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Northwest Ordinance is passed in Congress, creating the first organized territory in the US. The land land contained in it would become several states; including Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota.
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Congress passed this act to enable residents of the Northwest Territory to form their own state, which would be equal with the other previously established states.
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State constitution held in November to adopt first constitution. It contained only eight articles, 106 sections, and 6265 words. President Jefferson signed the bill into law on February 19, 1803.
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By law, every 20 years voter are asked if there should be a new constitution drafted, and 40 years after the original it was clear there was a need for a new one. The new constitution largely affected the balance of power between the three branches. It contained 16 articles, 224 sections, and 53,421 words.
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Ohio voters overwhelmingly voted against a new constitution 250,169-102,885.
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Added an additional 33 amendments and almost 7,000 words
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In this decade, 40 amendments and 6,502 words were added. Greatest expansion it had seen.
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Only 10 amendments were added, but added 12,394 words. This high volume in words signaled a change in how the Ohio Constitution writes amendments.
