Wednesday, May 17, 2017

The Journal (11)

"Friday the 13th day of April 1792"

"The Convention met according to Adjournment"

"Resolved That this Convention do now according to the order of the day resolve itself in a Committee of the whole to take into farther consideration the matters to them referred Mr. Garrard was elected to the Chair and after some time spent The President resumed the Chair and the Chairman reported that the matters to them referred and come to sundry resolutions thereon, which he delivered in at the Clerk's Table where they were twice read, some of them amended & then the whole agreed to as follows viz..."

Thus begins the foundation for the first constitution of the State of Kentucky.  The Journal gives a series of "Resolved" lasting several pages which was then written as the first constitution.  To give you some idea of this document I will give a few of the first resolutions.

"Resolved That the power of Government ought to be divided into three distinct departments each of them to be confided to a seperate body of Magistracy Towit, those which are legislative to one, those which are executive and those which are judiciary to another except such cases as may hereafter be particularly excepted."

"Resolved That the legislative power ought to be vested in a General Assembly to consist of a senate and a house of Representatives."

"Resolved That all free male citizens who have arrived to the age of Twentyone years who have been resident in the State two years or the County in which they offer to vote for one year before, ought to enjoy the right of suffrage but no person shell be entitled to vote but in the County in which he actually resides."

The resolutions continue on the next five pages of the text, and a select Committee was appointed to prepare a formal document which became the Constitution.