Constitution of the State of North Carolina and Copy of the Act of the General Assembly Entitled An Act to Amend the Constitution of the State of North Carolina

In Short

This volume is an official publication issued by the North Carolina Secretary of State in 1914. It contains the full text of the state’s Constitution, supplemented by a series of legislative acts proposed to amend that document. By providing citizens with direct access to the laws that define their political existence, the text functions as a transparency tool of early twentieth-century governance. It remains significant for its clear articulation of the separation of powers and its historical record of how a state deliberates on modifying its supreme law.

The Story

The text begins with a Preamble that grounds the state’s authority in the collective will of the people, explicitly acknowledging a reliance on divine guidance for the preservation of liberty. From this opening, the narrative of the law moves immediately to a "Declaration of Rights," which acts as the moral and legal compass of the state. It asserts that all men are created equal and that political power resides solely with the people. The text establishes strict boundaries for the state, prohibiting general warrants, forbidding imprisonment for debt, and protecting the freedom of the press and the right to a trial by jury.

Following these core principles, the document details the machinery of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. It specifies the composition of the General Assembly, the qualifications for representatives and senators, and the logistical requirements for elections. The executive department is defined by the roles of the Governor and other state officers, emphasizing their accountability and the specific procedures for succession in the event of death or impeachment. The judicial section outlines the state’s court system, emphasizing that judges must operate under a system of rotation to ensure impartiality and that the General Assembly may not strip the courts of their essential jurisdiction.

The argument then turns to the practical administration of the state, covering taxation, finance, and the organization of municipal corporations. It sets strict limitations on the state’s ability to contract debt, ensuring that public funds are managed with fiscal restraint and tied to specific, stated purposes. A significant portion of the text is dedicated to the infrastructure of public life: the management of education, the establishment of townships, and the protection of homesteads and property rights for married women.

The closing chapters address the serious business of governance: the penal system, the limitation of punishments to prevent cruelty, and the processes for constitutional reform. The final section—the 1913 Act of the General Assembly—acts as a bridge to the future. It presents ten specific amendments for public consideration, such as increasing the school term from four months to six and reforming the process for creating corporations. The text concludes by detailing the exact mechanics of the upcoming election, including how ballots are to be marked and how the results will be certified. The entire arc moves from the abstract ideals of equality and justice to the pragmatic, granular details of how a modern society maintains its legal integrity, showing that a constitution is not a static relic, but a living instrument subject to the evolving will of its people.

How It Unfolds

The declaration of foundations The text opens with a proclamation of rights, establishing the fundamental relationship between the citizen and the state. It explicitly defines the limits of government power, particularly regarding property, personal liberty, and the right to bear arms.

The mechanics of power The middle chapters shift to the architecture of the three branches of government, detailing the specific responsibilities of the legislature, the governor, and the judiciary. This section provides a blueprint for how laws are made, enforced, and interpreted within a structured, hierarchical system.

The administrative infrastructure The document then covers the essential services of the state, including the regulation of public schools, the management of the university, and the oversight of county commissioners. It defines the state's fiscal duties, ensuring that taxation remains transparent and that the public treasury is protected from corruption.

The process of amendment The final movement focuses on the legal requirements for change, setting a high bar for constitutional revision that requires both legislative agreement and popular ratification. It provides a specific example of this process in action through the 1913 legislative act, which invites the populace to vote on proposed updates to the law.

The People

While this is a legal document rather than a narrative, it reveals the intended roles and responsibilities of key figures in the state’s life. The Governor emerges as the head of the executive department, charged with the supreme executive power of the state, yet constrained by a "Council of State" that keeps a formal journal of their advice. Members of the General Assembly act as the primary agents of change, responsible for creating the laws that govern daily life, yet they are limited by a strict per diem compensation structure that discourages prolonged sessions. Judges are cast as the neutral arbiters of the law, required to rotate districts every four years to prevent the development of local biases. Citizens are the ultimate protagonists of the text; they are defined not as passive subjects but as active participants who possess the power to vote, the right to assemble, and the duty to hold the state accountable for the preservation of their liberties.

In Its Own Voice

We hold it to be self-evident that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, the enjoyment of the fruits of their own labor, and the pursuit of happiness.

This sentence appears in the "Declaration of Rights" as the philosophical bedrock for all the laws that follow.

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; and, as standing armies in time of peace are dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be kept up, and the military should be kept under strict subordination to, and governed by, the civil power.

This passage clarifies the relationship between the state's defensive needs and the preservation of civilian control over the military.

What It's Really About

At its core, this document is a study in the tension between authority and liberty. It asks how a society can grant enough power to a government to ensure order, security, and public education without sacrificing the fundamental rights of the individual. The text argues that legitimacy is derived not from the strength of the state, but from the consent of the governed, expressed through transparent laws and frequent elections. Ultimately, it explores the necessity of a "law of the land" that acts as a check against the arbitrary exercise of power, forcing the state to justify its actions through established, public, and fair procedures.

Why Read It Today

Readers with an interest in political theory, legal history, or the nuts-and-bolts of American statehood will find this a fascinating, if dry, primary source. It offers a clear look at the structural concerns that occupied lawmakers in the early twentieth century, such as the regulation of railroads, the duration of school terms, and the protection of a widow’s inheritance. Because it is a formal document, the prose is dense and legalistic, reflecting the era's precise and formal tone. You will not find narrative flourish here, but rather the stark, essential language of governance. It is a rewarding read for those who want to understand the scaffolding of a state, but it is best approached as a reference work rather than a storybook. What stays with the reader is the enduring commitment to the idea that the state exists to serve the public, and that the mechanisms of that service must be written down, debated, and periodically adjusted by the people themselves. It is a sobering, grounding reminder of the complexity required to keep a republic functioning.