Congress, and confederate states of america collection. Most of the confederate constitution is the same as the u. The constitution of the confederate states of america. Constitution of the confederate states of america, 1861. The prominent differences between the two were that the confederate constitution sought different guarantees of states rights and protected slavery as an institution. Constitution of the confederate states of america, 1861 idca. The constitution for the confederate states was of course what the u. The constitution of the confederate states of america was written when southern states seceded from the union. The confederate states of america, or simply known as the confederacy, was a breakaway republic formed by slaveholding states in 1861. Constitution of the confederate states of america kindle. The congress of delegates from the seceding southern states convened at montgomery, alabama, on february 4, 1861. The confederate handbook national liberty alliance. Constitution of the provisional government of the confederate states. Constitution of the confederate states of america by.
We, the people of the confederate states, each state acting in its sovereign and independent. Toregulate commercewith foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the indian tribes. Jan 06, 20 the confederate states of americas 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 constitution of the united states national archives. In broad outline, the confederate constitution is an amended u. The confederacy made a number of changes to the original. On march 11, 1861, delegates from the newly formed confederate states of america agreed on their own constitution. Aug 06, 2015 unlike the confederate states constitution, the united states constitution freely permitted states to abolish slavery. Constitution of the confederate states of america what was. Alexander stephens on slavery and the confederate constitution, 1861.
Constitution of the provisional government of the confederate. They believed that africanamericans were inferior to them. Mar 11, 2020 on march 11, 1861, delegates from the newly formed confederate states of america agreed on their own constitution. Although the constitution of the confederate states of america 1861 largely follows the outline of the u.
The constitution of the confederate states of america was written when southern states. The confederacys approach to the bill of rights, and specifically the first amendment, is noteworthy. 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. Some of the larger disparities deal with states rights and slavery. On march 11, 1861, the confederate states of america adopted the confederate states constitution. Confederates had to quickly create not only a government, but also a nation, including.
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. Confederate states constitution military wiki fandom. Permanent constitution of the confederate states of america, adopted by the confederate congress by confederate states of america. Mar 16, 2020 the constitution acted like a colossal merger, uniting a group of states with different interests, laws, and cultures. The original provisional constitution is currently located at the museum of. Constitution of the confederate states of america transcription. Confederate states constitution amendments confederate. Provisional constitution of the confederate states wikipedia. Publication date 1861 topics confederate states of america.
The confederacys approach to the bill of rights, and. Permanent constitution of the confederate states of. The provisional constitution of the confederate states, formally the constitution for the provisional government of the confederate states of america, was an agreement among all seven original states in the confederate states of america that served as its first constitution. Click to see the fact file below for more information on the confederate states or alternatively, you can download our 22 page confederate states worksheet pack. Carry copies of the entire constitution as a handy foldable booklet, or refer to one article or amendment at a time.
What were the differences between the us constitution and the. Mar 10, 2020 in montgomery, alabama, delegates from south carolina, mississippi, florida, alabama, georgia, louisiana, and texas adopt the permanent constitution of the confederate states of america. The confederate states adopted their permanent constitution on march 11, 1861. If the day ever came when slavery was eliminated voluntarily throughout the united states of america, not one word of the united states constitution would need to be changed, whereas slavery could never lawfully be abolished. This document followed the same format as the united states constitution and in many cases quoted it verbatim. Constitution of the confederate states of america what. Unlike the confederate states constitution, the united states constitution freely permitted states to abolish slavery. Confederate states of america constitution for the. Avalon project constitution of the confederate states. The constitution of the confederate states of america the confederate states, mike rothmiller on. 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. To obtain concurrence of other southern states, interstate commissioners have. The confederate states constitution provides much insight into the motivations for secession from the union. They quickly adopted a provisional constitution, and in less than a month, devised and approved.
The confederate states of america believed in several things that differed from the views of the north. The university of georgia has the original handwritten copies in its archives. 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. In conformity with the original south carolina plan 20, t he provisional con stitution was based on the united states cons titution 21. Here is a look at this littleknown third constitution that controlled the lives of about 9 million people for a short period of time.
The sons of confederate veterans is the legal, genealogical, and spiritual successor to the united confederate veterans and the united sons of confederate veterans. Pdf the constitution of the confederate states of america, 1861. Confederate states of america collection selected special. What the confederate states constitution says about slavery. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
Constitution of the confederate states of america the. Preamble to the 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. The confederate constitution of course, the confederate constitution never mentioned the right of a state to secede. Florida, the last of the original states, followed suit on april 22. The provisional constitution of the confederate states of america signed on february 8, 1861, created a compact among six deep south states. Constitution of the confederate states books of american. They quickly adopted a provisional constitution, and in less than a month, devised and approved a permanent constitution, which was adopted march 11, 1861.
All legislative powers herein del egated shall be vested in a congress of the confederate states, which shall consist of a senate and house of representatives. 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. Constitution of the confederate states of america the crittenden compromise 1860 pdf format ordinances of secession south carolina ordinance of secession pdf 1 south carolina ordinance of secession pdf 2 georgia ordinance of secession mississippi ordinance of secession texas ordinance of secession virginia ordinance of secession arkansas ordinance of secession alabama ordinance of secession. 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. 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. The confederacy also operated under a provisional constitution from february 8, 1861, to february 22, 1862. Linebyline comparison of the confederate constitution with the constitution of the united states. Slavery much of the south believed in the moral integrity of slavery. On this day, the confederate constitution is approved. Constitution of the confederate states of america by confederate states of america. The constitution of the sons of confederate veterans as amended july 15, 2016 richardson, texas 6page of 36 2.
To borrow money on the credit of the confederate states. We, the sons of confederate veterans, having been commissioned by the confederate veterans themselves, retain our responsibility and right to adhere to the founding principles of the united states of america remembering the bravery, defending the honor and protecting the memory of our beloved confederate veterans, which includes their memorials, images, symbols, monuments and grave sites. Oct 10, 2011 my interest it less in reprinting the confederate states constitution csc than in illustrating the differences between it and the us constitution usc. 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. The following is the complete text of the constitution of the confederate states of america, as adopted on march 11, 1861. Constitution of the confederate states of america what was changed. By the end of that year, states had ratified the new constitution. I discuss the confederate constitution and the difference between the two documents as part of the american. Constitution, it differs from it in a number of ways. Constitution ended the importation of slaves after 1808, the confederate constitution simply forbade it. The confederate constitution legally protected slavery in all confederate states and new territories that could have been acquired by the confederacy, stating that in all such territory, the institution of negro slavery as it now exists in the confederate states, shall be recognized and protected by congress, and by the territorial. The confederate csa constitution explained, or how to drain the swamp.
Difference between confederate and union constitution. Confederate constitution includes reference to god. The confederate constitution was adopted by the confederacy in opposition to the union and the united states constitution. Constitution of the confederate states of america the first. Confederate states of america constitution for the provisional government 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. The house of representatives shall be composed of members chosen. Confederate states of america, confederate states of america. Under the constitution of the confederate states of america. Constitution of the confederate states of america the crittenden compromise 1860 pdf format ordinances of secession south carolina ordinance of secession pdf 1 south carolina ordinance of secession pdf 2 georgia ordinance of secession mississippi ordinance of secession texas ordinance of secession virginia ordinance of secession arkansas ordinance of secession alabama ordinance of. The constitution of the confederate states was very similar to the constitution of the united states, but there were key differences. Confederate states of america, the government of 11 southern states that seceded from the union in 186061, following the election of abraham lincoln as u.
What were the differences between the us constitution and. The government established by this constitution is the successor of the provisional government of the confederate states of america, and all the laws passed by the latter shall continue in force until the same shall be repealed or modified. Abraham lincoln would be the first president of the federal union of the. In fact, the confederate constitution overrode any sovereign right to ban slavery in their individual state, due to the provisions that all confederate citizens had the right to bring their slaves to any part of the confederacy. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading constitution of the confederate states of. Every free white citizen of any one of the confederate states at the time of its ratification of this constitution, and every person born of parents domiciled in any of the states or territories of the confederate states, shall be deemed a citizen of the confederate states.
Confederate states of america collection library of congress. Be it ordained by the congress of the confederate states of america, that the second paragraph of the first section of the third article of the constitution of the confederate states of america be so amended in the first line of said paragraph as to read, each state shall, until otherwise enacted by law, constitute a district. The confederate states of americas 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. Confederate states of america constitution for the provisional government 1861 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. Under americas first national government, the articles of confederation, the states acted together only for specific purposes. The president had essentially the same duties as the us. 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. Slavery in the confederate constitution abbeville institute. Constitution of the provisional government of the confederate states of america. Articles in addition to, and amendment of the constitution of the confederate states of america, proposed by the convention of the states, and ratified by the legislatures of the several states, pursuant to the fifth article of the original constitution.
The confederate constitution university of georgia. The constitution of the united states preamble 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. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading constitution of the confederate states of america. This constitution, and the laws of the confederate states made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the confederate states, shall be the supreme law of the land. What did the confederate states of america believe. The confederate states constitution, formally the constitution of the confederate states of. From a patriotically illustrated bill of rights bookmark to a parchmentlook version of the constitution, you can easily reference the fundamental laws and governing documents of the united states of america. Constitution of the confederate states of america the u. The csa, prior to the constitution s passage, operated under a provisional constitution from february 8, 1861 to march 11, 1861. Avalon project confederate states of america constitution. The confederacy also operated under a provisional constitution from february 8, 1861 to march 11, 1861. Unlike the founding fathers of the united states constitution, who were too embarrassed to mention slavery by name in their document, the founding fathers of the confederate states constitution refer to slavery explicitly throughout. Other title congress of the provisional government contributor names confederate states of america. Constitution of the confederate states of america uga libraries.
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