Wisconsin State Constitution
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SKU: WICon1848
A replica of the Wisconsin State Constitution, adopted in 1848. More details... |
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Product Details
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In the fall of 1846, 124 elected delegates met in Madison to prepare a constitution. Though most of the delegates were Democrats, they consisted of several warring factions that argued for ten weeks before finally agreeing on a draft. The economic and social problems of the time, especially those concerning banks and paper money, received the most attention from the convention delegates.
The convention concluded in December of 1846. Far more advanced and progressive than other states, Wisconsin's proposed constitution included a number of controversial articles. The 1846 constitution allowed immigrants who applied for citizenship to vote, granted married women the right to own property, and (perhaps most significant, and despite strong objections from politicians) made the question of black suffrage subject to popular referendum.
When voters rejected the first draft of (1846) of the Wisconsin constitution, a second constitutional convention was called in 1847. This convention produced a less controversial document that was approved on Feb. 1, 1848 and adopted by voters on March 13, 1848.
As soon as the document was approved by the delegates, newspaper publishers rushed copies of it into print so voters could evaluate it. The first printing appears to have been in the Potosi Republican on Feb. 10, 1848. Madison printers H.A. Tenney and Beriah Brown issued it in pamphlet form about the same time. This document is a reproduction of the Beriah Brown edition which, while laced with many printers' errors and textual inaccuracies, shows what contemporary residents read when they voted to endorse a Wisconsin constitution in 1848.
Since the constitution was signed in 1848, voters have made 139 amendments. Adding amendments is a process and not every amendment that is proposed is added to the Constitution. First, legislators must write out the change that is wanted. Then members of the legislature must vote to approve a change to the constitution. The legislature must do this twice in two different sessions. Voters must also vote yes or no to the amendment in an election.
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