Learning About Massachusetts Constitution Period

In addition to the US Constitution, Massachusetts has its own constitution. Our state constitution is one of the oldest in the country. In 1780, each town in the commonwealth was given one copy. Acton's copy is at the Historical Society Jenks Library. The scanned images on the left and right are from this document. Click on each image to enlarge.

In the beginning of important documents, there is a section called the preamble - an introduction to a government document. Why do you think writers of these important documents need a preamble? If you and your classmates wrote a classroom or school constitution, what would you include in the preamble?

To learn more about the preamble to Massachusetts' p Constitution, click here.