which only contains 4,543 words. State constitutions are all longer than 8,000 words because they are more detailed regarding the day-to-day relationships between government and the people.

State Constitutions The U.S. Constitution was actually the 14th such document of the new republic. Each state had been operating under its own constitution since the Revolution, although some were pretty much just the colonial charters without the word "king." Many even had bills of rights.

The first state constitutions bespoke a belief in limited government, the consent of the governed, and frequent elections. They were based, by and large, on a Whig tradition emphasizing direct, active, continuing popular control over the legislature in particular and of government in general.

Virginia passed its own state constitution on June 29th, followed by New Jersey (July 2nd), Delaware (September 21st), Pennsylvania (September 28th), Maryland (November 11th) and North Carolina (December 18th). Georgia followed suit on February 5th 1777, followed by New York on April 20th.

other states that have their first constitution still being effective today include alaska, arizona, colorado, hawaii, idaho, kansas, maine, minnesota, nevada, new mexico, north dakota, oklahoma, oregon, rhode island, south dakota, utah, washington, wisconsin, and wyoming - of course some of these are, especially in the newer states, hardly more …

The United States Constitution defines the structure of the national government and dictates the scope and limitation of its powers. The Constitution is known as "the supreme Law of the Land" and all other laws are measured against it. The application of the articles and amendments of the Constitution comprise constitutional law.

History of Michigan's Constitutions Michigan has adopted four Constitutions. The Constitution of 1835 was adopted two years before Michigan became a state. The Constitutional Convention of 1835 met at the Territorial Capitol in Detroit on May 11, 1835, and adjourned on June 24, 1835.

State governments are allocated power by the people (of each respective state) through their individual constitutions. All are grounded in republican principles , and each provides for a government, consisting of three branches, each with separate and independent powers : executive , legislative , and judicial . [4]