The Birth of Washington State: 1889 Constitution Draft
A rare look at the foundational text that set the rules for labor, public education, and state governance upon Washington’s entry into the Union.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
We, the people of the State of Washington, grateful to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for our liberties, do ordain this constitution. All political power is inherent in the people and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed and are established to protect and maintain individual rights. The state of Washington is an inseparable part of the American Union, and the Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the land. No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process of law. Every individual shall be at liberty to speak, write or publish his sentiments on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that right. The legislature shall never authorize any lottery or grant any divorce. After the first day of January eighteen hundred and ninety, the labor of convicts of this state shall not be let out by contract to any person, copartnership, company or corporation, and the legislature shall by law provide for the working of convicts for the benefit of the state.
“All political power is inherent in the people and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
This 1889 document established the bedrock of Washington's civic life. Its provisions on labor, such as the prohibition of convict leasing, and the mandate for a 'general and uniform system of public schools,' continue to shape the state's legal battles over budget priorities and education funding today.
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