The First Constitution: A New World Order

The world has witnessed the creation of numerous constitutions throughout history, with the American Constitution often regarded as the first complete written national constitution. However, it is important to note that the American Constitution was neither the first constitution of a general government nor the first written constitution. The Corsican Constitution of Pasquale Paoli, dating back to 1755, preceded it by more than three decades. Furthermore, the Fundamental Orders adopted in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1639, were the first constitution in the American colonies. The Greek city-states also had customary or partially written constitutions, and the American states had their own complete written constitutions before the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Constitution, passed in 1791, was the first of its kind in Europe, and the 1811 Constitution of Venezuela was the first in Latin America.

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The first written constitution was that of the Corsican Republic

The first written constitution in the world was that of the United States of America, which was signed in 1787 and is still in force today. However, the first written constitution was technically that of the Corsican Republic, which was written in 1755, over 30 years before the American Constitution.

The Corsican Republic was a short-lived state on the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea. It was proclaimed in July 1755 by Pasquale Paoli, who was seeking independence from the Republic of Genoa. Paoli created the Corsican Constitution, which was the first constitution written in the Italian language. The text included various Enlightenment principles, including female suffrage, later revoked by the Kingdom of France when the island was taken over in 1769.

The Corsican Constitution was a product of the local history of Corsica. There were elective mayors in Corsican villages from the Middle Ages, and free rural communes from the 11th century onwards. Even under the distant, despotic control of Genoa, these rural communes were "practically autonomous units" with annual elections. These communes provided various communal services, including a form of health insurance.

Paoli led the effort to free the Mediterranean island of Corsica from the colonial control of Genoa. The island republic that resulted was reorganized from a colonial outpost to a representative democracy with a Diet (or parliament). Paoli was the elected head of the Diet until 1769 when the invading French subjected the islanders to autocratic rule.

The Corsican Constitution was celebrated on both sides of the Atlantic. It included calls for universal male suffrage, with no property qualifications as there were originally in the United States. The constitution began with the following text:

> "The General Diet of the People of Corsica, legitimately Master of itself [...] Having reconquered its Liberty, wishing to give durable and constant form to its government, reducing it to a constitution from which the Felicity of the Nation will derive."

The US Constitution is the oldest and shortest written constitution still in force

The US Constitution, signed on September 17, 1787, is the oldest and shortest written constitution still in force. It is considered one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions globally. The US Constitution has been in force for over two centuries, often with long periods without any major revisions.

The US Constitution was drafted during the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, which began on May 25, 1787. The Constitutional Convention was assembled due to concerns that the young nation was on the brink of collapse. America's first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, gave the Confederation Congress rule-making and funding powers, but it lacked enforcement powers and could not regulate commerce or print money. The delegates to the convention, representing diverse interests and views, created a powerful central government with a system of checks and balances.

The US Constitution has been amended several times since its inception. As of December 2014, over 11,600 proposals to amend the Constitution had been introduced in Congress since 1789. Of these, 33 amendments have been approved by Congress and sent to the states for ratification, with six failing to be ratified. The most recent amendment, the 27th Amendment dealing with congressional pay, was ratified in 1992.

The US Constitution is the world's oldest written national constitution still in use, with 7,762 words. However, it is not the oldest written document still governing a sovereign nation. That distinction belongs to the Leges Statutae Republicae Sancti Marini of San Marino, written in 1600, although some core documents of the San Marino constitution date back to 1300. The US Constitution is also not the first constitution in the New World. That distinction belongs to the "Fundamental Orders" adopted in 1639 in Hartford, Connecticut, which was the first constitution in the American colonies.

The first colonial constitution was the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, also known as the "Fundamental Orders", was the first constitution in the American colonies. It was adopted on January 14, 1639, by the Connecticut Colony council and representatives of Wethersfield, Windsor, and Hartford. The Fundamental Orders described the government set up by the Connecticut River towns, outlining its structure and powers. The region was settled by English Puritans from Massachusetts in the 1610s and 1630s, and the orders were inspired by Thomas Hooker's sermon of May 31, 1638.

The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut served as the basis for government in Connecticut until 1662, when they were superseded by a Royal Charter. The orders had the features of a written constitution and are considered by some authors to be the first written Constitution in the Western tradition. Connecticut earned its nickname, "The Constitution State," due to the Fundamental Orders. The document is notable as it assigns supreme authority in the colony to the elected general court, omitting any reference to the authority of the British Crown or other external authority.

The preamble of the Fundamental Orders was a covenant binding the three towns to be governed in all civil matters by the orders. It was a civil equivalent of a church covenant, with the Biblical covenant serving as the foundation for all Puritan organizations. The orders called for the convening of general courts every April and September, during which a governor and six magistrates were to be chosen. No man could serve as governor for more than one term every two years, a restriction that lasted until 1660.

The Fundamental Orders were drafted by Roger Ludlow of Windsor, the only trained lawyer in the colony. He may have been assisted by Hartford residents John Haynes, a former Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Edward Hopkins, and John Steel. There is no record of the debates or proceedings of the drafting or enactment of the Fundamental Orders, possibly because the framers wished to remain anonymous to avoid suspicion from England.

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The first Serbian constitution was the Nomocanon of Saint Sava

The first constitution in the world was the 'Articles of Confederation', America's first constitution. It gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it had no power to enforce these rules, nor could it regulate commerce or print money.

In Serbia, the first constitution was the Nomocanon of Saint Sava, also known as the 'Zakonopravilo'. It was compiled by Saint Sava, a Serbian prince and Orthodox monk, who became the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church. Saint Sava is regarded as one of the most important figures in Serbian history and is considered the founder of Serbian law.

Saint Sava's work on the Serbian Nomocanon began in 1208 and was completed in 1219. It was a compilation of civil law, based on Roman Law, and canon law, based on Ecumenical Councils. The Nomocanon was a completely new set of civil and canonical regulations, drawing from Byzantine sources but adapted by Saint Sava to fit the Serbian context. It included 70 chapters: six in the introduction, 44 on church law, and 20 on civil law. The basic purpose of this constitution was to organise the functioning of the young Serbian kingdom and the Serbian Church, thereby securing Serbia's political and religious independence.

The Nomocanon of Saint Sava was essential for religious independence and served as the highest code in the Serbian Orthodox Church. It was also implemented in Serbian civil code in 1844 and is still used in the Serbian Orthodox Church as the highest church code. The Nomocanon is a testament to Saint Sava's legacy and impact on Serbian history, law, and religion.

The first Venezuelan constitution was drafted in 1811

Venezuela is notable for being the first Spanish American colony to declare its independence. The country's first constitution was drafted in 1811, shortly after Venezuela's independence from Spain was declared on 5 July 1811. This was the first constitution of Venezuela and Latin America. It was promulgated and drafted by Cristóbal Mendoza and Juan Germán Roscio in Caracas and was sanctioned by the Constituent Congress of 1811 in the city of Caracas on 21 December 1811. It was overthrown on 21 July 1812 by the capitulation of Francisco de Miranda in San Mateo and was in force for exactly seven months.

The Constitution of Venezuela of 1811, also known as the Federal Constitution of the States of Venezuela, established a federal government and consecrated local-federal power, marking the beginning of a decentralized system of government in Venezuela. According to the Federalist system established in the Constitution, each region had the power to administer and govern itself autonomously, as long as it did not contradict the nation's principles. The Constitution of 1811 was also influenced by the political liberalism of the French Revolution and the American Constitution.

The First Republic of Venezuela, or the Primera República de Venezuela, lasted from 5 July 1811 to 25 July 1812. This period began with the overthrow of the Spanish colonial authorities and the establishment of the Junta Suprema de Caracas on 19 April 1810, initiating the Venezuelan War of Independence. The First Republic ended with the surrender of the republican forces to the Spanish Captain Domingo de Monteverde. Several European events, including the Napoleonic Wars, set the stage for Venezuela's declaration of independence.

Since the Constitution of the United States of America was ratified in 1787, close to 800 constitutions have been adopted and subsequently amended by independent states around the world. Venezuela's current constitution, adopted in 1999, is the country's twenty-sixth constitution.

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