- Constitutions explain what benefits and protections citizens get from government, and what rights they must give up to receive those benefits.
- While the United States Constitution has been under constant review and development since our country's inception, amended 27 times in our history, little attention has been given to the other 50 constitutions in the United States.
- Constitutions, be they federal or state, not only provide a framework for government to function, they also provide a contract that obligates citizens and their government.
- As citizens, we operate under two "contracts," our federal constitution and state constitution. State constitutions differ widely. For access to the majority of state constitutions, just click on “Other State Constitutions.”
- While the U.S. Constitution is not considered a detailed document (8,700 words), many state constitutions are verbose, Georgia's contained over 583,000 words at one time. The level of complexity in state constitutions may lead to confusion for its constituents. Florida's Constitution is over 25,000 words long.
- Many states such as Maine, Nevada, and Kansas have only had one constitution in their history, while other states have had several.
- Louisiana has had 11 constitutions in its history, the most recent taking effect in January 1975.
- Florida has had six Constitutions.
