Preamble to the Constitution of Florida—Historical Document
A historical document is a piece of writing that was written by someone long ago. There are many types of historical documents, including reports, birth and death records, and books of rules or laws. Read the preamble, or introduction, to the Florida Constitution, shown below.
Primary Source
We, the People of the Territory of Florida, by our Delegates in Convention, assembled at the City of St. Joseph, on Monday the 3d day of December, A.D. 1838, and of the Independence of the United States the sixty-third year, having and claiming the right of admission into the Union, as one of the United States of America, consistent with the principles of the Federal Constitution, and by virtue of the Treaty of Amity, Settlement, and Limits between the United States of America and the King of Spain, ceding the Provinces of East and West Florida to the United States; in order to secure to ourselves and our posterity the enjoyment of all the rights of life, liberty, and property, and the pursuit of happiness, do mutually agree, each with the other, to form ourselves into a Free and Independent State, by the name of the State of Florida.
Source: Florida State University Web site.
Background
The Constitution of the United States is the plan for our national government. It starts with a preamble, or an introduction. The preamble lists the reasons for creating the Constitution. Each state has a Constitution, too. When Florida wanted to become a state, 56 delegates gathered to create a plan for Florida's government. Delegates are people chosen to represent others. These delegates represented Floridians from all over the state. In 1838, these delegates wrote their ideas about how they wanted Florida to be governed in Florida's Constitution. Since 1838, the Constitution has been rewritten five times. The preamble above begins the original state Constitution.
