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
Florida became subject to the military authority of the federal government in 1867. Pursuant to an Act of Congress, General John Pope, Commander of the Third Military District, issued an order on April 8, 1867, dividing the 39 counties of the State into 19 districts for the election of delegates to a convention to frame a new State Constitution. The Constitution had to conform with the Federal Constitution and with the 13th and 14th Amendments. The Convention met in Tallahassee on January 20, 1868. As the Convention began its functions, bitter factions were formed. "The radical delegates were in the vast majority and backed by a large militant black electorate." For two weeks, the "radical" and "moderate" factions, the latter "a powerful organized lobby of Southern planters, Northern capitalists, and capitalists", debated. "Moderates", under the leadership of future governor Harrison Reed, tried to give the sparsely populated white counties the same voting power as the heavily populated black counties. However, the "radicals" (28 of the 46 elected delegates, 18 of which were black and at least 15 of were former slaves, literate, "gentlemen," and "eloquent" as a Northern reporter who was present described them,), would not agree to this.