Jonah Patel
The Utah Constitution has had a long and complicated history, with nearly five decades of repeated attempts to achieve statehood. The first attempt at a constitution for the State of Deseret was drafted by early Mormon settlers in 1849. This was followed by six more attempts, and in 1894, the U.S. Congress passed a law to enable Utah's admission into the Union. In 1895, 107 delegates were elected by the people of Utah, and they successfully drafted and proposed a constitution that was approved by popular vote and Congress. This constitution addressed fundamental issues concerning individual rights and state policy, and it was far more detailed than the text written by the 1787 Convention. The constitution included provisions on suffrage, the right to education, the prohibition of plural marriages, and the preservation of state forests. With the new constitution in place, Utah officially became a state on January 4, 1896, marking the end of a long struggle for statehood.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of people elected to write Utah's constitution | 107 |
| Year of election | 1895 |
| Year Utah became a state | 1896 |
| Previous attempts to write a constitution | 7 |
| Previous attempts to achieve statehood | 8 |
| Number of votes for ratification | 31,305 |
| Number of votes against ratification | 7,687 |
| Number of students involved in archival work for the Utah Constitution Convention | 9 |
| Number of years spent on archival work | 2 |
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What You'll Learn
The 1895 convention was the eighth attempt to write a constitution for Utah
The first attempt at a constitution was to govern a territory, but leaders aspired for statehood to attain greater autonomy. The Council of Fifty, established by Joseph Smith, created the initial Constitution for the provisional State of Deseret, consisting of eight articles and a preamble. This constitution established three branches of government, restricted voting rights to white men, and mentioned the separation of church and state.
The fifth attempt at statehood introduced a revised version of the 1872 constitution, with the participation of women delegates for the first time. However, this attempt also failed in a congressional committee due to opposition from the Non-Mormon Liberal Party, who wanted to prevent voting power from going to the Mormon electorate.
The 1895 convention addressed controversial issues such as voting rights for women, which had gained statewide attention. The resulting constitution was far more detailed than previous attempts, covering matters of individual rights and public policy. It reflected local concerns and borrowed from and improved upon the constitutions of other states in the Union.
The 1895 Utah Constitution was approved by popular vote and Congress, leading to Utah's admittance into the Union as a state in 1896.
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107 delegates were elected by the people of Utah
In November 1894, the people of Utah elected 107 delegates to the seventh constitutional convention. This convention was held between March and May 1895, and its purpose was to develop the state's first constitution. This was the eighth attempt to write a constitution for the territory of the State of Deseret or Utah that would secure admission to the United States.
The 107 delegates debated many points of detail on fundamental issues concerning individual rights and state policy. The text they produced was far longer than that of the 1787 Convention, and it provided more detail on matters of individual rights and public policy. The delegates were aware of the responsibility they carried, as expressed by one of them:
> The people of the land trusted us as their representatives, to present to them something that should be the palladium of their liberties, of which they with us will be proud in guarding up to the last moment of their lives.
The constitution proposed by the 107 delegates was approved by popular vote and by Congress. Utah was admitted as a state in 1896, becoming the 45th state.
The constitution of Utah has 14 articles, covering topics such as elections and the right of suffrage, distribution of powers, legislative, executive, and judicial departments, congressional and legislative apportionment, education, local governments, revenue and taxation, and public debt.
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The convention took place from March to May 1895
The convention to draft Utah's constitution took place from March to May 1895. This was the eighth attempt to write a constitution for the territory of the State of Deseret or Utah. The convention was attended by 107 delegates, who debated and discussed fundamental issues concerning individual rights and state policy. The resulting constitution was approved by popular vote and by Congress, and Utah was admitted to the Union as a state in 1896.
The 1895 convention was significant because it produced a text that was far longer and more detailed than the previous attempts. It covered matters of individual rights and public policy that had not been discussed in earlier conventions. The work of the convention demonstrates that even within a mature Federal system, the drafting of a state constitution was not simply a matter of replicating the work of neighbouring states. Instead, the delegates were prepared to engage with local concerns and borrow from and improve upon the constitutions of other states in the Union.
The convention was a complex and arduous process, and the archives relating to it have received relatively little attention. The resulting constitution had a significant impact on the state, with approximately two-thirds of the text remaining operative constitutional law in Utah today. The Utah Supreme Court has also played a role in interpreting and expanding upon the protections afforded by the state constitution, such as in the case of Brigham City v. Stuart, where the Court found that the Utah Constitution provides greater protection to the privacy of homes and automobiles than the Fourth Amendment.
The constitution included a range of provisions, such as the prohibition of plural marriages and the requirement for free public schooling to be free from sectarian control. It also addressed matters such as revenue and taxation, public debt, and the distribution of powers. The process of drafting the constitution was a crucial step in Utah's journey towards statehood, which was finally achieved in 1896 when it became the 45th state.
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The constitution was ratified by popular vote
The Utah Constitution has had a long and complicated journey to ratification, with nearly five decades of repeated attempts to achieve statehood. The first attempt at a constitution for the proposed State of Deseret was drafted in 1849 by early Mormon settlers. This was the first of seven constitutions that were drafted before Utah was admitted to the Union as a state in 1896.
The eighth attempt at a constitution was successful, with 107 delegates meeting between March and May 1895 to debate and develop the state's first constitution. This constitution was approved by popular vote and by Congress, and Utah was admitted as a state on 4 January 1896. The popular vote saw 31,305 votes in favour and 7,687 against, with most dissenting votes coming from non-Mormon communities.
The 1895 convention addressed fundamental issues concerning individual rights and state policy, and the resulting text was far longer than that of the 1787 Federal Convention, demonstrating the complexity of state-level conventions. The constitution included provisions on suffrage, the right to bear arms, and the prohibition of plural marriages.
The ratification of the Utah Constitution was a significant milestone in the state's history, marking the end of a 47-year struggle for statehood and setting the foundation for Utah's governance and legal system. The process of drafting and ratifying the constitution involved compromise and debate, reflecting the local concerns and priorities of the people of Utah.
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The constitution addressed individual rights and state policy
The constitution of Utah has had a long and complicated history, with nearly five decades of repeated attempts to achieve statehood. The first attempt at a constitution for the State of Deseret was drafted in 1849 by early Mormon settlers. This was the first of seven constitutions drafted before Utah was admitted to the Union as a state. In 1850, the smaller Utah Territory was created, with a secular government imposed by the federal government.
In 1894, the U.S. Congress enacted a law to enable the territory of Utah to be admitted to the Union, and a constitutional convention of 107 delegates met from March to May 1895 to develop the state's first constitution. This convention debated many points concerning both individual rights and state policy, and their efforts were successful, with the constitution approved by popular vote and Congress.
The 1895 Constitution of Utah was far longer than previous attempts and provided detailed provisions for matters of individual rights and public policy. For example, it explicitly prohibited plural marriages and polygamy, and required public schooling to be free from sectarian control. It also included provisions on labour laws, such as prohibiting women and children under 14 from working in underground mines and banning labour blacklisting.
The Utah Constitution also addressed the distribution of powers and the structure of the state government, including the legislative, executive, and judicial departments. The constitution provided for the direct election of state officers, and the people of Utah elected their first state officers in November 1895, ratifying the constitution by a vote of 31,305 to 7,687.
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Frequently asked questions
107 people were elected to write Utah's constitution.
Some of the people elected to write Utah's constitution included Brigham Young, Charles Stetson Varian, and Brigham H. Roberts.
The convention that wrote Utah's constitution was called the Salt Lake Convention.
The Salt Lake Convention took place between March and May 1895.
Utah's constitution in 1895 was the eighth attempt to write a constitution for the territory. It was the first constitution that was approved by popular vote and Congress.
