HR 590

                                               PRINTER'S NO.    3791
             THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
      HOUSE RESOLUTION
         No. 590
                                         Session of
                                           2026
INTRODUCED BY McCLINTON, BRADFORD AND TOPPER, JULY 22, 2026
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TOURISM, RECREATION AND ECONOMIC
   DEVELOPMENT, JULY 22, 2026
                          A RESOLUTION
1 Celebrating the momentous occasion of the 250th anniversary of
2    the Constitution of Pennsylvania.
3    WHEREAS, The first Constitution of Pennsylvania was drafted
4 by the Pennsylvania Provincial Conference at Carpenters' Hall in
5 Philadelphia and adopted on September 28, 1776; and
6    WHEREAS, This historic document was created during the dawn
7 of American independence and stood as one of the most radically
8 democratic and progressive state constitutions of the
9 Revolutionary era; and
10    WHEREAS, By 1776, many Pennsylvanians supported overthrow of
11 elite control of the Pennsylvania General Assembly for a more
12 democratic body; and
13    WHEREAS, On May 15, 1776, the Continental Congress, which
14 served as the provisional government and legislative body that
15 coordinated the 13 colonies' resistance to British rule and led
16 the United States through the American Revolutionary War, issued
17 a resolution to the colonies to call constitutional conventions
18 and write new constitutions; and
1    WHEREAS, On June 18, 1776, in Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia,
2 there was a call for a constitutional convention "to form a
3 Government for the Province of Pennsylvania, under the authority
4 of the people"; and
5    WHEREAS, On July 15, 1776, a Constitutional Convention was
6 formed in Philadelphia with Benjamin Franklin serving as
7 president, George Ross serving as vice president and John Morris
8 serving as secretary; and
9    WHEREAS, As one Pennsylvania delegate explained, the
10 Convention was determined not to pay the least regard to former
11 Constitutions and was resolved to reject everything...to clear
12 away every part of the old rubbish...and begin upon a clean
13 foundation; and
14    WHEREAS, The Constitution of Pennsylvania of 1776 established
15 a profound precedent by expanding voting rights to all tax-
16 paying freemen, eliminating restrictive property ownership
17 requirements and creating a strong Declaration of Rights that
18 predated the United States Bill of Rights; and
19    WHEREAS, The foundational principles of freedom, equality and
20 self-governance laid down in 1776 served as a vital template for
21 other states; and
22    WHEREAS, The 1776 Constitution of Pennsylvania featured a
23 unicameral legislature, a supreme executive council instead of a
24 Governor and expanded voting rights; and
25    WHEREAS, It also established a unique Council of Censors
26 meant to monitor government adherence to the Constitution; and
27    WHEREAS, By 1790, this system proved too chaotic and
28 unbalanced, leading to calls for a more structured government
29 and the first of five revisions of the Constitution of
30 Pennsylvania; and
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1WHEREAS, There have been five revisions of the Constitution
2 of Pennsylvania, in 1776, 1790, 1838, 1874 and 1968; and
3WHEREAS, The 1790 Constitution of Pennsylvania established a
4 bicameral legislature, created a strong Governor with veto power
5 and instituted an independent judiciary appointed by the
6 Governor; and
7WHEREAS, As the population grew and Jacksonian democratic
8 ideals spread, a new constitutional convention was called in
9 1838 to make government more directly accountable to the public;
10 and
11WHEREAS, The 1838 version of the Constitution of Pennsylvania
12 limited the Governor's power by making many formerly appointed
13 offices, including judges and county officials, elective; and
14WHEREAS, Following the Civil War, industrialization and rapid
15 corporate growth led to widespread corruption within State
16 government, which the 1874 Constitution of Pennsylvania aimed to
17 curb; and
18WHEREAS, The 1874 Constitution of Pennsylvania lengthened the
19 Governor's term, established strict regulations against
20 legislative corruption and corporate favoritism and created the
21 office of Lieutenant Governor; and
22WHEREAS, As society modernized, the 1874 Constitution of
23 Pennsylvania became heavily cluttered and outdated; and
24WHEREAS, The 1968 Constitution of Pennsylvania streamlined
25 government and vastly improved structural clarity; and
26WHEREAS, It reorganized the court system into a unified
27 judicial system, allowed the Governor to serve consecutive terms
28 and gave the General Assembly more organizational flexibility;
29 and
30WHEREAS, The 1968 version of the Constitution of Pennsylvania
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1 remains the active constitution of the Commonwealth today,
2 though it has been updated through various amendments over the
3 years; and
4    WHEREAS, The enduring legacy of Pennsylvania's constitutional
5 history continues to protect the inherent rights, public
6 education and free elections of all residents of this
7 Commonwealth; therefore be it
8    RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives celebrate the
9 250th anniversary of the Constitution of Pennsylvania; and be it
10 further
11    RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives honor the
12 monumental impact of the Constitution of Pennsylvania on
13 American democracy during this historic milestone; and be it
14 further
15    RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
16 the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
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