Wisconsin's Constitution: Ratification And Its Historical Impact

The Wisconsin Constitution was ratified in 1848, making it the oldest U.S. state constitution outside of New England. The document was drafted in December 1847 at a constitutional convention in Madison, Wisconsin, and approved by the citizens of Wisconsin Territory in a referendum held in March 1848. Wisconsin was admitted to the United States on May 29, 1848, and the constitution went into effect on the same day. The Wisconsin Constitution has been amended over a hundred times, but the original document ratified in 1848 is still in use today.

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The Wisconsin Constitution was written at a convention in Madison, Wisconsin, in December 1847

The Wisconsin Constitution is the governing document of the U.S. State of Wisconsin. It establishes the structure and function of the state government, describes the state boundaries, and declares the rights of state citizens. The constitution consists of a brief preamble and is divided into fourteen subjects, called articles, which are further divided into sections.

The second proposed constitution was drafted in only seven weeks. Notably, it omitted any mention of women's property rights or black suffrage, instead granting suffrage to white native-born men, immigrant men who had declared their intention to become citizens, and Indians who had been admitted as U.S. citizens. The legislature was also allowed to charter banks after submitting the matter to a popular vote.

Although the Wisconsin Constitution has been amended over a hundred times, the original constitution ratified in 1848 is still in use. This makes it the oldest U.S. state constitution outside New England.

It was approved by Wisconsin voters in a referendum in March 1848

The Wisconsin Constitution was approved by Wisconsin voters in a referendum held in March 1848. This was the second attempt at a constitution, after the first was rejected by Wisconsin voters in April 1847. The second constitutional convention opened in December 1847 and concluded its work in February 1848. The new constitution was drafted in just seven weeks and omitted any mention of women's property rights or black suffrage, instead granting suffrage to white native-born men, immigrant men who had declared their intention to become citizens, and Native Americans who had been admitted as US citizens. The legislature was also allowed to charter banks after submitting the matter to a popular vote. Wisconsin was admitted to the United States on May 29, 1848, and the constitution went into effect on the same day. Although it has been amended over a hundred times, the original constitution ratified in 1848 is still in use, making it the oldest US state constitution outside New England.

Wisconsin was admitted to the United States on May 29, 1848

The Wisconsin Constitution established the structure and function of the state government, described the state boundaries, and declared the rights of state citizens. It consisted of a brief preamble and fourteen articles, each further divided into sections. The constitution has been amended over a hundred times, but the original document ratified in 1848 is still in use, making it the oldest U.S. state constitution outside New England.

The Wisconsin Constitution was drafted in English, but it was also translated into other languages for publication in newspapers. One notable issue addressed in the constitution was banking, which was put to a public vote. The legislature was allowed to charter banks after submitting the matter to a popular vote. Another important aspect of the constitution was suffrage, which was granted to white native-born men, immigrant men who had declared their intention to become citizens, and Native Americans who had been admitted as U.S. citizens. Notably, the previous version of the constitution, drafted in 1846, had included provisions for women's property rights and African American suffrage, but these were omitted from the final version ratified in 1848.

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The Wisconsin Constitution is divided into fourteen subjects, called articles

The Wisconsin Constitution was ratified in 1848, making it the oldest U.S. state constitution outside of New England. The document was drafted at a constitutional convention held in Madison, Wisconsin, in December 1847 and approved by the citizens of Wisconsin Territory in a referendum held in March 1848. Wisconsin was admitted to the United States on May 29, 1848, and the constitution went into effect on the same day.

The Wisconsin Constitution is the second document to be proposed as the state constitution. The first constitutional convention was held in October 1846, but the resulting document was rejected by Wisconsin voters in April 1847. This initial version contained several provisions that were deemed radical at the time, including granting married women the right to own property and allowing for a public referendum to settle the issue of African American suffrage.

The second constitutional convention opened in December 1847 and concluded its work in February 1848. This version of the constitution was more moderate and omitted any mention of women's property rights or black suffrage. Instead, suffrage was limited to white native-born men, immigrant men who had declared their intention to become citizens, and Indians who had been admitted as U.S. citizens.

Although the Wisconsin Constitution has been amended over a hundred times, the original constitution ratified in 1848 is still in use today. It is available on the Wisconsin State Legislature website and is published in each edition of the official Wisconsin Statutes and Annotations.

The issue of banking was put to a public vote

The Wisconsin Constitution was ratified in 1848, making it the oldest U.S. state constitution outside of New England. The issue of banking was put to a public vote, with citizens deciding whether the state legislature could pass laws allowing banking after the constitution was ratified. The second proposed constitution was finished in December 1847 and approved by the public in March 1848. During the same election, voters also chose to allow the legislature to charter banks.

The Wisconsin Constitution was written at a constitutional convention held in Madison, Wisconsin, in December 1847. This was the second constitutional convention, as the first constitution, drafted in October 1846, was rejected by Wisconsin voters in April 1847. The second convention concluded its work in February 1848, and the new constitution was approved by Wisconsin voters in March 1848. It went into effect on May 29, 1848, when Wisconsin was formally admitted to the Union.

The Wisconsin Constitution has been amended over a hundred times, but the original constitution ratified in 1848 is still in use. It establishes the structure and function of state government, describes state boundaries, and declares the rights of state citizens. The constitution was drafted in English, but was also translated into other languages for publication in newspapers. The Wisconsin Constitution consists of a brief preamble and is divided into fourteen subjects, called articles, with each article further divided into sections.

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