In the context of the United States of America, a state constitution is the governing document of a U.S. state, comparable to the U.S. 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.

The average length of a state constitution is 26,000 words (compared to about 8,700 words for the U.S. constitution). The longest state governing document is that of Alabama, which has over 310,000 words. That document is also the most amended state constitution in the Union, with over 770 amendments as of 2005 (the average state constitution has been amended about 115 times). The oldest state constitution still in effect is that of Massachusetts, which took effect in 1780. The newest is the Georgia Constitution, which was ratified in 1983 (Hammons, 1999).

U.S. Territory Constitutions

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The major populated island territories of the United States also have constitutions of their own. These constitutions are subject to Congressional approvial and oversight, which is not the case with state constitutions, and do not qualify the territories for statehood. Upon an Enabling Act, the affected territory may draft a state constitution that will succeed upon statehood.

"Constitution" for Washington, D.C.

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Washington, DC has a charter similar to charters of major cities, instead of having a constitution like the states and territories. The District of Columbia Home Rule Act establishes the Council of the District of Columbia which governs the entire district and has certain devolved powers similar to those of major cities. Congress has full authority over the district and may amend the charter and any legislation enacted by the Council.

Attempts at statehood for the District of Columbia have included the drafting of two constitutions in 1982and 1987[http://dccode.westgroup.com/Find/Default.wl?DocName=DCHINEWCOLUMBIACONSTITUTIONENACTED1987&FindType=W&DB=DC-TOC-WEB%3BSTADCTOC&RS=WLW2%2E07&VR=2%2E0 respectively referring to the district as the State of New Columbia.

References

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• Hammons, Christopher W. (1999). Was James Madison wrong? Rethinking the American preference for short, framework-oriented constitutions. American Political Science Review. Dec. 1999.
  • The appendices to this article contain substantial data on state constitutions.

External links

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• The Green Papers: Constitutions of the Several states
• The Green Papers: State constitutions, an explanation
• The Green Papers: Links to state constitutions
• Citings of Religious Influence in First State Constitutions

Navigation links to the Constitutions of the U.S. States and Territories

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