1. Missouri, the #ShowMeState, joined the Union w/ Maine, in a compromise to keep a balance b/t slave states & free states. But language in their constitution prompted a 2d compromise. Join #50Weeks50Constitutions to learn about that & much more from the land where work is play! 
2. Missouri inserted a provision into their 1st constitution of 1820 mandating future legislation prohibiting free blacks from entering the state. This led to much debate in Congress about the meaning of the privileges & immunities language in the US Constitution’s Comity Clause.
3. Under the 2d Missouri Compromise, Congress approved the state constitution, but Missouri was forbidden from denying any citizen entry into the state. This however would lead to the much more consequential fight over who could be U.S. citizens.
4. Missouri’s 1st constitution established the typical form of government. The legislature had a House & Senate. The right to vote in these elections & the right to hold office was restricted only to white men. Clergy were forbidden from holding office.
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5. The Governor was popularly elected & served for a 4 year term, but he was unable to succeed himself. The constitution gave the Governor the veto power! But don’t get too excited, the General Assembly could override it with a majority vote. So not much of a “v” in that veto.
6. The Constitution also established a Supreme Court (which was typical by this time, unlike early state constitutions). The Supreme Court consisted of 3 justices appointed by the governor & approved by the General Assembly. They could only serve between the ages of 30 & 60.
7. To amend the constitution, the GA needed to approve the amendment by a 2/3 vote at least a year before the next election. After the election the new GA would have to pass it again, by a 2/3 vote. There was no direct popular ratification of constitutional amendments.
8. Missouri’s Declaration of Rights had some interesting language. It said “that [the people’s] right to bear arms in defense of themselves and of the state” is unquestionable. Also, it contained a right of the people to abolish the current government & form another. Familiar?
9. The Declaration also exempted clergymen from being forced to bear arms or serving in the militia. All other “religiously scrupulous” men could opt out of service, but they had to pay a tax. This constitution lasted a bit, but talk of adopting a new one did not take long.
10. A convention was called in 1845 and it adopted a new constitution. But this constitution was rejected by the people of Missouri. MO remained in the Union during the war so there was no new constitution declaring allegiance to the Confederacy like many Confederate states.
11. But a new constitution was eventually adopted in 1865, after the Civil War. This one abolished slavery, essentially disenfranchised those who sympathized with the Confederacy, & provided for popular ratification of future constitutional amendments.
12. Using this new process for amending the constitution, provisions increasing the Supreme Court from 3 to 5 justices & providing for universal male suffrage were added. But the constitution only lasted a decade and was replaced at the end of Reconstruction.
13. The 1875 Constitution directed the state to create a segregated system of education. So it certainly was not a progressive document. While the constitution did adopt a Baby Ninth Amendment, the language was not carried over to future constitutions.
14. This 1875 constitution was frequently amended, adding both the initiative & referendum powers. A new constitution was adopted in 1945 & like other modern constitutions, the drafting was driven by the need for simplification & incorporation of the many amendments.
15. The 1945 constitution is the current constitution of Missouri, but it has been amended over 100 times. Initially just 26 thousand words, it has grown to over 85 thousand, with 10 thousand words added by amendments in 2018 alone!
16. The next few elections will be interesting, especially in 2022 as the voters will be asked (as required by the constitution) whether a convention should be convened to draft a new document.
