AG 8.A

Unit VIII Part A: Ohio's Constitution: The Branches of Government

The Northwest Ordinance

The Constitutional Convention of 1851

To under stand out state, it's constitution and it's governments, we need

to look at its creation.

Ohio Country: Name used in the 18th century for the regions of North

America west of the Appalachian Mountains and in the region of the upper Ohio River south of Lake Erie.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787: Law that set up the parameters for new states

from the Northwest Territory to enter the US:

a) New States must be formed instead of expanding old ones

b) Slavery was forbidden in new states

c) 60,000 people are needed to petition congress for admission to

the Union.

Although Ohio's population numbered only 45,000 in December 1801,

Congress determined that the population was growing rapidly and Ohio could begin the path to statehood.

By 1850 many Ohioans believed it was time to change the Constitution.

New issues had arisen that the writers of the first constitution had not foreseen. The Ohio General Assembly had been given a lot of power. They could appoint judges and all government officials short of the governor

The new constitution made several changes:

1) The Ohio Constitution of 1851 gave Ohio voters the right to elect the

governor, other high-ranking state officials, and judges.

2) Rather than having only two levels of courts within the state, a third

level of district courts was added .

3) An overwhelming majority of the delegates voted against extending

suffrage to African-American men and women of all races. As such, only adult white men who had resided in the state for at least one year could vote.

To go into effect, Ohio voters had to approve the constitution. They did so

overwhelmingly on June 17, 1851. Although numerous amendments have been made over the years, the Constitution of 1851 remains the fundamental law of Ohio.

Ohio's Statehood

Constitution of 1803

In November 1802, thirty-five delegates convened to draft an Ohio state

constitution. In order for Ohio to become a state in the United States, representatives of the territory had to submit a constitution to the United States Congress for approval.

Since the Democratic-Republicans controlled the convention, Ohio's first

state constitution established a relatively weak government with the legislative branch holding most of the power:

1) The governor's term was for two years and he did not have the

power to veto acts of the legislature.

2) The legislature was called the Ohio General Assembly and consisted

of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

3) Representatives served only a single year before having to be

reelected, while senators served two years.

4) The General Assembly had to approve all appointments that the

governor made.

5) The legislature also selected Ohio's judges.

Ohio was the 1st state admitted to the United States

from the Northwest Territory in 1803.

Ohio recognizes March 1st, 1803 as the day it became

a state.

On February 19, 1803, US President Thomas Jefferson

signed an act of Congress that approved Ohio's boundaries and constitution.

But, congress never passes the resolution. Congress

didn’t admit a state officially until 1812 with Louisiana. In 1953 the oversight was discovered and on August 7th 1953, President Eisenhower signed a congressional joint resolution declaring March 1st, 1803 the official date of Ohio’s admittance into the Union.