Constitution of Massachusetts

The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the fundamental governing document of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, one of the 50 individual states that make up the United States of America. It consists of a preamble, declaration of rights, description of the principles and framework of government, and articles of amendment.

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 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. Although the Constitution did not expressly prohibit slavery, its declaration of rights was interpreted by the courts to effectively banish the practice of enslavement in the Commonwealth by 1783, only three years after its adoption.

The Massachusetts Constitution is among the oldest functioning written constitutions in continuous effect in the world, predated only by sections of the Constitution of San Marino and 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.