But though the Southern States, when drafting a constitution to unite themselves, narrowed the difference to this fine point by omitting to assert the right to secede, the fact remained that by seceding from the Union they had already acted on the concept that it was composed primarily of sovereign states.

Slavery was prohibited in Massachusetts by the terms of the constitution of 1780, which declared `` all men are born free and equal ''.

The Articles of Confederation, formally the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement among the 13 founding states that established the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states and served as its first constitution.

It was an era of constitution writing — most states were busy at the task — and leaders felt the new nation must have a written constitution, even though other nations did not.

Its constitution was ratified 1966 and came into effect 1967.

By the middle of the 19th century, industrialisation swept away most of the city's medieval rules of production and commerce, although the entirely corrupt remains of the city's mediæval constitution was kept in place ( compare the famous remarks of Georg Forster in his Ansichten vom Niederrhein ) until 1801, when Aachen became the " chef-lieu du département de la Roer " in Napoléon's First French Empire.

Though he was destined to be a strongly counter-reforming emperor, Alexander had little prospect of succeeding to the throne during the first two decades of his life, as he had an elder brother, Nicolas, who seemed of robust constitution.

Following the 1831 Nat Turner slave rebellion, a state convention was called to pass a new constitution, including provisions to disfranchise free people of color.

The constitution was submitted for a public vote and Johnson campaigned for its adoption ; his support of the new work provided him with additional positive statewide exposure.

It is most usual to date Athenian democracy from Cleisthenes, since Solon's constitution fell and was replaced by the tyranny of Peisistratus, whereas Ephialtes revised Cleisthenes ' constitution relatively peacefully.

In 317 BC he returned with an army of mercenaries under a solemn oath to observe the democratic constitution which was then set up.

Each signed the league's constitution, and the National League was officially born.

In 2002, O ' Donohue launched a court action that argued the Act of Settlement violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but the case was dismissed by the court, which found that, as the Act of Settlement is part of the Canadian constitution, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms does not have supremacy over it.

A petition proposing a radical change in the German constitution and expressing his basic social ideas ( signed by Herman Hesse, among others ) was widely circulated.

As another consequence of the disturbances, a new constitution was accepted in 1831 which came into effect on 4 September of that year.

The constitution was more conservative than other constitutions existing at this time in the German Union.

A new constitution was adopted in 2007 ( the Virgin Islands Constitution Order, 2007 ) and came into force when the Legislative Council was dissolved for the 2007 general election.

The Head of Government under the new constitution is the Premier ( prior to the new constitution the office was referred to as Chief Minister ), who is elected in a general election along with the other members of the ruling government as well as the members of the opposition.

A European-African advisory council was formed in 1951, and the 1961 constitution established a consultative legislative council.

* Constitution of 1891 – the republic was proclaimed in 1889, but a new constitution was not promulgated until 1891.

The constitution was approved by referendum in 1991.

After conflict over the 1970 constitution, a new constitution was written and approved in 1977, and Lamizana was reelected by open elections in 1978.

The constitution first approved in 1980 and substantially revised in 1992 forms the basis of government organization.

Chile's constitution was approved in a national plebiscite held in September 1980.

__NOTOC__The current Political Constitution of the Republic of Chile, approved by Chilean voters in a controversial and tightly controlled plebiscite on September 11, 1980, under the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, partially effective March 11, 1981, fully effective 11 March 1990 and amended considerably on August 17, 1989 ( via referendum ) and on September 22, 2005 ( legislatively ), and also in 1991, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010, replaced the earlier constitution of 1925.

According to results released in January 2006, the constitution was approved by 84 % of voters.

Two founding documents emerged from this: The Transition Constitution, and the Global and Inclusive Agreement, both of which describe and determine the make-up and organization of the Congolese institutions, until planned elections in July 2006, at which time the provisions of the new constitution, democratically approved by referendum in December 2005, will take full effect and that is how it happened.

The country's current constitution was approved in April 2010.

The electorate approved the current constitution in September 1992.

On September 30, 2007, Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party approved a resolution asserting a separate identity from China and called for the enactment of a new constitution for a " normal nation ".

Two months later, the Junta approved a constitution for the state of Quito that provided for democratic governing institutions but also granted recognition to the authority of Ferdinand should he return to the Spanish throne.

During the course of the two occupations legal institutions, elected according to the constitution approved by the people, were removed from power.

Dollfuss staged a parliamentary session with just his party members present in April 1934 to have his new constitution approved, effectively the second constitution in the world espousing corporatist ideas ( after that of the Portuguese Estado Novo ).

In January 1962, the cabinet finally approved the text of the new constitution, promulgated by President Ayub Khan on March 1, 1962 and finally came into effect on June 8, 1962.

It was formally approved on 8 May 1949, and, with the signature of the Allies of World War II on 12 May, came into effect on 23 May, as the constitution of those states of West Germany that were initially included within the Federal Republic.

In 1990, Guineans approved by referendum a new constitution that inaugurated the Third Republic, and established a Supreme Court.

The single-party assembly approved a new constitution, elected President Vieira to a new 5-year term, and elected a Council of State, which was the executive agent of the ANP.

This constitution was approved by a plebiscite in 1919, in which less than 5 % of the population voted.

In 1935 he forced through the legislature a new constitution, which was also approved by plebiscite.

A new constitution was approved in 1982 and the PLH government of Roberto Suazo assumed power.

Albanians approved its constitution through a popular referendum which was held in November 1998, but which was boycotted by the opposition.

The constitution, approved and promulgated on November 11, 1962, calls for direct elections to a unicameral parliament ( the National Assembly ).