Georgia Constitution Studying Flashcards
It was Initiated in April 1776 by Georgia Trustees but not completed and executed in February 1777 following meetings by state constitutional convention.
Wasn’t submitted to voters for ratification.
More authority in state legislative body.
Had basic rights- freedom of religion, press and trial by jury.
1777 Constitution
o Following ratification of US Constitution, Georgia revised to align with constitution.
o Shortest Georgia Constitution and was modeled after US constitution.
o Weakened power of legislative.
o Created two houses of legislature as well as an executive and judicial branch.
o Georgia General Assembly was elected to select a governor.
Commander of Georgia military force and served two year term.
1789 Constitution
o One of three not associated with war relate d periods.
o In effect for sixty three years.
o Double in length of previous constitution.
o Legislative power more carefully defined.
o Governor would now be popularly elected instead of by General Assembly.
o 1835 Amendment to constitution created state supreme court.
1798 Constitution
o One of four constitutions written during Civil War/Reconstruction Period.
o State convention was assembled in Milledgeville in response to concerns of admitting New Mexico/California.
o Following succession from the union, Georgia created new constitution that was modeled after Confederated Constitution.
o Much of the bill of rights added to this remain in legislation to this day.
o Due Process and Judicial Review were included for first time.
1861 Constitution
o Georgia governor James Johnson called for constitutional convention following end of Civil War.
o Had to be acceptable by federal government and include Ordinance of Secession, abolition of slavery, and repaying of war debt.
o Similar to 1861 Constitution but abolished slavery/limited governor to two terms.
o Stated that everyone except supreme court judges would be elected by people.
o However, constitution was rejected as Georgia legislature refused to ratify Fourteenth Amendment, and Georgia was placed under military rule.
1865 Constitution
o New group of delegates met to create a new constitution in December 1867.
o Major issues included 14th Amendment, voting qualifications, debt and separation of power.
Included amnesty from debt before 1865 and prohibition of imprisonment for debt.
Were rejected by Congress except debts regarding price of enslaved people.
o Suffrage was extended to all male citizens.
o Governor term increased to four years and gained power to pardon.
1868 Constitution
o Following end of reconstruction, the New South was created and new constitutional convention were created.
o Many individual and institutional rights were limited.
o Amended 301 times.
1877 Constitution
o Following Public Affairs of UGA publishing a proposed constitution, it pushed for revision of constitution.
o 23 member constitutional commission was created representing all three branches of government.
o Approval from both legislature and voters was required.
o Governor Ellis Arnall promoted merit system for state employees and prison board.
o 90 percent of provisions were taken from Constitution of 1877.
o Additions
Office of Lieutenant Governor.
State Board of Corrections.
State Department of Veteran’s Service.
Jury Service for Women.
Increase in number of justices to 7.
1945 Constitution
o Revised version was approved by General Assembly in 1964, but never sent to people b/c of legal concerns of malapportioned legislature.
o 1969 Legislature was approved by house but not the senate.
o George Busbee, elected for governor in 1974, called for article by article revision.
o Didn’t change parts within constitution but changed structure.
1976 Constitution
o Select Committee of Constitutional Revision was created in 1976.
Governor was chair.
Included lieutenant governor, speaker of the house, attorney general, and representatives from both houses of legislature and judiciary.
o Agreed in 1977 to total revision.
Each article would be draft and submitted individually to Select Committee.
o Submitted in 1981 to General Assembly, which was approved. Then submitted to voters in 1982 general election, which was approved on July 1, 1983.
o About half as long as 1976 Constitution and better organized/used more simple/modern English.
o Most significant change- prohibited amendment related only to particular city, county or other political subdivision.
1983 Constitution
o Created state’s seventh constitution.
o Was ratified at the end of reconstruction.
o Was a reaction to the abuses which many of the Democratic leaders thought was abuse of power by reconstruction.
o Changed power of legislature and state’s power to tax.
o Also created provisions in support of segregation.
Georgia Constitution Convention of 1877
Who led the constitutional convention?
Charles Jones Jenkins.
Name some changes of the new constitution?
o Created committee on revision with 2 members in each of the previous 13 committees.
o Gave states power to tax citizens.
o Increased power of legislature.
o Term of both governor and senator was changed from four to two years.
What article was used to empower Georgia government to practice segregation?
Article 8
What did Article 8 outline specifically?
Created separated primary education and universities to black and white citizens as well as created the Poll Tax.
What government positions became popularly elected?
Secretary of State, Attorney General and State Treasurer
What were the requirements in the 1877 Constitution for amending it?
2/3 of only one legislative body to pass an amendment before it was voted on in popular election.
What were the requirements to amend 1868 Constitution?
2/3 of both legislative body approval before popularly voted.
Where did the secession convention of 1861 meet?
Milledgeville, Georgia.
What were the two views of secession.
o Immediate Secessionist - Advocated to leave union without further consideration.
o Cooperationists- Had differing opinions but wanted to remain at peace. Remaining a whole union to creating the south to act in unison.
What were the main changes of the 1861 Constitution from the 1798 Constitution?
Made specific provisions for protection of slavery.
Gave amending power exclusively to constitutional convention chosen by people of Georgia.
Who created the literacy test in Georgia and when?
Governor Hoke Smith in 1907
What were some constitutional requirements in Georgia to vote?
o Must be a male, at least 21 years old, and a resident of Georgia for one year.
o Smith added an amendment that attempted to allow white voters to vote, even if they failed the literacy test.
Example: Any Union or Confederate veteran or descendant could vote.
* This provision was known as the Grandfather Clause, and was used to disenfranchise black voters.
* This amendment was approved by voters in 1908.
* This act wasn’t overturned until the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
What was the Grandfather Clause?
Any Union/Confederate Veteran or Descendant could vote, even if the literacy test was failed?
Who was the leader in removing UGA’s Dean of Education?
Eugene Talmadge
What was the Julius Rosenwald Fund
Program used to build schools for rural African-American students and used by Talmadge to prove Walter Dewey Cocking was a “Communist”.
What was the result of Talmadge removal of Cocking?
UGA was dropped from Southern University Conference and their accreditation was revoked by Southern Association of Schools and Colleges.
Who was the 1942 governor winner that gained support from UGA students?
Ellis Arnal
Who was the Georgia governor that removed Confederate battle emblem?
Roy Barnes
Which governor restored UGA’s accreditation, lowered voting age to 18, and led the general assembly to abolish the poll tax.
Ellis Arnal
What states authorized banning of Public Schools prior to Brown vs Board of Education?
Georgia, South Carolina, and Mississippi.
Who was the primary author of the Southern Manifesto?
Harry Byrd.
What was the Southern Manifesto
A writing by many southern US senators, that urged states to resist Brown vs Board of Education ruling and to invoke State Rights.
Who was the Little Rock attorney that equated integration to a Soviet scheme?
Amis Guthridge
What was the North Carolina law that changed their school criteria to intelligence and psychological readiness.
Pupil Placement Law
What was the group which reached 250,000 members and caused supporters of Brown v Board case to lose certain aspects?
White Citizen’s Council
Who were the two main candidates of the Georgia Gubernatorial Election in 1946
Eugene Talmadge and James V Carmichael
What were some examples of Talmadge acts of corruption.
Employed nepotism, gave gifts to constituents/legislators, and hundreds of thousands of tax payers money for personal expenditures.
What was the system used in 1946 election that gave more weight to rural white counties as means to suppress black voters.
County Unit System.
Who were the three individuals who claimed office following Eugene Talmadge’s death?
Herman Talmadge, Melvin E Thompson, and Ellis Arnall.
What was the county which Herman Talmadge used to gain fraudulent votes to gain temporary position as governor.
Telfair County
Who was ultimately ruled as rightful successor to governor’s office in March 1947?
Melvin E Thompson
Which constitution gave women explicit permission for women to serve on juries?
1945 Constitution.
Who was the first women, a secretary, to serve legally on a juror.
Miss Frances Smith
Who were the other two women that served prior (but not legally) to the first legal woman on a jury?
T.O. Estes and Mary Bell Tinius.
Which judge included four women on list of jurors, all who declined to serve?
Judge Herbert R Edmondson.
What were the primary groups which fought for official legislation for women jurors.
Georgia Association of Women Lawyers, Georgia Federation of Women’s Clubs, and the League of Women Voters.
Who was the female senator that advocated and negotiated for juror bill to be passed to law.
Mrs Iris Blitch
Who authored the juror bill in 1953 for
Representative Braswell Denn
Who was the creator of the Hope Scholarship?
Zell Miller
What were the three main goals of the Hope Scholarship program?
Improve quality of education in Georgia- Incentivize students to perform better in high school.
Would encourage students to go in state for college (it worked for me!)
Attempted to address college enrollment differences between whites and African Americans and socioeconomic status.
When was income gap abolished for Hope
1995
What were some critiques of Hope
o Critics said widened gap between high and low income students and widened gap in college-going rates for those other than whites/Asians.
Also increased requirements/tuition at top Georgia research institutes, relegating low income students to lower tier state schools.
o In 1996, grade inflation led to 70 percent of recipients not maintain GPA in college.
Miller mandated high school students hold B in core classes, which was effected in 2000.
In 2004, lowered cap for number of hours hope pays for.
When was the mandatory book/fee awards eliminated? What was created in its place?
Zell Miller
What are some of the impact of Hope/Zell Miller
o In 2006, study by Journal of Labor Economics found state SAT Scores increased by forty points since start of HOPE.
o Enrollment at state schools increased by 15 percent between 1988 and 1997.
o Enrollment at out of state HBCUs decreased by 34 percent between 1992 and 1994.
o In 2006, enrollment of African Americans at Georgia colleges/universities increased by 70 percent since start of HOPE.
How many days does Georgia Constitution limit legislators to meet each year?
40 days
True or False: State Senators/Representatives in Georgia are full time employees?
False
When did day limit rule begin?
Were farmers and could leave field from January to March, since fields were dormant.
B/c they were farmers, a Jeffersonian model was created.
Worked part time as a legislative official and part time in the field.
What are the three sections of the Georgia Bill of Rights
Section I- Rights of Persons
Section II - Origin and Structure of Government
Section III - General Provisions
