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The 'Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' is the fundamental governing document of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It was written by John Adams, Samuel Adams, and James Bowdoin. The constitution was adopted in 1780 and is the oldest functioning written constitution in continuous effect in the world.
The Massachusetts Constitution was the last of the first set of the state constitutions to be written. Consequently, it was more sophisticated than many of the other documents. Among the improvements was the structure of the document itself: instead of just a listing of provisions, it had a structure of chapters, sections, and articles. This structure was replicated by the US Constitution. It also had substantial influence on the subsequent revisions of many of the other state constitutions. The Massachusetts Constitution has four parts: a preamble, a declaration of rights, a description of the framework of government, and articles of amendment.

Contents

Preamble

Part the First: A Declaration of the Rights of the Inhabitants of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Part the Second: The Frame of Government

Articles of Amendment

References

External links

Preamble

The preamble of the constitution bears some resemblance to the United States Constitution's in a few phrases near the end. It is as follows:

Part the First: A Declaration of the Rights of the Inhabitants of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

This part consists of thirty articles, the first of which states:
This article was later amended to substitute the word "people" for the word "men".

Part the Second: The Frame of Government

This part begins thus:

Articles of Amendment

As of 2003, there are 120 Articles of Amendment.

References

★ Speaking of John Adams, historian David McCullough, said, "... he also drafted the oldest written Constitution still in use in the world today -- the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, written 10 years before our own Constitution, and had great influence on the national Constitution." White House (Nov. 1, 2000), Remarks by the President and Historian David McCullough at Ceremony of 200th Anniversary of the White House. Press Release

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External links

★ Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (Full Text)