
Maine was the 23rd state to be accepted into the Union in 1820, with the 1819 Constitution as its fundamental governing document. The Maine Constitution was approved by Congress on March 4, 1820, as part of the Missouri Compromise, since the Maine Constitution did not recognise slavery. The State of Maine was previously the District of Maine in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date Maine Constitution was approved by Congress | 4 March 1820 |
| Date Maine Constitution was written | October 1819 |
| Date Maine Constitution was approved by voters | 1819 |
| Date Maine was accepted into the Union | 1820 |
| Position of Maine Constitution among other state constitutions | Fourth-oldest operating state constitution |
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What You'll Learn
- Maine was previously the District of Maine in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- The Maine Constitution was approved by Congress on March 4, 1820
- The Maine Constitution was written over a three-week period in 1819
- Maine was accepted into the Union in 1820 as the 23rd state
- The Maine Constitution is the fourth-oldest operating state constitution in the country

Maine was previously the District of Maine in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
The Maine Constitution is the fourth-oldest operating state constitution in the country. William King may have authored the largest part of the Maine Constitution, as he was the president of the Constitutional Convention and later elected Maine's first Governor. Other authors of the constitution were Thomas Jefferson, John Chandler, Albion K. Parris, William Pitt Preble, and John Holmes. Thomas Jefferson authored the section of Article VIII on education.
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The Maine Constitution was approved by Congress on March 4, 1820
Maine was accepted into the Union in 1820 as the twenty-third state in the Union, with the 1819 constitution as its fundamental governing document. The Maine Constitution is the fourth-oldest operating state constitution in the country.
The Massachusetts vote also included an innovation with broad significance. John Hancock shifted his initial opposition to the Constitution and led the move toward ratification. Satisfied that certain amendments protecting individual rights were going to be considered by the first new Congress that would meet should the Constitution become law, this compromise helped carry the narrow victory in Massachusetts and was adopted by every subsequent state convention to ratify (except Maryland).
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The Maine Constitution was written over a three-week period in 1819
Several referenda were held (1792, 1797, 1816, 1819) testing voter sentiment for separation from Massachusetts. The Maine Constitution was eventually written over a three-week period in 1819 by a convention of delegates during the statehood movement following the Revolutionary War and approved by voters the same year. Maine was then accepted into the Union in 1820 as the twenty-third state in the Union, with the 1819 constitution as its fundamental governing document.
The Maine Constitution is the fourth-oldest operating state constitution in the country. William King may have authored the largest part of the Maine Constitution, as he was the president of the Constitutional Convention and later elected Maine's first Governor. Other authors of the constitution were Thomas Jefferson, John Chandler, Albion K. Parris, William Pitt Preble, and John Holmes. Thomas Jefferson authored the section of Article VIII on education.
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Maine was accepted into the Union in 1820 as the 23rd state
The Maine Constitution was written over a three-week period in 1819 by a convention of delegates during the statehood movement following the Revolutionary War. It was approved by voters the same year and by all 210 delegates to the Maine Constitutional Convention, which was held in October 1819 in Portland, Maine.
The Maine Constitution is the fourth-oldest operating state constitution in the country. It was written following several referenda (in 1792, 1797, 1816 and 1819) testing voter sentiment for separation from Massachusetts. William King may have authored the largest part of the Maine Constitution, as he was the president of the Constitutional Convention and later elected Maine's first Governor. Other authors of the constitution were Thomas Jefferson, John Chandler, Albion K. Parris, William Pitt Preble, and John Holmes. Thomas Jefferson authored the section of Article VIII on education.
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The Maine Constitution is the fourth-oldest operating state constitution in the country
The Maine Constitution was written over a three-week period in 1819 by a convention of delegates during the statehood movement following the Revolutionary War. It was approved by voters the same year and by all 210 delegates to the Maine Constitutional Convention, which was held in October 1819 in Portland, Maine.
Maine was accepted into the Union in 1820 as the twenty-third state in the Union, with the 1819 constitution as its fundamental governing document. Several referenda were held (1792, 1797, 1816, 1819) testing voter sentiment for separation from Massachusetts.
William King may have authored the largest part of the Maine Constitution, as he was the president of the Constitutional Convention and later elected Maine's first Governor. Other authors of the constitution were Thomas Jefferson, John Chandler, Albion K. Parris, William Pitt Preble, and John Holmes. Thomas Jefferson authored the section of Article VIII on education.
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Frequently asked questions
Maine ratified the constitution on March 4, 1820.
Maine was the 23rd state to enter the Union, and its constitution was the fourth-oldest operating state constitution in the country.
The Maine Constitution was written over a three-week period in 1819 by a convention of delegates during the statehood movement following the Revolutionary War. It was approved by all 210 delegates to the Maine Constitutional Convention, which was held in October 1819 in Portland, Maine, and then by voters the same year.



















