Description: Composite photograph of delegates to the Fourth Ohio Constitutional Convention, 1912. Men are identified numerically by their name and the county they represent, or the position they hold in the convention. A small inset photograph shows the opening day of the convention, taken January 9, 1912. In 1911, Ohio voters approved the election of delegates to a constitutional convention. On January 12, 1912, the 120 men met for the first time to begin revising the existing constitution. Because the 1874 convention failed to convince a majority of voters to support its revised constitution, the 1912 convention offered voters the opportunity to approve or reject amendments individually. Of the 41 amendments proposed, voters approved 33. Some changes that were approved included mandating an 8-hour day for state-funded workers, establishing compulsory workers' compensation and revising the judicial system. Voters rejected amendments that would have allowed women to vote or hold offices related to care of women and children, as well as the removal of qualifications that voters must be white, despite the fact that African American men had been voting since 1870; the language was not changed until 1923. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: OVS3117
Subjects: Ohio Government; Constitutional conventions; Constitutions; Elected officials;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: This is the Constitution of the Champaign Temperance Society which outlines its membership regulations, government structure, and meeting schedule. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: VFM5613
Subjects: Constitutions; Temperance--History; Documents; Social movements
Places: Champaign County (Ohio)
 

Description: Digital print of the first page of the 1802 Ohio Constitution. In November 1802, thirty-five delegates of the Ohio Constitutional Convention convened to draft a state constitution. In order for Ohio to become a state, representatives of the territory had to submit a constitution to the United States Congress for approval. This was the final requirement under the Northwest Ordinance that Ohio had to meet before becoming a state. Twenty six of the delegates favored the platform of the Democratic-Republican Party. Among these men was Edward Tiffin, the president of the convention. Democratic-Republicans favored a small government with limited powers, in which the legislative branch should hold the few powers that the government actually possessed. Seven delegates to the convention were Federalists. Federalists believed in a much stronger government. The remaining two delegates were independents. 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. The convention approved the Constitution on November 29, 1802, and adjourned, and Ohio's Constitution of 1803 remained in effect until the Ohio Constitutional Convention of 1851 adopted a new one. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL02729
Subjects: Ohio History--State and Local Government; Constitutions; Ohio Government; Ohio History; Ohio History--State and Local Government
Places: Chillicothe (Ohio); Ross County (Ohio)
 

Description: This is the seating plan of the House of Delegates assembled for the Constitutional Convention convened in Columbus and Cincinnati between May 1850 and March 1851. The Constitution of 1851 created a more democratic system within the state, giving Ohio voters the right to elect the governor, other high-ranking state officials, and judges. Rather than having only two levels of courts within the state, a third level, consisting of district courts, was added between the Ohio Supreme Court and common pleas courts. An overwhelming majority of the delegates voted against extending suffrage to African American men and women of all races. The voters also had to approve all constitutional amendments in the future, and received the option to call a new constitutional convention every twenty years. The convention adjourned its proceedings on March 10, 1851. Seventy-nine delegates voted in favor of the constitution, while fourteen people opposed it. To go into effect officially, Ohio voters had to approve the constitution, which they did overwhelmingly on June 17, 1851. Although numerous amendments have modified the Constitution of 1851, this constitution remains the fundamental law of Ohio. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: OVS1210
Subjects: Ohio Government; Constitutional conventions; Constitutions; Elected officials;
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)