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

Late in 1966, the constitution was revised to provide for automatic succession of the vice president should the president die in office.

Under the 1961 constitution ( revised in 1975 and rewritten in 1991 ), Gabon became a republic with a presidential form of government.

A transitional constitution was drafted in May as an outgrowth of a national political conference in March-April and later revised by a constitutional committee.

Late in 1966, the constitution was revised to provide for automatic succession of the vice president should the president die in office.

The revised constitution of May 11, 1957, omitted reference to the French Union, though close educational, health and technical ties with the former colonial power persisted.

The constitution gave the president veto power over any legislation approved by parliament, virtually ensuring that the 6: 5 ratio would not be revised in the event that the population distribution changed.

On December 13, 1974, the constitution was revised, and Malta became a republic within the Commonwealth, with executive authority vested in the President of Malta which can be exercised directly or through officers subordinate to him.

After the Dutch constitution was revised in 1948, a new interim Constitution of the Netherlands Antilles was enacted in February 1951.

The constitution of December 1992 was revised by national referendum on 12 May 1996 and, again, by referendum, recised to the current version on 18 July 1999.

* 1848 – A greatly revised Dutch constitution, drafted by Johan Rudolf Thorbecke, severely limiting the powers of the Dutch monarchy, and strengthening the powers of parliament and ministers, is proclaimed.

( The constitution was most recently revised by a national referendum on October 18 – 19, 2003, again plagued by fraud accusations made by internal and international observers.

The revised constitution dictated the Second Republic to take the form of a parliamentary cabinet system where the President took only a nominal role.

Subsequently the constitution was revised to provide that where the Regent and the Authorised Person are not in agreement on any matter, the matter shall be referred to Bantfwabenkhosi ( princes ) and chiefs.

Paragraph 19 of the revised constitution of 1874 extended the definition of the federal army to every able-bodied male citizen, swelling the size of the army ( at least in theory ) from under 150, 000 to more than 700, 000, with population growth during the 20th century rising further to some 1. 5 million, the second largest armed force per capita after the Israeli Defence Forces.

The lengthened and revised pastoral constitution on the Church in the modern world, Gaudium et Spes, was followed by decrees on missionary activity, Ad Gentes and the ministry and life of priests, Presbyterorum Ordinis.

ZANU-PF Robert Mugabe, elected Prime Minister in 1980, revised the constitution in 1987 to make himself President.

* November 3 – A greatly revised Dutch constitution is proclaimed.

During the drafting of the revised constitution the wording intentionally excluded the Bahá ' ís from protection as a religious minority.

The revised constitution provided limited self-government, primarily through the Legislative Council.

The 1976 constitution, which defined Portugal as a " Republic ... engaged in the formation of a classless society ," was revised in 1982, 1989, 1992, 1997, 2001, and 2004.

The constitution as it was revised on 11 October 1848 is often described as the original of the version still in force today.