Omar Bennett
Rhode Island was the last state to ratify the US Constitution in 1790, and it did not adopt its own state constitution until 1842. The current Rhode Island Constitution was ratified in 1986 and has been amended 14 times.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of adoption | November 1842 (effective in May 1843) |
| Previous governance | Original royal charter granted in 1663 |
| Previous government type | Parliamentary |
| Current constitution | Adopted in 1986 |
| Number of constitutions | 2 |
| Number of amendments to current constitution | 14 |
| Last amendment | November 3, 2020 |
| First colony to renounce allegiance to King George III | May 4, 1776 |
| Date of ratification of the US Constitution | May 29, 1790 |
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![Constitution of the Rhode Island historical society 1871 [Leather Bound]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61IX47b4r9L._AC_UY218_.jpg)
What You'll Learn
Rhode Island was the last state to ratify the US Constitution in 1790
The Constitution of the State of Rhode Island is a document that outlines the structure and function of the government of the U.S. State of Rhode Island. Notably, Rhode Island was the last state to ratify the US Constitution in 1790, more than a year after it went into effect.
Rhode Island played a unique role in the drafting and ratification of the US Constitution. In 1787, Rhode Island was the only state that refused to send delegates to the Constitutional Convention. Instead, when asked to ratify the Constitution, Rhode Island sent the question to individual towns, asking them to vote. This was due to several reasons, including Rhode Island's concern that the Constitution gave too much power to the central government, and its desire to continue printing paper money, which would be banned under the new Constitution.
Rhode Island's opposition to the Constitution was largely due to the issuance of paper money by the governing Country Party, which came into power in an electoral revolution in 1786. This paper money, issued in Rhode Island pounds, was intended to pay off the state's Revolutionary War debt. However, it led to rampant inflation, making Rhode Island a symbol of what was wrong with the Confederation for many Americans. Opponents of state-issued paper currency called for a new Constitution that would ban it.
Between September 1787 and January 1790, Rhode Island's legislature rejected 11 attempts to ratify the Constitution. By 1790, Congress was losing patience, and on May 18, 1790, the Senate passed a bill to prohibit commercial intercourse with Rhode Island. Faced with this threat, Rhode Island finally ratified the Constitution on May 29, 1790, by a vote of 34 to 32.
It is ironic that Rhode Island, which played a key role in advancing the Constitution, was also the last state to ratify it. Despite its initial opposition, Rhode Island eventually capitulated and joined the Union.
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The state adopted its own constitution in 1842
The state of Rhode Island adopted its own constitution in 1842. This was a significant development, as prior to this, Rhode Island was governed by the 1663 Royal Charter. The Royal Charter restricted voting rights to a small group of elite, rural, landowning, native-born white males.
Two disenfranchised groups, in particular, immigrants and free African-American labourers, had been petitioning the General Assembly for the right to vote for decades. Their efforts came to a head with the Dorr Rebellion in the spring of 1842. Although the rebellion was led by middle-class urban white males, it forced conservative leaders in Rhode Island to consider the expansion of suffrage.
The new constitution extended universal suffrage to all native adult males, including black males, for the first time in Rhode Island's history, provided they met property-holding and residency requirements. However, it specifically prohibited members of the Narragansett Indian Tribe from voting. The constitution also continued the property requirement for voting that was established by the Royal Charter, which largely disenfranchised naturalized citizens, particularly Irish Catholics.
Another progressive feature of the 1842 constitution was that it outlawed slavery in Rhode Island. This was largely symbolic, as the 1840 census listed only five enslaved persons in the state. Nevertheless, it demonstrated a shift in the state's stance on slavery.
Rhode Island's constitution has undergone several amendments and revisions since its adoption in 1842. The state held constitutional conventions in 1944, 1951, 1955, 1958, 1964-69, and 1973 to discuss and propose changes to the document. In 1984, voters approved a referendum to call for a new Constitutional Convention, which resulted in the adoption of a new constitution in 1986. This constitution has been amended multiple times, with the most recent amendment approved by voters on November 3, 2020.
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The 1842 constitution extended universal male suffrage
The Constitution of the State of Rhode Island is a document that outlines the structure and function of the government of the U.S. State of Rhode Island. Before 1842, Rhode Island was governed by the 1663 Royal Charter, which restricted voting rights to a small number of elite, rural, landowning, native-born white males.
In the decades preceding 1842, two groups in particular—immigrants and free African-American labourers—had been petitioning the General Assembly for the right to vote. These issues came to a head with the Dorr Rebellion in the spring of 1842. Although the rebellion was led by middle-class urban white males, it forced conservative leaders in Rhode Island to consider the expansion of suffrage.
In April 1842, the "Law and Order" faction declared martial law in Providence and began to form a separate state militia to attack the "rebels". African American community leaders in Providence saw this as an opportunity to join white soldiers in integrated units and serve as police and firemen in Providence. This was a public relations coup for the local African American community, as they were praised in the newspapers for keeping Providence safe from the rebel threat.
In September 1842, a Constitutional Convention was held. When the constitution was put to a public vote in November 1842, a ballot question asked whether voting rights should be restricted to whites only. Voters rejected the restriction by a three-to-one margin, thus making Rhode Island the first state to grant suffrage to African Americans. The new constitution was ratified by an overwhelming vote of 7,024 to 51. The constitution became effective in May 1843.
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The 1984 constitution mentions God
The current Rhode Island Constitution was adopted in 1986. However, the history of the state's constitution dates back to the 17th century when Rhode Island was governed by the original 1663 Royal Charter. This charter restricted voting rights to a small group of elite, rural, landowning, native-born white males.
In 1841, Rhode Island held a constitutional convention, and in 1842, the state adopted its first constitution, which became effective in 1843. This constitution extended universal suffrage to all native adult males, including black males, for the first time in Rhode Island's history, provided they met property-holding and residency requirements.
In 1984, Rhode Island voters approved a referendum proposal to call a new Constitutional Convention, which was elected in November 1985 and convened in January 1986. The new constitution was ratified by voters in the general election of November 1986 and officially entered into the state archives on January 20, 1987.
The 1984 constitution, Rhode Island's second, begins by declaring that the people of the state are "grateful to Almighty God" and are looking to Him for a blessing upon our endeavors to secure and to transmit the same, unimpaired, to succeeding generations". This mention of God is not unique to Rhode Island's constitution, as God or the divine is mentioned in every state constitution in the United States. Rhode Island's constitution has been amended 14 times since its adoption in 1986, with voters most recently approving a new amendment on November 3, 2020.
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The 1986 constitution is the current constitution
The 1986 constitution is the second constitution in the history of the state. The first was adopted in 1842 and came into effect in 1843, replacing the 1663 Royal Charter, which had previously governed the state. The 1842 constitution extended universal suffrage to all native adult males, including black males, for the first time in Rhode Island's history, provided they met property-holding and residency requirements. However, it specifically prohibited members of the Narragansett Indian Tribe from voting. It also outlawed slavery in Rhode Island.
Rhode Island's journey to adopting its constitution was a long and tumultuous one. The state was the last to ratify the US Constitution in 1790, more than a year after it went into effect. Rhode Island had refused to send delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and boycotted the Philadelphia Convention in the summer of 1787. The state was strongly opposed to overturning the Articles of Confederation and any move that threatened state sovereignty. It also wanted guarantees that it would maintain control over its monetary policy and pursued an inflationary policy during and after the war, printing money to pay off its war debts. There was also opposition to the allowance of the importation of slaves within the new Constitution.
Rhode Island's lone defender in the House, John Page of Virginia, compared the bill to the Boston Port Act, an embargo enforced by the British before the American Revolution. The state finally ratified the Constitution by a narrow margin of 34-32 after the Senate passed a bill prohibiting trade between the member states of the Union and Rhode Island.
The 1986 constitution has been amended 14 times, with voters last approving a new amendment on November 3, 2020.
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Frequently asked questions
Rhode Island adopted its constitution in November 1842, which became effective in May 1843.
Prior to the 1842 constitution, Rhode Island was governed by the 1663 Royal Charter.
The 1842 constitution extended universal suffrage to all native adult males, including black males, for the first time in Rhode Island's history, provided they met property-holding and residency requirements. It also specifically prohibited members of the Narragansett Indian Tribe from voting. Another progressive feature was that it outlawed slavery in the state.
In 1984, Rhode Island voters approved a referendum proposal to call a new Constitutional Convention, which was elected in November 1985 and convened in January 1986.
The most recent constitution of Rhode Island was ratified by voters in the general election of November 1986.
