Alabama Constitution of 1901

For the current Constitution of Alabama, see Constitution of Alabama.
Constitution of the State of Alabama
Overview
JurisdictionAlabama, United States
Ratified21 November 1901; 122 years ago (1901-11-21)[1]
Date effective28 November 1901; 122 years ago (1901-11-28)
History
Repealed28 November 2022; 23 months ago (2022-11-28)
Amendments977
Signatoriessee Constitution, source pages 61-62
Full text
Alabama State Constitution of 1901 at Wikisource

The Constitution of the State of Alabama of 1901 was the basic governing document of the U.S. state of Alabama. Adopted in 1901, it was Alabama's sixth constitution.

At 388,882 words,[2] the document was 12 times longer than the average state constitution, 51 times longer than the U.S. Constitution, and, at the time of its repeal, the longest[3] and most amended[4] constitution operative anywhere in the world. The English version of the Constitution of India, the longest national constitution in the world, is about 145,000 words long, less than 40% of the length of Alabama's (was formerly about one-third, with both expanding over time).

By the time of its renaming, about 90 percent of the document's length was made up of 977[5] separate amendments (for comparison, the 105 amendments[6][7] to the Constitution of India form none of the latter's text, as they modify the main body's wording directly rather than being appended to it). About 75 percent of the amendments covered individual counties or cities, and some were so detailed as to deal with salaries of specific officials (e.g. Amendment 480 pertaining to the Greene County probate judge). As a result, Alabama had a very high number of constitutional officers. The constitution made it very difficult for residents of most counties to solve their own problems as the limited home rule required them to ask the state legislature to make amendments to the constitution or pass special legislation in order to carry out desired activities.[8]

The Constitutional Convention was called with the intention by southern Democrats of the state "within the limits imposed by the Federal Constitution, to establish white supremacy in this State".[9] Its provisions essentially disenfranchised most African Americans and thousands of poor white Europeans, who were excluded from voting until the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The constitution also gave the Alabama Legislature the power to administer most counties directly, with only a few counties having even limited home rule, further entrenching disfranchisement by limiting local autonomy.

The Preamble says:

We the people of the State of Alabama, in order to establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution and form of government for the State of Alabama.
  1. ^ "Constitution of the State of Alabama of 1901 - Ratification". www.legislature.state.al.us.
  2. ^ "GENERAL INFORMATION ON STATE CONSTITUTIONS" (PDF). Knowledge Center. January 1, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 9, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  3. ^ "Alabama Simmers Before Vote on Its Constitution’s Racist Language", New York Times, 31 October 2012
  4. ^ Krishnamurthi, Vivek (2009). "Colonial Cousins: Explaining India and Canada's Unwritten Constitutional Principles" (PDF). Yale Journal of International Law. 34 (1): 219. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04.
  5. ^ "Constitution of Alabama 1901". alisondb.legislature.state.al.us. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  6. ^ "Amendments | National Portal of India". www.india.gov.in. Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  7. ^ "One Hundred and Fourth Amendment" (PDF). Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  8. ^ Albert P. Brewer, "Home Rule", Encyclopedia of Alabama, 2007, accessed 3 February 2015
  9. ^ Day 2 of 54, 1901 Proceedings, Constitutional Convention