Provisional Constitution of the Confederate States

Provisional Constitution of the Confederate States
Overview
JurisdictionConfederate States of America
CreatedFebruary 8, 1861 (1861-02-08)
Date effectiveFebruary 8, 1861 (1861-02-08)
Government structure
Branches3
ChambersUnicameral
ExecutivePresident
JudiciarySupreme, Districts
History
First legislatureFebruary 8, 1862 (1862-02-08)
First executiveFebruary 18, 1861 (1861-02-18)
Amendments1
Last amendedMay 21, 1861
LocationAmerican Civil War Museum, Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Author(s)Christopher Memminger et al.
Signatories50 of the 50 delegates to the Montgomery Convention

The Provisional Constitution of the Confederate States, formally the Constitution for the Provisional Government of the Confederate States of America, was an agreement among all seven original states in the Confederate States of America that served as its first constitution. Its drafting by a committee of twelve appointed by the Provisional Congress began on February 5, 1861. The Provisional Constitution was formally adopted on February 8.[1] Government under this constitution was superseded by the new Constitution of the Confederate States with a permanent form of government "organized on the principles of the United States" on February 22, 1862.[2]

  1. ^ Matthews, James M., ed. (1864). The Statutes at Large of the Provisional Government of the Confederate States of America: From the Institution of the Government, February 8, 1861, to its Termination, February 18, 1862, Inclusive; Arranged in Chronological Order, Together with the Constitution for the Provisional Government, and the Permanent Constitution of the Confederate States, and the Treaties Concluded by the Confederate States with Indian Tribes. Richmond: R. M. Smith. p. 8. LCCN 06012179. OL 25389078M – via Internet Archive.
  2. ^ Concise Dictionary of American History. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1983. p. 225. ISBN 0-684-17321-2. LCCN 82042731. OCLC 894677333.