Simone Lawson
Georgia's first constitution was drafted in 1777, and it remained in effect for twelve years. The document was designed to be temporary and made the legislature the most powerful branch of government, with the governor forced to rely on his executive council for many decisions. The constitution also allowed for an expansive franchise, with only the poorest excluded. These provisions resulted from the domination of the 1777 convention by radicals as opposed to the more moderate faction found in other states. The Constitution of 1789 was modelled after the U.S. Constitution, and it slightly weakened the power of the legislature.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Legislature was the most powerful branch | Governor was forced to rely on his executive council for many decisions |
| Expansive franchise | Only the poorest were excluded |
| Weak central government | No executive official or judicial branch |
| Brief document | Public outrage over the involvement of state legislators in the Yazoo land fraud |
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What You'll Learn
- The 1777 constitution was drafted by radicals, giving the legislature the most power
- The governor was forced to rely on an executive council for many decisions
- The 1789 constitution weakened the power of the legislature
- The 1777 constitution was never submitted to voters for ratification
- The 1789 constitution was modelled on the U.S. Constitution, which had responded to weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation
The 1777 constitution was drafted by radicals, giving the legislature the most power
The 1777 Constitution of Georgia was drafted by radicals, giving the legislature the most power. This document was designed to be temporary and made the Provincial Congress the most powerful branch of government. The 1777 Constitution was drafted without being submitted to voters for ratification and remained in effect for twelve years. It vested most governmental authority in a state legislative body, incorporated the separation of powers doctrine, and included a number of basic rights, such as the free exercise of religion, freedom of the press, and trial by jury. The legislature, or General Assembly, was elected and had the power to select a governor, modelled after the US president as the commander of Georgia's military forces. The governor was allowed to serve a two-year term instead of a one-year term. The 1777 Constitution was the shortest of Georgia's constitutions and was modelled after the US Constitution, which was also drafted in 1789.
The US Constitution was drafted in response to weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation, which was the first constitution of the United States. The Articles of Confederation were drafted in mid-June 1777 and were adopted by the full Congress in mid-November of that year. The Articles gave little power to the central government and lacked enforcement powers. The implementation of most decisions, including amendments to the Articles, required legislative approval by all 13 of the newly formed states. The central government was designed to be very weak and did not have an executive official or judicial branch.
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The governor was forced to rely on an executive council for many decisions
The first formal constitution of Georgia was drafted in 1777. This document made the legislature the most powerful branch, with the governor being forced to rely on his executive council for many decisions. The constitution also allowed for an expansive franchise, with only the poorest excluded. These provisions resulted from the domination of the 1777 convention by 'radicals' as opposed to the more moderate faction found in other states.
The 1777 constitution was completed in February of that year and was executed without having been submitted to voters for ratification. It remained in effect for twelve years, vesting most governmental authority in a state legislative body and incorporating the separation of powers doctrine. It included a number of basic rights, such as the free exercise of religion, freedom of the press, and trial by jury.
The Constitution of 1789 was the shortest of Georgia's constitutions and was modelled after the U.S. Constitution. It slightly weakened the power of the legislature, providing for a bicameral legislature, an executive branch, and a judicial branch. The legislature, or General Assembly, was elected and had the power to select a governor, modelled after the U.S. president as the commander of Georgia's military forces. The governor was allowed to serve a two-year term instead of a one-year term.
The brevity of the 1789 document, coupled with public outrage over the involvement of state legislators in the Yazoo land fraud, made subsequent revision inevitable.
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The 1789 constitution weakened the power of the legislature
The 1789 Constitution of Georgia was the shortest of the state's constitutions. It was modelled after the U.S. Constitution, which was designed to respond to weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation. The 1789 Constitution slightly weakened the power of the legislature, providing for a bicameral legislature, an executive branch, and a judicial branch. The legislature, or General Assembly, was elected and had the power to select a governor, modelled after the U.S. president as the commander of Georgia's military forces. The governor was allowed to serve a two-year term instead of a one-year term. The judicial branch received little attention.
The 1777 Constitution of Georgia was the first formal constitution of the state. This document also made the legislature the most powerful branch, with the governor being forced to rely on his executive council for many decisions. The constitution allowed for an expansive franchise, with only the poorest excluded. These provisions resulted from the domination of the 1777 convention by "radicals" as opposed to the more moderate faction found in other states. This constitution remained in effect for twelve years, until it was revised in November 1788 to assure conformity with the federal document.
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The 1777 constitution was never submitted to voters for ratification
The 1777 Constitution of Georgia was never submitted to voters for ratification. This was the state's first formal constitution, drafted a year after the temporary Rules and Regulations of the Colony of Georgia. The 1777 Constitution remained in effect for twelve years, until Georgia revised it in November 1788 to assure conformity with the U.S. Constitution.
The 1777 Constitution was drafted by "radicals", which resulted in an expansive franchise, with only the poorest excluded. It vested most governmental authority in a state legislative body, with the governor forced to rely on his executive council for many decisions. The legislature was the most powerful branch of government.
The 1789 Constitution of Georgia was modelled after the U.S. Constitution, responding to weaknesses in the 1777 document. The 1789 Constitution slightly weakened the power of the legislature, providing for a bicameral legislature, an executive branch, and a judicial branch. The legislature, or General Assembly, was elected and had the power to select a governor, modelled after the U.S. president as the commander of Georgia's military forces. The governor was allowed to serve a two-year term instead of a one-year term. The judicial branch received little attention.
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The 1789 constitution was modelled on the U.S. Constitution, which had responded to weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation
The 1789 Constitution of Georgia was modelled on the U.S. Constitution, which had responded to weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation. The U.S. Constitution was designed to address the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation, which had established a very weak central government with few powers beyond defence. Similarly, Georgia's first constitution, drafted in 1777, had vested most governmental authority in a state legislative body, with the governor relying on an executive council for many decisions.
The 1789 Constitution of Georgia aimed to address these weaknesses by slightly weakening the power of the legislature and providing for a bicameral legislature, an executive branch, and a judicial branch. The legislature, or General Assembly, was given the power to elect a governor, modelled after the U.S. president as the commander of Georgia's military forces. The governor's term was extended from one year to two years.
The 1789 Constitution also included civil liberties protections, such as the free exercise of religion, freedom of the press, and trial by jury, which were normally found in a bill of rights. However, the judicial branch received little attention in this constitution. The brevity of the document, coupled with public outrage over the involvement of state legislators in the Yazoo land fraud, made subsequent revision inevitable.
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Frequently asked questions
Georgia's first formal constitution was drafted in 1777.
The 1777 constitution made the legislature the most powerful branch, with the governor being forced to rely on his executive council for many decisions. It also allowed for an expansive franchise, with only the poorest excluded.
The 1777 constitution was drafted by "radicals" who dominated the convention, as opposed to the more moderate faction found in other states. It was completed without having been submitted to voters for ratification.
The Constitution of 1789 responded to the weaknesses of the 1777 constitution, modelled after the U.S. Constitution. The 1789 constitution slightly weakened the power of the legislature and provided for a bicameral legislature, an executive branch, and a judicial branch.
