Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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foundational charter legal document state constitution

The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the foundational legal charter of the U.S. state of Massachusetts, outlining its governmental structure, citizens’ rights, and guiding principles.

Aliases (11)

Statements (49)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	foundational charter → legal document → state constitution →
adoptedBy	Commonwealth of Massachusetts →
amendmentProcess	amendable by constitutional amendment procedures →
appliesTo	Massachusetts →
coAuthor	James Bowdoin → Samuel Adams →
contains	Declaration of Rights →
country	United States →
dateAdopted	1780-10-25 →
defines	powers of the executive branch of Massachusetts → powers of the judicial branch of Massachusetts → powers of the legislative branch of Massachusetts → structure of the Massachusetts government →
draftedBy	James Bowdoin → John Adams → Samuel Adams →
draftingStarted	1779 →
establishes	Massachusetts General Court → Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court → office of the Governor of Massachusetts →
governs	Massachusetts state government →
guarantees	civil rights of Massachusetts citizens → freedom of religion in Massachusetts → freedom of the press in Massachusetts → right to trial by jury in Massachusetts →
hasAmendments	multiple constitutional amendments →
hasPart	Amendments → Part the First: A Declaration of the Rights of the Inhabitants of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts → Part the Second: The Frame of Government → Preamble →
influenced	United States Bill of Rights → other state constitutions →
inForce	true →
isOneOf	oldest functioning written constitutions in continuous effect →
jurisdiction	Commonwealth of Massachusetts →
language	English →
legalStatus	supreme law of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts →
officialName	Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts →
principalAuthor	John Adams →
providesFor	checks and balances in Massachusetts government → separation of powers in Massachusetts →
ratificationMethod	popular ratification through town meetings →
ratifiedBy	constitutional convention → town meetings in Massachusetts →
shortName	Massachusetts Constitution →
subjectOf	constitutional law scholarship →
tookEffectOn	1780-10-25 →

Referenced by (39)

Subject (surface form when different)	Predicate
Judiciary of Massachusetts → Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts → Massachusetts House of Representatives → Massachusetts Senate → Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives ("Massachusetts Constitution") →	constitutionalBasis
Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts ("Part the First: A Declaration of the Rights of the Inhabitants of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts") → Declaration of Rights (Massachusetts) ("Article I of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights") → Declaration of Rights (Massachusetts) ("Article II of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights") →	hasPart
Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts ("Massachusetts Constitution of 1780") → Massachusetts Attorney General ("Massachusetts Constitution") →	createdBy
Massachusetts House of Representatives ("Massachusetts Constitution of 1780") → Massachusetts state legislature →	establishedBy
Massachusetts General Court → The Commonwealth →	governingDocument
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court → Supreme Judicial Court ("Massachusetts Declaration of Rights") →	interprets
Massachusetts Governor's Council → Massachusetts state legislature →	legalBasis
Massachusetts General Laws ("Massachusetts Constitution") → The Commonwealth ("Commonwealth of Massachusetts Constitution") →	relatedTo
Massachusetts Superior Court ("Massachusetts Constitution") →	appliesLaw
Massachusetts State Representative →	authorityDerivedFrom
Supreme Judicial Court →	authorityFrom
Office of the Governor of Massachusetts ("Constitution of Massachusetts") →	authorizedBy
Charter of the City of Newton ("Massachusetts state constitution") →	conformsTo
Governor of Massachusetts ("Constitution of Massachusetts") →	constitutedBy
Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts →	constitutingInstrument
Government of Massachusetts →	constitutionalDocument
American state constitutions ("Constitution of Massachusetts (1780)") →	earliestExamplesInclude
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ("Massachusetts Constitution") →	hasAuthorityFrom
The Council →	hasConstitutionalBasisIn
Thoughts on Government ("Massachusetts Constitution") →	influenced
Maine Constitution ("Massachusetts Constitution of 1780") →	inspiredBy
Declaration of Rights (Massachusetts) ("Preamble and Part the First of the Massachusetts Constitution") →	location
President of the Massachusetts Senate ("Massachusetts Constitution") →	officeCreatedBy
Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts →	officialName
Declaration of Rights (Massachusetts) →	partOf
Thoughts on Government ("Massachusetts Constitution of 1780") →	relatedWork
Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts ("Massachusetts Constitution") →	shortName