Constitution Comparison Text Version
We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union... Sound familiar?
That’s the Constitution most of us know well. But did you know that there are actually 51
constitutions in the United States? That’s because each state has its own constitution. So you
might be wondering, why? After all, the U.S. Constitution is pretty iconic. What’s the point of
having so many others?
Let’s take a look at the Florida Constitution to see. When you compare the United States and
Florida constitutions, you’ll find some big differences and you’ll find some things they share.
Let’s talk about differences. First, age. The U.S. Constitution is way older, ratified in 1789, while
Florida’s current Constitution wasn’t adopted until 1968. Even though it’s far older, the U.S.
Constitution has never been replaced, while the Florida constitution is already on its sixth
version.
Another difference is length. The U.S. Constitution is pretty short, about four thousand four
hundred words, while the Florida Constitution is over fifty thousand words! But why? If the
Founding Fathers could establish the U.S. Constitution in one-tenth of the words, why did
Florida need so many more? Because of the structure of government in the U.S., states are
responsible for things like voting, education, and even local government. And all those need to
be covered in the state constitution, but the U.S. Constitution can stay pretty vague.
So, we’ve seen what they don’t have in common. Now let’s see what they share.
Let’s talk about organization. Both constitutions are organized into a preamble, articles, and
amendments. The preamble explains the philosophy of the government while the articles
explain the function of each part of the government. And the amendments reflect official
changes that have been made over time.
But that’s not all they share! Both constitutions define three branches of government:
legislative, executive, and judicial, giving the Florida state government and the U.S. federal
government a similar structure.
So, next time you hear a question about the Constitution, you might have to stop and
ask...which one?
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