I feel like it’s the ’60s again. So many people are talking about the Constitution that I am reminded of Chairman Mao’s followers running around with their little red books waving them tirelessly in the air. As a constitutional lawyer, I love the revived interest in the U.S. Constitution. As a sometimes teacher, I am shocked that most people cannot guess how many constitutions we have in the United States. The easy answer is that there are 51 constitutions. A citizen of any state has at least two constitutions to worry about. There are even constitutions in our colonies; the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Guam, just to name three.
Most people would be shocked to find that they are governed by their state constitution as well as the federal Constitution. Pennsylvania’s first constitution was adopted in 1776, 13 years before the U.S. Constitution, which did not take effect until 1789.
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