The people of the
Alaska Territory wrote their state constitution
over the winter of
November 8, 1955-
February 6, 1956, and
ratified it (at a 2/3 margin on the special
referendum of
April
24, 1956), two years before Alaska was granted
statehood by the
United States Congress. The Alaska State Constitution took effect
on
January 2, 1959, when U.S. President
Dwight D. Eisenhower
signed the official statehood proclamation. Alaska's
Constitutional
Convention was the culmination of over eighty-eight years as a
territory of the
United States, and the statehood movement which
had been a major struggle for many Alaskans for many decades.
The Constitutional Convention was comprised of fifty-five members
(mirroring the convention of the US Constitution in Philadelphia
of 1787). The opening words of the first speaker of the convention
were those of former territorial governor Ernst Gruening,
responding to this original pledge the Federal Government made to the
people of Alaska upon the Alaska Purchase of 1867:
"(Alaskans) shall be admitted to the enjoyment of all the
rights, advantages, and immunities of citizens of the United States,
and shall be maintained and protected to the free enjoyment of their
liberty, property, and religion."
Gruening's response: "...this is an extremely
important occasion. To me perhaps its greatest importance arises
from the fact that it is the first occaision of which is wholly of,
for, and most important, by the people of Alaska. If there has
been one important ingredient missing in our eighty-eight years as a
district, as a territory, it is that little preposition 'by'.
Many things have been done for us; even more things have been done to
us, but very little have we been permitted to do by us... What a
challenge then to create in these far northern latitudes a shining
and eternal example of what we want to call the American way of
life, to make Alaska not merely a bulwark defense for the whole
hemisphere, for the free world, but a spritual citadel of the
American idea. It can be done by the application to Alaska of basic
American principles, the most basic of which is government by
consent of the governed.", indirectly pointing out that the
Federal Government had essentially failed to keep their promise,
and that the Alaskan people had to take matters into their own hands.
Alaskans did not have the same rights, immunities, and advantages of
residents of states of the Union, especially during the early years
of the territory. For example: Under the Oregon Code, under which
the Territory of Alaska was administered, jury members were to be
drawn from the pool of taxpayers. However, for many many years,
there WERE no taxes in Alaska, essentially meaning
that there were no trials by jury (one of the more extreme examples).
The drafters of Alaska's constitution gathered in the newly renamed
Convention Hall on the University of Alaska, Fairbanks campus.
Juneau, Alaska was considered for the site of the
convention, however the UAF campus was chosen for its academic
atmosphere, and relative seclusion. Juneau, being the center of
Alaska's political culture, was feared to be too filled with special
interest lobbyists, and the city had a bit of a reputation as
being a 'small drinking town with a legislative problem' (i.e., there
was too much booze).
The document that came out of the convention, is one that models
those of many other states in the United States of America, as well
as the United States Constitution (heavily) itself. Being one of
the newest states to the Union, Alaska has not had a great deal of
time to develop the bulky, poorly-kept constitutions of some other
states. For instance, some of the original colony states have kept
their constitutions for over two centuries. Other states have
amended their constitutions with repetitve, conflicting articles and
sections. The constitution of the State of Alaska was intended
from the beginning to create a (relatively) small document, with. The writers of the constitution made a conscious effort to keep legislation-oriented things out of the Constitution, to avoid the endless amendment processes of the statese of California and Louisiana.
Another item that Alaska's first constitutional convention thought
important was language. It is said that there were originally
lawyers involved in the convention who wanted to use thick, legal
language (hitherto, et cetera) all over the place. But the
representatives at the convention rejected that kind of thinking, and
focused on providing the citizens of Alaska a constitution that they
could actually understand without a lawyer. Such thinking was
typical of Alaska's down-to-earth, frontier
spirit.
Important Dates
Adopted by the Constitutional Convention
February 5, 1956
Ratified by the People of Alaska
April 24, 1956
Became operative with the Formal Proclamation of Statehood
January 3, 1959
Agreed upon by the Delegates of the People of Alaska
University of Alaska
February 5, 1956
Amended at various times since proclamation of statehood
A Message from the Lieutenant Governor of Alaska
Dear Reader,
I am pleased to provide you with a copy of the Alaska State
Constitution. I hope you will find that your reading of the
Constitution helps you gain a better understanding and deeper
appreciation of Alaska and the spirit of her people.
The Alaska State Constitution upholds the unique diversity of
Alaska's people, land and resources. The Constitution establishes a
distribution of authority among state, federal and local governments
and sets basic limits on the power of government.
By forming a strong alliance and working together, the framers of the
Constitution provided Alaskans with an excellent system of government
for our special state. I hope you will appreciate their efforts and
enjoy reading and using this Constitution.
Sincerely,
Fran Ulmer
Lieutenant Governor
Preamble
We the people of Alaska, grateful to God and to those who founded
our nation and pioneered this great land, in order to secure and
transmit to succeeding generations our heritage of political, civil,
and religious liberty within the Union of States, do ordain and
establish this constitution for the State of Alaska.
Article I - Declaration of Rights
Article
II - The Legislature
Article
III - The Executive
Article IV
- The Judiciary
Article V - Suffrage and Elections
Article VI - Legislative Apportionment
Article VII - Health, Education and Welfare
Article VIII - Natural Resources
Article IX - Finance and Taxation
Article X
- Local Government
Article XI - Initiative, Referendum, and Recall
Article XII - General Provisions
Article XIII - Amendment and Revision
Article XIV - Apportionment Schedule
Article XV - Schedule of Transitional Measures