Question

What was the primary way that the first state constitutions in what would become the United States differed from the English constitution?

a. They were written documents.

b. They guaranteed specific rights of people, such as the right to a fair trial.

c. They defined the terms and conditions of law and government

d. They promoted democracy.

Answer 1

a. They were written documents.

Colonists had grown accustomed to written documents (such as royal charters) that defined the terms and conditions of law and government, but those documents were subordinate to a larger system of royal and parliamentary authority that was not written down anywhere. Written constitutions promised to protect colonists against the abuses of power they had experienced under the English constitution, not only because printed text could be easily circulated, consulted, and cited but also because they started from scratch.