Foundations of the US Constitution: Massachusetts
Apr 13th, 2012 | By Tim GeorgeIn its basic elements, the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 served as the primary model for the United States Constitution. Those essential elements included a constitutional convention, popular ratification, the bill of rights, separation of powers, and an independent judiciary. Drafted by John Adams, the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 notably had a well-developed doctrine of separation of powers. It provided for a genuine system of checks-and-balances: a two-house legislature, a strong executive with veto power, and an independent judiciary with life tenure. One article of this model for our national Constitution stated, “It is the right
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