Hi everyone, I'm Caroline. Something that makes the United States unique as a federal republic
is the fact that it is broken up into separate governments called states. Each state is unique
with unique histories and landscapes. Think about how diverse this country is. From the black,
sandy shores of Hawaii, to the high mountains of Montana, down in the swampy bayou of Louisiana,
up to the arctic glaciers of Alaska, the states of this country are as diverse as the people.
But how did the states come to be? Didn't we start as colonies?
And how do the state governments and federal government interact?
By the end of the lesson, you will be able to evaluate the state Constitution's influence
on the U.S. Constitution in terms of structure, principles, and purposes. Come along!
It may come as a surprise to you to find out that all 13 colonies turned into state governments.
It may be more of a surprise to you to know that some of these were technically states
before the Declaration of Independence was ever signed. Interesting, huh? You see,
four colonies drafted their constitutions before the Declaration of Independence,
and when a state constitution is drafted, statehood begins.
Now, out of all the states, New Hampshire was the first. Another little state, Massachusetts,
constructed perhaps the most complete and the longest ruling constitution still in effect today.
Little fun fact, Vermont was the first state to outlaw slavery.
Another interesting little fact you might not be aware of. These state constitutions served as the
blueprints for the federal constitution. All the state constitutions created three branches
of government. Legislative, executive, and judicial. Sounds familiar, right? Most state
legislative branches were bicameral, meaning two chambers. Most state executive branches had a
leader called a governor. Though some actually called the person in this position president.
Today, all state executives are called governors, and like the president in the federal government,
the early constitutions made sure to restrict their executive powers. So what about the state
judicial branches? Well, like the federal courts and the federal judicial branch, early judicial
branches were dependent upon other branches. Typically, the executive branch would appoint
people to the judicial branch, but sometimes the legislative did. In some cases, the legislative
and executive branch both appointed people to the judicial branch. It was a real toss of the dice.
Now, all the state governments considered the legislative branch to be the most
important branch. It was given the power of the purse, or the power to tax and spend money.
The legislative branch was elected through direct elections, rather than through appointments or
some other kind of indirect election. Most state constitutions also contained a bill of rights,
sometimes called the declaration of rights. Some state constitutions still have these inside of
them. Declarations of rights included things such as free press, free speech, and legal rights such
as a right to a jury, attorney, and the right to remain silent. And of course, as all you
brilliant students know, these key rights became essential in ratifying the U.S. Constitution.
Make sure your hard hat is on, because I'm going to throw some tough questions at your head
in this show what you know! How many branches of government do all state constitutions create?
How is each branch similar to the federal government?
What are some differences? Do state constitutions include individual rights?
So that's how the state constitutions were constructed, but we just looked at the blueprints.
If we were looking at the blueprints of a house, we wouldn't be able to see the wallpaper, the
furniture choice, the dining table. So let's look at all those parts, the principles inside of those
constitutions, and see how the states continue to influence the federal government's constitution.
First off, one of the main points of these constitutions was to establish the rule of law.
John Adams said that, "A republic is an empire of laws, not men." Well said, Mr. Adams.
Another important goal of these state constitutions was to make each state an
actual state ruled by its people. In other words, to establish each state's popular sovereignty,
and each state republic is constructed to offer more direct representation. Actually, some states
had elections not just for their legislative branch, but for their judicial and executive
branches as well. Today, many state constitutions have fully popular elections for all branches,
including for judges. State constitutions also guarantee local governments. The next facet of
these constitutions was federalism. Although federalism refers to the relationship between
federal and state governments, the early states created the template when they empowered and
guaranteed certain rights to local governments. These constitutions, to this day, continue to have
a number of checks and balances. The separation of powers, which includes the almighty veto,
helped to check the other branches. In fact, most early constitutions prevent judicial review.
Pull out the measuring tape! Let's see if all this is adding up.
Gotta make sure you measure up to these principles with a show what you know! What are the key
principles in the state constitutions? How do these compare with what you learned in unit 2?
So we have the blueprints. We have the furniture and what goes inside the house. Well,
what are these people going to do with this house anyway? Let's talk about the purpose of these
constitutions. The key purpose of each state is to directly represent the interests of its people,
and since they would be representing a smaller number of people, they would undoubtedly be more
democratic. Less people voting means more people getting what they want.
Since the states are smaller republics, that also means that traditionally
they are considered the place in which democracy is more clearly visible and accessible.
The first state constitutions set the precedence for later state
and the federal constitution to ensure justice and liberty for some of its people, and its
posterity. But as we have learned, many people did not enjoy the same rights and privileges.
This precedent was important in that it opened society up for further revolution.
Okay, and now we have to inspect this one house before we use the same plans
for an entire neighborhood. Gotta get this first one right with a show what you know!
First, what were the purposes of the original state constitutions?
Second, using your previous answers as well as what you know from unit 2,
specifically the Constructing the Constitution series, answer the following question. To what
degree did the first state constitutions influence the design of the United States Constitution?
Recap! The state constitutions were the first constitutions in
the nation to create republican governments. These constitutions
were the blueprints for the federal constitution because they created
three co-equal branches and established the key purpose of American government.
In the next lesson, we will explore modern state and legislative and executive branches.
But that's all for us today. Farewell, and as always remember to vote, debate, and participate