Constitution, bill of rights, declaration of independence, and other rights laid out by america s founders. Davis wrote most of this book while staying at beauvoir along the mississippi gulf coast near biloxi, mississippi. The statutes at large of the provisional government of the confederate states of america, from the institution of the government, february 8, 1861, to its termination, february 18, 1862, inclusive. This site offers free, printable versions of the founding documents of our republic, including the u. Pdf the constitution of the united states of america. Constitution of the confederate states of america, 1861 idca. We, the deputies of the sovereign and independent states of south carolina, georgia, florida, alabama, mississippi, and louisiana, invoking the favor of almighty god, do hereby, in behalf of these states, ordain and establish this constitution for the provisional government of the same. We the people of the united states, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the united states of america. This means that each state legislature is free to make their own decisions except. The constitution of the confederate states of america. Constitution of the confederate states books of american.
The confederate states constitution, formally the constitution of the confederate states of america, was the supreme law of the confederate states, as adopted on march 11, 1861, and in effect from february 22, 1862, through the conclusion of the american civil war. Amendment 12, 1 page 787 kb constitution of the united states of america. The text in bold can be used to compare this preamble with the preamble of the u. Richmond, 1864, by confederate states of america senate page images at hathitrust resolutions declaring the supremacy of the civil over the military law. Confederate states of america collection selected special. The constitution for the confederate states of america. The confederate states of america s supreme law was the constitution of the confederate states of america csa adopted on march 11, 1861, and in effect through the conclusion of the american civil war. The following is the complete text of the constitution of the confederate states of america, as adopted on march 11, 1861. The montgomery convention that drafted the constitution chose not to create an entirely new document, but instead to copy and revise the united states constitution of 1787. The south made a new country, the confederate states of america. Free download or read online the constitution of the united states of america pdf epub book. The confederate states of america was a confederacy of states that seceded from the united states in 1860 and 1861.
The first edition of the novel was published in 1787, and was written by founding fathers. Amendment 11, 1 page 762 kb constitution of the united states of america. The confederate states adopted their permanent constitution on march 11, 1861. A short history of the confederate states of america download. The csa, prior to the constitution s passage, operated under a provisional constitution from february 8, 1861 to march 11, 1861.
The statutes at large of the provisional government of the. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading constitution of the confederate states of america. Constitution of the confederate states of america by confederate states of america. While much of it was a wordforword duplicate of the united states constitution, it reflected a stronger philosophy of states rights, curtailing the power of the central authority, and also contained explicit protection of the institution of slavery, though international slave trading. Constitution of the confederate states of america kindle. The main characters of this history, non fiction story are. Carry copies of the entire constitution as a handy foldable booklet, or. In framing the constitution of the confederate states, the authors adopted, with numerous elisions and additions, the language of the constitution of the united states, and followed the same order of arrangement of articles and sections. Constitution of the confederate states of america kindle edition by provisional government. Get a free copy of the constitution of the united states.
Free constitution of the united states of america to demonstrate the full features of the ecompress. The confederate states constitution provides much insight into the motivations for secession from the union. Publication date 1861 topics confederate states of america. Constitution of the confederate states of america, 1861.
Together with the constitution for the provisional government, and the permanent constitution of the confederate states, and the treaties concluded by the. Constitution, with notable exceptions, some of which are excerpted here. One mans selfless quest to rewrite the constitution of the united states of america the. Confederate states, shall be allowed to vote for any officer, civil or polit ical, state or federal. The confederacy also operated under a provisional constitution from february 8, 1861, to february 22, 1862. The constitution of the united states is the supreme law of the united states of america. The house of representatives shall be composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the several. Confederate states of america wikisource, the free. One of 100 copies ordered to be printed of the final draft of the confederate constitution, this copy was printed for the use of the committee on. Constitution of the confederate states of america we, the people of the confederate states, each state acting in its sovereign and independent character, in order to form a permanent federal government, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterityinvoking the favor and guidance of almighty goddo ordain and establish this.
Constitution of the confederate states of america the u. The statutes at large of the provisional government of the confederate states of america. A short history of the confederate states of america is a memoir written by jefferson davis, completed shortly before his death in 1889. Hear and read the text of the preamble to the constitution of the confederate states of america. Some of the larger disparities deal with states rights and slavery.
We, the people of the confederate states, each state acting in its sovereign and independent character, in order to form a permanent federal government, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterityinvoking the favor and guidance of almighty goddo ordain and establish this constitution for the confederate states of america. Numbers three through twelve were adopted by the states to become the united states u. Our leaders swear to uphold it, our military to defend it. The university of georgia has the original handwritten copies in its archives. Read first, second, and third times and engrossed, and unanimously adopted. Carry copies of the entire constitution as a handy foldable booklet, or refer to one article or amendment at a time.
Confederate states of america the confederate states of america came into existence on 4 february 1861, when delegates from the six deep south states that had departed the federal union by that date south carolina, mississippi, florida, georgia, alabama, and louisiana assembled in montgomery, alabama, to form a southern confederacy. The confederacy was originally formed by seven secessionist slaveholding states south carolina, mississippi, florida, alabama, georgia, louisiana, and texasin the lower south region of the united states, whose economy. We, the people of the united states, in order to form a. Preamble constitution of the confederate states of.
The original document, along with many other documents of the confederacy, was found at a train station in 1865 by a wartime correspondent, felix defontaine. The constitution of the confederate states of america, 1861 summary the confederate constitution of 1861 has been an important development in american constitutional law. On march 11, 1861, the confederate states of america adopted the confederate states constitution. The constitution of the confederate states of america 1861. The constitution of the confederate states of america was written when southern states seceded from the union.
The constitution of the united states of america and the constitution of the confederate states of america by constitutional convention, the confederate provisional congress accessibility books library as well as its powerful features, including thousands and thousands of title from favorite author, along with the capability to read or download. It was dissolved after the defeat of its armies in the american civil war in 1865. No person shall be a represen tative, who shall not have attained the age of twentyfive years, and be a citizen of the confederate states, united states of america. The text of the csa constitution was verified at the university of oklahoma and the library of congress and was marked up for web display by steve mount. All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a congress of the united states, which shall consist of a senate and house of representatives.
We, the people of the united states, in order to form a more per. The first three articles of the constitution establish the rules and separate powers of the three branches of the federal government. The confederate states constitution, formally the constitution of the confederate states of. Constitution of the provisional government of the confederate states of america.
Personal experiences in the united states and confederate states armies a railroad atlas of the united states in 1946. We, the people of the confederate states, each state acting in its sovereign and independent character, in order to form a permanent federal government, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterityinvoking the favor and guidance of almighty goddo ordain and establish this constitution for the confederate states of america. Constitution of the provisional government of the confederate states of america montgomery, al. Also available in digital form on the library of congress web site.
Its a fictional tongueincheek account of an alternate history in which the confederates won the american civil war, establishing the new. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. On march 11, 1861, delegates from the newly formed confederate states of america agreed on their own constitution. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 30 pages and is available in paperback format. Confederate states of america constitution for the provisional government 1861 we, the deputies of the sovereign and independent states of south carolina, georgia, florida. Constitution of the united states free downloads and. In all such territory the institution of negro slavery, as it now exists in the confederate states, shall be recognized and protected be congress and by the territorial government. On this day, the confederate constitution is approved national. Shorter and reid, printers, 1861, by confederate states of america multiple formats at page images at hathitrust. The bill of rights on september 25, 1789, congress transmitted to the state legislatures twelve proposed amendments to the constitution. The constitution for the confederate states of america was the supreme law of the confederate states of america. The constitution of the confederate states of america, 1861.
The bill of rights constitution of the united states. Out of need, the confederacy employed both free and enslaved blacks at a higher rate during the war, using blacks to support the troops with. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. It was completed on march 11, 1861, with its adoption by the constitutional convention in montgomery, alabama, and was later ratified by. By confederate states constitution of the confederate states of america by confederate states adopted on march 11, 1861, the constitution of the confederate states of america was the supreme law of the southern states during the american civil war. We, the people of the confederate states, each state acting in its sovereign and independent character, in order to form a permanent federal government, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity invoking the favor and guidance of almighty god. This document followed the same format as the united states constitution and in many cases quoted it verbatim. Flag of the confederate states of america third and final version, from march 1865 onwards. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.
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