Third Constitution of the State of New York

Date

1846

Description

The New York State Constitution of 1846 came about as a result of a state constitutional convention held that same year. The third constitution ended feudal land ownership and reorganized the state judiciary, resulting in the abolition of the Court of Chancery. Equal suffrage for African-American men was rejected by voters in a separate referendum. The text of the Constitution is engrossed on parchment folios, unbound. At the end are the signatures of the officers and delegates of the Convention. Also included are resolutions stipulating the form of ballots for adoption or rejection of the Constitution; that copies of the Constitution be disseminated to county clerks and be printed in local newspapers; that the Secretary of State certify the engrossed, or final, copy of the Constitution; and that an additional amendment regarding equal suffrage for African-American males be voted on in the next election. Description from published volume: "This Constitution abolished all remnants of feudalism and oligarchical government. All white men 21 years of age or older could now vote whether they owned property or not, confirming the amendment of 1826, to the Constitution of 1821. This Constitution became a model for others. It was copied by Wisconsin and several midwestern states." 1949-1950 New York State Freedom Train Document No. 38.

Type

Written Document

Region

New York State

Era

Expansion and Reform

Topic

Elections, Government

Repository

New York State Archives

Identifier

NYSA_A1805-78

Source

New York State Archives. New York (State). Secretary of State. Third constitution of the State of New York, 1846. A1805-78.

Rights

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