The changes and the concerns in society can be noted by the comparison of the preambles in the original 1816 constitution, and the current constitution.

The preamble to the original 1816 constitution read:

"We the Representatives of the people of the Territory of Indiana, in Convention met, at Corydon, on monday the tenth day of June in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and sixteen, and of the Independence of the United States, the fortieth, having the right of admission into the General Government, as a member of the union, consistent with the constitution of the United States, the ordinance of Congress of one thousand seven hundred and eighty seven, and the law of Congress, entitle "An act to enable the people of the Indiana Territory to form a Constitution and State Government, and for the admission of such state into the union, on an equal footing with the original States" in order to establish Justice, promote the welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity; do ordain and establish the following constitution or form of Government, and do mutually agree with each other to form ourselves into a free and Independent state, by the name of the State of Indiana."[118]

The preamble of the current constitution reads:

"TO the END, that justice be established, public order maintained, and liberty perpetuated; WE, the PEOPLE of the STATE of INDIANA, grateful to ALMIGHTY GOD for the free exercise of the right to choose our own form of government, do ordain this CONSTITUTION."[119]

Articles

Articles of the Constitution cover specific topics, as follows:

1. Article 1: Bill of Rights
2. Article 2: Suffrage and Election
3. Article 3: Distribution of Powers
4. Article 4: Legislative
5. Article 5: Executive
6. Article 6: Administrative
7. Article 7: Judicial
8. Article 8: Education
9. Article 9: State Institutions
10. Article 10: Finance
11. Article 11: Corporations
12. Article 12: Militia
13. Article 13: Indebtedness
14. Article 14: Boundaries
15. Article 15: Miscellaneous
16. Article 16: Amendments

Summary of provisions

• Article 1 (Bill of Rights) includes similar wording from the Declaration of Independence and the state's constitution of 1816 such as the people's "inalienable rights" such as "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" and the people's right to govern themselves.[[119]](https://en.wikip

Constitution of Indiana

Constitution of Indiana

American state constitution

Not to be confused with Constitution of India.

The 1816 ( superseded) and 1851 Constitutions of the State of Indiana, located in the Indiana Statehouse Rotunda.

The Constitution of Indiana is the highest body of state law in the U.S. state of Indiana. It establishes the structure and function of the state and is based on the principles of federalism and Jacksonian democracy. Indiana's constitution is subordinate only to the U.S. Constitution and federal law. Prior to the enactment of Indiana's first state constitution and achievement of statehood in 1816, the Indiana Territory was governed by territorial law. The state's first constitution was created in 1816, after the U.S. Congress had agreed to grant statehood to the former Indiana Territory. The present-day document, which went into effect on November 1, 1851, is the state's second constitution. It supersedes Indiana's 1816 constitution and has had numerous amendments since its initial adoption.

Indiana's constitution is composed of a preamble, articles, and amendments. Among other provisions, it specifies a republican form of government (pursuant to Article IV, Section 4, of the U.S. Constitution) consisting of three branches: executive (including administration), legislative, and judicial. The state constitution also includes a bill of rights, grants suffrage and regulates elections, provides for a state militia, state educational institutions, and sets limits on government indebtedness. The Indiana General Assembly may amend the constitution, subject to ratification by vote of the people, as specified in Article 16 of Indiana's 1851 constitution.