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73-488: Created by the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1779, the document was primarily authored by American founding father and future president John Adams . Following its approval by convention delegates, it was approved by voters on June 15, 1780 and became effective October 25 of that year. The Massachusetts Constitution was the last to be written among the initial thirteen U.S. states. It

146-441: A Senate and House of Representatives: each of which shall have a negative on the other. Article II. No bill or resolve of the senate or house of representatives shall become a law, and have force as such, until it shall have been laid before the governor for his revisal... Article III. The general court shall forever have full power and authority to erect and constitute judicatories and courts of record, or other courts, to be held in

219-670: A constitution and then submit it to a popular vote. He told the Continental Congress that: We must realize the theories of the Wisest Writers and invite the People, to erect the whole Building with their own hands upon the broadest foundation. That this could be done only by conventions of representatives chosen by the People.... Congress ought now to recommend to the People of every Colony to call such Conventions immediately and set up Governments of their own, under their own Authority; for

292-450: A faithful execution of them; that every man may, at all times, find his security in them. We, therefore, the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the goodness of the great Legislator of the universe, in affording us, in the course of His providence, an opportunity, deliberately and peaceably, without fraud, violence or surprise, of entering into an original, explicit, and solemn compact with each other; and of forming

365-455: A form of religious establishment entirely unlike that later adopted at the federal level. Adams advocated for an end to that establishment when revisions to the constitution were considered in 1820 and his views were adopted in 1832. Adams's draft declaration of rights read in part: "All men are born equally free and independent..." Before being adopted by the constitutional convention it was revised to read: "All men are born free and equal..." At

438-457: A landmark on the western edge of town. In November 1885 electrical engineer William Stanley, Jr. , a sometime Great Barrington resident working for George Westinghouse , began installing a demonstration transformer based alternating current lighting system. Stanley felt alternating current was an improvement over the direct current system being used by Thomas Edison . Stanley was trying to get Westinghouse to adopt it. Stanley had developed

511-416: A new constitution and declaration of rights. That committee asked Adams to draft a declaration of rights. It appointed a subcommittee of James Bowdoin , Samuel Adams , and John Adams to draft the constitution and that trio delegated the drafting to John Adams alone. He later wrote that he constituted a "sub-sub committee of one". An article on religion was referred to members of the clergy, which resulted in

584-834: A new constitution of civil government, for ourselves and posterity; and devoutly imploring His direction in so interesting a design, do agree upon, ordain and establish the following Declaration of Rights, and Frame of Government, as the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. "Part the First: A Declaration of the Rights of the Inhabitants of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts" consists of thirty articles. The first states: Article I. All men are born free and equal and have certain natural, essential, and unalienable rights; among which may be reckoned

657-593: A series transformer he thought would make alternating current practical. He built his components at the "Old Rubber Factory" south of Cottage Street and installed a Westinghouse steam engine powering a 500 volt Siemens generator. Stringing the power lines from tree to tree down the street, in March 1886 Stanley powered the system up and was able to expand it to the point where it could light 23 businesses along Main Street with very little power loss over 4,000 ft (1,200 m). Using

730-529: A tortious act under the law, effectively abolishing it within the Commonwealth. In 1976 by amendment Article CVI, this article was amended to change the word "men" to "people". That amendment also added an additional sentence: “Equality under the law shall not be denied or abridged because of sex, race, color, creed or national origin.” This article was also the basis for the 2003 Supreme Judicial Court 's ruling in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health required

803-489: A year. Great Barrington offers the use of its own local currency , called BerkShare notes. There are about 844,000 BerkShare notes in circulation, worth about $ 801,800 at the exchange rate of one BerkShare to 95 U.S. cents, according to program organizers. The paper money is available in denominations of one, five, ten, twenty, and fifty. Proponents say the currency gets residents to shop at local stores. Local areas may have their own currencies as long as they do not resemble

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876-510: Is based on true-life events of the mid-20th century in Great Barrington and the adjoining towns of Stockbridge and Lee . The Old Trinity Church, which was the home of Ray and Alice Brock at the time of these incidents, is now owned by Guthrie, and is at 4 Van Deusenville Road in Great Barrington. The town was the site of an F4 tornado around 7:00 pm on Memorial Day , May 29, 1995. The tornado killed three people and caused damage in

949-414: Is formed by a voluntary association of individuals: it is a social compact, by which the whole people covenants with each citizen, and each citizen with the whole people, that all shall be governed by certain laws for the common good. It is the duty of the people, therefore, in framing a constitution of government, to provide for an equitable mode of making laws, as well as for an impartial interpretation, and

1022-436: Is governed by the 48th Article of Amendment to the Constitution, which establishes an indirect initiative process that requires action by the state legislature, followed by a referendum. For an amendment to be placed before the voters as a referendum, a state constitutional convention , a joint meeting of both houses of the legislature sitting as one body, in each of two successive two-year legislative sessions, must provide

1095-661: Is home to Southern Berkshire District Court, as well as Fairview Hospital, the largest hospital in the southern end of the county (based on the number of beds). On the state level, Great Barrington is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives by the Fourth Berkshire district, which covers southern Berkshire County, as well as the westernmost towns in Hampden County. In the Massachusetts Senate ,

1168-414: Is led by a board of selectmen and a town manager. Great Barrington has its own public services, including police, fire and public works departments. The town has two libraries, with the main branch, Mason Library, at 231 Main Street in Great Barrington, and a branch library, Ramsdell Library , at 1087 Main Street in the village of Housatonic, both of which are part of the regional library network. The town

1241-538: Is named after him. The village was first settled by colonists in 1726 and from 1742 to 1761 was the north parish of Sheffield. In 1761, it was officially incorporated as Great Barrington, named after the village of Great Barrington in Gloucestershire, England. In the summer of 1774, local colonists temporarily forced the closure of the Berkshire County Court in response to unpopular British policies. In

1314-637: Is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts , Metropolitan Statistical Area . The population was 7,172 at the 2020 census . Both a summer resort and home to Ski Butternut , a ski resort, Great Barrington includes the villages of Van Deusenville and Housatonic . The Mahican Indians called the area Mahaiwe , meaning "the place downstream". It lay on the New England Path, which connected Fort Orange near Albany, New York , with Springfield and Massachusetts Bay . The first recorded account of Europeans in

1387-479: Is the site of several country clubs and a fairgrounds . U.S. Route 7 passes through the center of town, and was once part of New England Interstate Route 4 (also known as the New York-Berkshire- Burlington Way). Massachusetts Route 23 passes from west to east through town, combining with Massachusetts Route 41 and U.S. Route 7 in the western part of town and Massachusetts Route 183 in

1460-584: The COVID-19 pandemic . The result was the Great Barrington Declaration , signed at the Institute's headquarters on October 4, 2020, and released to the public the following day, which advocated an alternative, risk-based approach to the pandemic involving "focused protection" of those most at risk and seeking to avoid or minimize the societal harm of lockdowns . Great Barrington is the largest town in

1533-608: The "Part the Second" lays down the official name of the State of Massachusetts. The people, inhabiting the territory formerly called the Province of Massachusetts Bay, do hereby solemnly and mutually agree with each other, to form themselves into a free, sovereign, and independent body politic, or state by the name of THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS. The first three articles in Chapter I, Section I,of

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1606-648: The Berkshire Hills Regional School District, which includes the towns of Stockbridge and West Stockbridge, and the villages of Housatonic, Glendale and Interlaken. All three school levels are in Great Barrington. Muddy Brook Regional Elementary School offers pre-kindergarten through fourth grade classes and is off Route 7 in the northern part of town. W.E.B Du Bois Regional Middle School offers grades five through eight. Monument Mountain Regional High School (MMRHS) opened in 1968, consolidating

1679-459: The Commonwealth to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples on an equal basis with different-sex couples. The next several Articles within the "Part the First" in the original 1780 Constitution of Massachusetts called upon the people of the Commonwealth as being their "right as well as the duty of all men" (Article II) to a strong religious conviction and belief. Article II. It is the right as well as

1752-540: The Massachusetts Constitution establishes the three primary branches of government; an executive, a bicameral legislature, and an independent judiciary. The design of this system, unique at the time, was created to ensure the proper separation of power between the different entities. The framers of the state constitution intended by this means to prevent the abuse of power by any one branch. Article I. The department of legislation shall be formed by two branches,

1825-579: The People were the Source of all Authority and the Original of all Power. The legislative body of Massachusetts, known as the Massachusetts General Court , instead drafted its own version of a constitution and submitted it to the voters, who rejected it in 1778. That version did not provide for the separation of powers, nor did it include a statement of individual rights. The General Court then organized

1898-551: The United States dollar and are in paper only. Great Barrington plays host to the American Institute for Economic Research . AIER was founded in 1933 as a non-profit scientific and educational organization. Originally at MIT , it relocated to the southern shore of Great Barrington's Long Pond in 1946. In October 2020 the Institute held a meeting of epidemiologists, economists and journalists to discuss government responses to

1971-419: The age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.89. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.6% under

2044-445: The age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males. The town's median household income was $ 95,490, and the median family income was $ 103,135. Males had a median income of $ 68,163 versus $ 49,474 for females. The town's per capita income

2117-511: The area happened in August 1676, during King Philip's War . Major John Talcott and his troops chased a group of 200 Mahican Natives west from Westfield, eventually overtaking them at the Housatonic River in what is now Great Barrington. According to reports at the time, Talcott's troops killed twenty-five Indians and imprisoned another twenty. Today, a plaque for John Talcott marks the spot where

2190-599: The area. On July 24, 2009, Great Barrington was named an Appalachian Trail Community by application and acceptance by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy . On June 1, 2010, a new fire station was opened for the Great Barrington Fire Department, located on Route 7. The new fire station replaced the old one, on Castle Street. It had deteriorated and was too small for the growing needs of the fire department. The new $ 9.1 million facility

2263-477: The convention provided no mechanisms for amendment other than the calling of another convention. This was changed by the next constitutional convention, held in 1820 after the separation of Maine from the state precipitated a constitutional crisis. That convention ratified the constitution's first nine amendments. Members of the Convention include Jason Haven and John Sprague , both of Dedham . John Adams

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2336-701: The district since 2012. Great Barrington has a paid by call Fire Department, The Great Barrington Fire Department (GBFD), consists of about 40 members and five pumpers, one tower ladder, two rescue vehicles, and one brush truck. Most members are trained to the First responder level; some are trained to the EMT-Basic level. The Fire Department responds to about 600 calls per year, which vary but are mainly fire alarm activations and medical emergencies. Great Barrington's Emergency Medical Services are covered by Southern Berkshire Volunteer Ambulance Squad Inc. (SBVAS), operated from

2409-460: The duty of all men in society, publicly and at stated seasons, to worship the Supreme Being, the great Creator, and Preserver of the universe. And no subject shall be hurt, molested, or restrained, in his person, liberty, or estate, for worshipping God in the manner and season most agreeable to the dictates of his conscience, or for his religious profession or sentiments, provided he doth not disturb

2482-527: The east, New Marlborough to the southeast, Sheffield to the south, Egremont to the southwest, and Alford to the northwest. The town is 20 miles (32 km) south of Pittsfield , 46 miles (74 km) west of Springfield , 135 miles (217 km) west of Boston , and 120 miles (190 km) north-northeast of New York City. Great Barrington is in the valley of the Housatonic River . The Williams River, Green River and several brooks also flow through

2555-472: The eastern part of town, which also follows part of the path of Route 7 northward from Route 23 before splitting towards the village of Housatonic . Great Barrington is approximately 12 miles (19 km) south of Exit 2 of Interstate 90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike ), the nearest interstate highway. As of the census of 2000, there were 7,527 people, 3,008 households, and 1,825 families residing in

2628-529: The election of delegates from each town to participate in a convention that would draft a constitution and submit their work to a popular vote with the understanding that its adoption would require approval by two-thirds of the voters. The constitutional convention met in Cambridge in September 1779. The convention sat from September 1 to October 30, 1779. Its 312 members chose a committee of thirty members to prepare

2701-501: The end. It reads: The end of the institution, maintenance, and administration of government, is to secure the existence of the body politic, to protect it, and to furnish the individuals who compose it with the power of enjoying in safety and tranquillity their natural rights, and the blessings of life: and whenever these great objects are not obtained, the people have a right to alter the government, and to take measures necessary for their safety, prosperity and happiness. The body politic

2774-679: The former Searles High School in Great Barrington and Williams High School in Stockbridge, and serves the high school students of the district. The town is home to several private schools, including the Rudolf Steiner School, the Great Barrington Waldorf High School , and the John Dewey Academy . Great Barrington is home to Bard College at Simon's Rock , which was the first-ever early college, and remains

2847-487: The grounds of Fairview Hospital . The service provides 24/7/365 paramedic level service to the towns of Great Barrington, Housatonic , Alford , Egremont , Sheffield , Ashley Falls , Monterey , and Mount Washington . SBVAS is the primary paramedic intercept service for ambulances going into Fairview, including New Marlborough , Sandisfield , and Otis . The squad consists of a mix of full-time EMTs, paramedics, and volunteer EMTs. The squad responds to 3,000 to 5,000 calls

2920-462: The heat and pollution of cities. Wealthy families built grand homes called Berkshire Cottages here, as others would in Lenox and Stockbridge . Among the earliest estates was one built by New York City banker, industrialist and art patron David Leavitt , who built an elaborate 300-acre (1.2 km ) estate, and was soon followed by those of his sons nearby. Leavitt was instrumental in the development of

2993-482: The insistence of Adams, the document referred to the state as a "commonwealth." Male voters 21 years or older ratified the constitution and declaration of rights at the convention on June 15, 1780, and it became effective on October 25, 1780. The preamble of the constitution provided a model that was drawn on when the United States Constitution was composed a few years later, including some phrases near

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3066-567: The institution of the public worship of God and for the support and maintenance of public Protestant teachers of piety, religion, and morality in all cases where such provision shall not be made voluntarily. And the people of this commonwealth have also a right to and do, invest their legislature with authority to enjoin upon all the subject an attendance upon the instructions of the public teachers aforesaid, at stated times and seasons, if there be any on whose instructions they can conscientiously and conveniently attend. Provided, notwithstanding, That

3139-535: The institution of the public worship of God and of the public instructions in piety, religion, and morality: Therefore, To promote their happiness and to secure the good order and preservation of their government, the people of this commonwealth have a right to invest their legislature with power to authorize and require, and the legislature shall, from time to time, authorize and require, the several towns, parishes, precincts, and other bodies-politic or religious societies to make suitable provision, at their own expense, for

3212-460: The local Housatonic Railroad , serving as its president. Later estates included Searles Castle , commissioned in 1888 by the widow of Mark Hopkins together with her second husband, Edward Francis Searles , and "Brookside", built for William Hall Walker. In 1895, Colonel William L. Brown , part owner of the New York Daily News , presented Great Barrington with a statue of a newsboy, now

3285-552: The massacre is believed to have happened. On April 25, 1724, Captain John Ashley of Westfield, Massachusetts , bought on behalf of himself and a committee of the Massachusetts General Court the land that became the towns of Great Barrington, Sheffield , Egremont , Alford , Mount Washington , and Boston Corner for £460, three barrels of "sider," and thirty quarts of rum from 21 Native American sachems headed by Conkepot Poneyote. The Konkapot River in southwestern Massachusetts

3358-479: The members present or seated. The number of certified signatures required on the petitions is 3% of the total vote cast for all candidates for governor (excluding blanks) at the immediately preceding state election. The state has held four constitutional conventions of elected delegates (as opposed to those that are special sessions of the legislature): Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1779%E2%80%931780 The Constitutional Convention of 1779–1780

3431-451: The name of the commonwealth... Massachusetts allows impeachment of government officials through the legislature. They can also disqualify convicted officials from ever holding any place within the commonwealth. There are 121 Articles of Amendment that have been added to the Massachusetts Constitution. The most recent one places a 4% marginal tax on income over $ 1,000,000 and was approved by a vote of 52% to 48% in 2022. The amendment process

3504-573: The nearest Interstate Highway . Great Barrington is served by the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority , which offers bus transportation throughout Berkshire County. Peter Pan Bus Lines and Greyhound Lines have stops in Great Barrington for long-range bus transportation. The town lies along the Housatonic Railroad line, which roughly follows Route 7 and the river through southern New England. Walter J. Koladza Airport

3577-449: The new Stanley transformers, at each location, the system's 500 volts were stepped down to 100 volts which was used to power incandescent lamps. This was the world's first practical demonstration of an alternating current with transformers system. It was the basis of the alternating current systems Westinghouse would begin installing later that year. Arlo Guthrie 's song " Alice's Restaurant ," which runs for 18 + 1 ⁄ 2 minutes,

3650-673: The only accredited four-year early college program in the country. Also here is the South County Center of the Berkshire Community College . The nearest state university is Westfield State University . Two radio stations are located in Great Barrington: US Route 7 serves as the Main Street in Great Barrington. The town is located about 7 miles (11 kilometers) south of I-90 and the Massachusetts Turnpike ,

3723-448: The parish church. In that year they were allowed to attend a neighboring town's church instead, and in 1824 full religious freedom was granted. However, the parishes remained beneficiaries of local taxes and were unable to expel dissident parishioners, since as residents they were members of the parish until they declared otherwise. Soon both dissident churches and the majority Congregational Church increasingly recognized that this system

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3796-406: The public peace or obstruct others in their religious worship. Article III continued by noting that "the happiness of a people" and "preservation of civil government" is explicitly tied to religion and morality. This article established the possibility of "town religions" by allowing the state legislature, though Massachusetts cannot declare or recognize a state religion , to require towns to pay for

3869-488: The removal of the large pear trees that span Main Street, to be replaced with a much wider array of trees of varying sizes and growth habits. The project had finished its design phase as of 2012, and construction was to be completed in 2016. In 2023 the town made national news after plainclothes police conducted a search of the WEB DuBois Regional Middle School based on an anonymous tip that someone in

3942-422: The required number of votes, which varies according to how the proposed amendment comes before the convention. If it is a legislative amendment proposed by a legislator, the threshold is 50% of the members. If it is an initiative amendment put forward by petition, the threshold is 25% of the members. In both cases, the calculation of the votes is based on the number of seats in the constitutional convention, not

4015-557: The right of enjoying and defending their lives and liberties; that of acquiring, possessing, and protecting property; in fine, that of seeking and obtaining their safety and happiness. This article was the subject of a landmark case in 1781 before a Massachusetts court sitting in Great Barrington , Brom and Bett v. Ashley . Elizabeth Freeman (whose slave name was "Bett"), a black slave owned by Colonel John Ashley, sued for her freedom based on this article. The jury agreed that slavery

4088-491: The school possessed a copy of the book Gender Queer: A Memoir . According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has an area of 45.8 square miles (118.6 km ), of which 44.8 square miles (116.1 km ) is land and 0.97 square miles (2.5 km ), or 2.09%, is water. Great Barrington is bordered by West Stockbridge , Stockbridge and Lee to the north, Tyringham to the northeast, Monterey to

4161-556: The several towns, parishes, precincts, and other bodies-politic, or religious societies, shall at all times have the exclusive right and electing their public teachers and of contracting with them for their support and maintenance. And all moneys paid by the subject to the support of public worship and of public teachers aforesaid shall if he require it, be uniformly applied to the support of the public teacher or teachers of his religious sect or denomination, provided there be any on whose instructions he attends; otherwise it may be paid toward

4234-414: The support of the teacher or teachers of the parish or precinct in which the said sums of money are raised. And every denomination of Christians, demeaning themselves peaceably and as good subjects of the commonwealth, shall be equally under the protection of the law; and no subordination of any sect or denomination to another shall ever be established by law. Part II, Chapter I, Section I The opening of

4307-661: The town is represented by the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire and Franklin counties. The town is patrolled by the Great Barrington Police Department which is a 24/7/365 service. On the national level, Great Barrington is represented in the United States House of Representatives as part of Massachusetts's 1st congressional district . Democrat Richard Neal of Springfield has represented

4380-417: The town was 94.74% White , 2.09% Black or African American , 0.16% Native American , 1.25% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 0.70% from other races , and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.07% of the population. 17% were of Irish descent, 12% Italian , 11% German , 10% English and 9% Polish . There were 3,008 households, of which 27.3% had children under

4453-514: The town. By population, the town ranks fifth out of the 32 cities and towns in Berkshire County, and 202nd out of 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. The population density was 166.6 inhabitants per square mile (64.3/km ), ranking it eighth in the county and 268th in the Commonwealth. There were 3,352 housing units at an average density of 74.2 per square mile (28.6/km ). The racial makeup of

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4526-479: The upkeep of a Protestant church out of local tax funds, with the town to determine by majority vote the denomination it would support as its parish church . From 1780 to 1824 these democratically selected parish churches were considered the only churches with full legal rights, as "voluntary" churches ran against the Federalist ideal of a commonwealth . Until 1822 all residents of a town were required to belong to

4599-648: The valley into the Housatonic. To the east of the river, several mountains of the Berkshires rise, including East Mountain (site of the Ski Butternut resort (also known as Butternut Basin) and a state forest), Beartown Mountain (and the majority of Beartown State Forest ) and Monument Mountain . The Appalachian Trail crosses through East Mountain State Forest in the southeast corner of town. The southwest corner of town

4672-454: The winter of 1776, Henry Knox passed through Great Barrington while transporting the " noble train of artillery " from Fort Ticonderoga to the outskirts of Boston during the siege of Boston . Due to his time in the area, he established an agricultural interest in the area of Great Barrington. With the arrival of the railroad in the late 19th century, Great Barrington developed as a Gilded Age resort community for those seeking relief from

4745-532: The world, predated only by the 1777 Constitution of Vermont and by sections of the Constitution of San Marino and the Magna Carta . It was also the first constitution in history to be created by a convention called for that purpose, rather than by a legislative body. It has been amended 121 times as of 2022. In the spring of 1775, Adams took the position that each state should call a special convention to write

4818-408: Was $ 42,655. About 2.4% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over. Great Barrington is the location of the Ski Butternut resort. The Berkshire Humane Society operates animal welfare services and pet adoption facilities in the town. Great Barrington employs the open town meeting form of government, and

4891-521: Was also a member. Brigadier-General Ebenezer Learned served as Chairman. This Massachusetts government –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article relating to law in the United States or its constituent jurisdictions is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Great Barrington, Massachusetts Great Barrington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts , United States. It

4964-416: Was contrary to the voluntary nature of religious worship. This section of the constitution was amended by bipartisan consensus in 1834 at the same time that several blue laws were repealed. Article III. As the happiness of a people and the good order and preservation of civil government essentially depend upon piety, religion, and morality, and as these cannot be generally diffused through a community but by

5037-495: Was inconsistent with the Massachusetts Constitution and awarded Freeman £5 in damages and her freedom. A few years later, Quock Walker , a black slave, sued his master for false imprisonment ; the jury found for Walker and awarded him damages of £50. His master was then subject to criminal prosecution for assault and battery against Walker and was found guilty by a jury, which imposed a fine of 40/- (£2). In this manner, slavery lost any legal protection in Massachusetts, making it

5110-634: Was planned as a center for community events such as elections. It serves as the hub for emergency operations in southern Berkshire County. The town celebrated its 250th anniversary with a large parade on July 10, 2011. Other events celebrating the 250th anniversary were held throughout the year as well. The " Main Street Reconstruction Project " was launched in 2011, involving major improvements along Main Street between Saint James Place and Cottage Street. The plan elements include new pavement, new sidewalks, sewer and utility improvements, and

5183-488: Was published in early March 1780. After an extended process of ratification debates involving town meetings, the convention approved a modified version of the March proposal on June 15, 1780, although the vote to do so was not without some controversy. The new Massachusetts State Constitution then went into effect, and the convention on June 16 issued a call to elect a governor and General Court under its terms before it finally adjourned. The state constitution adopted by

5256-486: Was the second constitutional convention held in Massachusetts to draft a new state constitution following the state's declaration of independence in 1776. The convention that drafted the proposed constitution was composed of delegates specifically elected for the purpose, unlike the previous year's convention , which had been composed of legislators. The convention's proposal was principally drafted by John Adams , and

5329-404: Was unique in being structured with chapters, sections and articles, as opposed to being a list of provisions. It served as a model for the U.S. Constitution, drafted seven years later, both structurally and substantively, and also influenced later revisions of many other state constitutions. The Massachusetts Constitution is among the oldest functioning written constitutions in continuous effect in

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