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
The new constitution legitimized a poll tax as a prerequisite for voting (Article VI, Section 8), thus effectively causing disfranchisement of blacks and many poor whites. By 1888, voter turnout had decreased by 27%, and additional provisions were adopted that further suppressed voters registration and turnout. This constitution mandated racial segregation in schools (Article XII, Section 12), and prohibited marriage between "a white person and a person of negro descent" (Article XVI, Section 24).