Ohio Constitutional Law and History
This site was prepared by and is maintained by Professor Steven H. Steinglass and Sue Altmeyer, Electronic Services Librarian. We are continually adding documents and information to this site. It is truly a work in progress. We encourage you to contact us with any additions, comments or corrections to this web site. Your comments can help us realize our goal of creating a useful repository of information on the Ohio Constitution and its history.
Contents: Ohio Constitutional Law and History Web Page(also in the bar on the left)
| Primary Sources | Calls for Conventions | Constitutional Revision |
| Timeline | Court Decisions | Selected Topics |
| Bibliography | Web Links |
Primary Sources
Current Ohio Constitution
Ohio Constitution of 1851, as amended, with linked table of contents
Ohio Constitution of 1851, as amended, searchable pdf
From the Ohio General Assembly's web page. Unusual section numbering is used, ie. Section 1.01. The Ohio Constitution is usually cited in the following format: Art. I, section 1.
Prior Ohio Constitutions & Northwest Ordinance
Ordinance of the Northwest Territory, 1787
Constitution of 1802 (original)
Constitution of 1851 (original)
Former Provisions of the Ohio Constitution of the State of Ohio, 1851, Baldwin's Ohio Revised Code Annotated, KFO 30 1953 .A4
(3rd volume in the set, marked "Ohio Constitution, Art IV to end, Tables, General Provisions" page 600-650, plus pocket part pages). Available on Westlaw, Ohio Statutes - Annotated
(OH-ST-ANN). . Contains any language that use to exist in the Ohio Constitution of 1851, but no longer exists in the current amended version of the Constitution.
Proposed Ohio Constitution
Proposed Constitution of 1874 (1.44 MB)- pages 182-236 of Isaac Franklin Patterson, The Constitutions of Ohio, (Cleveland: The Arthur H. Clark Co., 1912). KFO401.A15 (Law Special Collections).
Constitutional Conventions
Ohio’s four constitutional conventions:
- Constitution Convention of 1802—Journal of the Convention, of the Territory of the United States Northwest of the Ohio, begun and held at Chillicothe, on Monday the First Day of November, A.D., 1802. (Contained in Daniel J. Ryan, "From Charter to Constitution", p. 80-131) **Note that this link to the Ohio Historical Society webpage may not work when you first click on it. Hit the back button and try again - it should work the second time)
- Constitutional Convention of 1850-51‑‑Report of the Debates and Proceedings of the Convention for the Revision of the Constitution of the State of Ohio, 1850-51, 2 vols. (Columbus: S. Medary, 1851) (From the University of Michigan's Making of America Books).
- Constitutional Convention of 1873-74--Official Report of the Proceedings and Debates of the Third Constitutional Convention of Ohio, 2 vols. (Cleveland: W.S. Robison & Co., 1873-74)(not approved) (From the University of Michigan's Making of America Books).
- Constitutional Convention of 1912--Proceedings and Debates of the Constitutional Convention of the State of Ohio: Convened January 9, 1912, 2 vols. (Columbus: The F.J. Heer Printing Co., 1912). (From the Ohio Supreme Court's website)
- Address of Theodore Roosevelt - p. 378-387. PDF copy
- Members of the Constitutional Convention - 1912, p. 2099-2100. Pdf copy
- Form of Ballot Submitting Amendments to the People. p. 2007-2012. Pdf copy
- Amendments to the Constitution of Ohio, Adopted by the Constitutional Convention of 1912 and Submitted to Electors, p. 2101-2111. Pdf copy
- Table of Votes on the Amendments Proposed by the Constitutional Convention of 1912, p. 2112-2113. Pdf copy
- Constitution with Amendments with Amendments Proposed by the Constitutional Convention of 1912, and approved by the people. p. 2119-2142. Pdf copy
Links Checked, SA, 1/2010