Constitution of Florida
Florida's first constitution as a U.S. territory was written and implemented in 1838. On March 3, 1845, Florida was granted admission into the Union as the 27th state. The current Constitution of Florida was ratified on November 5, 1968, and has been modified by initiative and referendum several times since.
Constitution of Florida
Two constitutions were submitted to General Meade; the Committee on Reconstruction adopted the "moderate" one, on Meade's recommendation. Through the reapportionment, less than a fourth of voters could elect a majority of the State Senate, and less than a third the Assembly. As said in a letter to Senator David Yulee, "Under our Constitution the Judiciary & State officers will be appointed & the apportionment will prevent a negro legislsture." Freedmen's Bureau agent William J. Furman later bragged that he had prevented Florida from being "niggerized".