The new Constitution began with a 21-section Declaration of Rights. Here are excerpts from the first four:
Sec. 1. That all men when they form a social compact are equal in rights; and that no man, or set of men, are entitled to exclusive . . . privileges from the community.
Sec. 2. That all political power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority . . .; and that they have at all tines an undeniable . . . right to alter their form of government in such manner as they may think expedient.
Sec. 3. The exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination, shall forever be free to all persons in this state . . .
Sec. 4. Mo preference shall be given by law to any Christian sect or mode of worship.
The following characteristics of the new government are arranged to relate to items one through twelve above to enable the student to see how the criticisms of the old government, in many cases, were dealt with by the new one.
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1. Judges are still appointed by the General Assembly, but their terms of office are fixed in the Constitution. Supreme and Superior Court judges will serve during good behavior or until they reach the age of seventy. They may be impeached by a two-thirds vote of both houses.
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2. The governor is no longer a member of the Council (now called the Senate). He has independent power as the head of the executive branch and is responsible for the carrying out of the laws; department heads are all responsible to him. He is captain-general of the militia. He may veto bills, but vetoes may be overridden by a simple majority of both houses. The lieutenant-governor assumes the duties of governor in the latter’s absence or incapacitation. He presides over the Senate, voting if there is a tie.
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3. The legislature, consisting of a house of representatives and a senate, performs only legislative work except for the appointing of judges.
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4. Voters must be white, male, twenty-one, and town residents for six months. In addition they must have either a freehold worth seven dollars a year or have served in the militia within the previous year or have paid taxes.
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5. No one can serve in the General Assembly if he is any kind of judge or a Congressman or a federal officeholder or a sheriff or deputy sheriff.
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6. All voting for state offices will be done in April on the same day, in one stage, without a separate, previous nominating process.
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7. All voting will be done by secret ballot.
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8. Even before the Constitution was written, the Tolerationists had had a gallery built in the Senate, and the Constitution confirmed the principle of public debate in the legislature.
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9. Twelve senators are to be elected at large. Districting was not adopted until 1827.
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10. Each town will retain in the house of representatives the same number of representatives it has had (one or two); new towns will elect one representative. A system of annual sessions was adopted, one year in Hartford, one year in New Haven. Representation according to population was not adopted until 1965 (by court order).
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11. The religious freedom issue was taken care of in the Declaration of Rights, relevant portions of which have been quoted above.
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12. My amendments to the Constitution can be made upon the approval of two-thirds of both houses of the legislature, followed by the approval of the voters in towns.
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It is important to recognize that change continues to take place. The two-thirds legislative override provision and the switch to biennial sessions and back again, and the four-year term for state officers are only a few examples of the attempt to keep the government effective in changing tines and responsive to the needs of the people.
How open does Connecticut wish to be? How much behavior should be prescribed, and how much left free to the desires of the citizens? It is hoped that students will now want to discuss some of the issues mentioned on the first page of this presentation and debate whether such laws represent narrow-minded authoritarian control or enlightened guidelines for the welfare of all the people of Connecticut.