Creator: General Records of the State of Mississippi (RG 1). Constitutional Conventions.

Collection Summary: This series is made up of journals detailing proceedings of the Secession Convention of Mississippi. Arrangement is chronological.

Access Restrictions: These records are fragile and must be handled according to the following instructions: Photocopying by archivist only. 

Date(s): 1861.

Volume: 0.50 Cubic Feet.

Finding Aid Created By: Colby Cox in December 2024.

Related Materials: Series 475: Ordinance of Secession. 1861.

Record Group History: A record group devoted to the meetings of state officials to draft a constitution to serve as the main governing document for the state. Mississippi’s first constitutional convention was in 1817 and met in the then territorial capital of Washington, Mississippi to organize a constitution needed for the Mississippi territory to enter the United States as a fully recognized state. A second constitutional convention was held in 1832 to create a new constitution for the state due to the growth of the state’s area of governance and population. Major changes included the removal of the property requirement for voting rights, establishing term limits for elected offices, and making judges an elected position. Following the Civil War, a new constitutional convention was held in 1868 to allow Mississippi to be readmitted into the United States. Major components included the extension of state citizenship to all the state’s residents, granting Black men the ability to vote, and the enhancement of the property rights of married women. Mississippi’s last constitutional convention was held in 1890 in the aftermath of the collapse of Reconstruction and the resulting shift in state politics. The main changes in the new constitution were focused on enacting measures to disenfranchise Black citizens of the state and limiting their civil rights. The 1890 Constitution remains the governing document of the state but has been heavily revised since its ratification.

Collection Inventory:
Box Content 

Box Number

1861 (Jan.-Mar.)17061