Mississippi | One of the first states to have an elected judiciary

Mississippi

The Constitution of the State of Mississippi. As Revised in Convention, on the Twenty-Sixth Day of October, A.D. 1832. Jackson: Printed by Peter Isler, 1832

8vo (187 x 121 mm). Title-page lightly soiled, lower right corners clipped not affecting text, strong browning to last 5 leaves, right margin of pp. 23–24 trimmed close. Disbound. Brick red cloth chemise and slipcase, black morocco spine lettered gilt.

First edition of Mississippi's second constitution, following printings of the first in 1817, 1821, and 1822. When Mississippi gained statehood in 1817, only the northern two-thirds of the land was open to white settlement, the rest belonging to the Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians. As the tribes ceded more and more land, and were finally pushed out altogether, a new constitution was deemed necessary.

The 1832 constitution abolished the requirement for land ownership in order to hold public office and allowed the popular election of judges and public officials, making Mississippi one of the first states to have an elected judiciary. It forbade the importation of slaves—a prohibition that was largely disregarded. It also gave Indians the rights of American citizens, although they had to move out of state to maintain their tribal nations' sovereignty (see lot 10, The Constitution and Laws of the Choctaw Nation).

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Streeter sale 3:1561