World History

You are here: / Education / Kid's Corner K-12 / New Jersey 1844 State Constitution

New Jersey 1844 State Constitution

Constitution of New Jersey
1844
_________

State of New Jersey
_________

 A Constitution agreed upon by the delegates of the people ofNew Jersey,in Convention, begun atTrentonon the fourteenth day of May, and continued to the twenty-ninth day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty four.

_________

 We, the people of the State ofNew Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for thecivil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing upon our endeavors to secure and transmit the same unimpaired to succeeding generations, do ordain and establish this constitution.

Article I. Rights and Privileges.

1. All men are by nature free and independent, and have certain natural andunalienable rights, among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and of pursuing and obtaining safety and happiness.

2. All political power is inherent in the people. Government is instituted for theprotection, security, and benefit of the people, and they have the right at all times to alter or reform the same, whenever the public good may require it.

3. No person shall be deprived of the inestimable privilege of worshipping Almighty God in a manner agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience; nor under any pretence whatever be compelled to attend any place of worship contrary to his faith and judgment; nor shall any person be obliged to pay tithes, taxes, or other rates for building or repairing any church or churches, place or places of worship, or for the maintenance of any minister or ministry, contrary to what he believes to be right, or has deliberately and voluntarily engaged to perform.

4. There shall be no establishment of one religious sect in preference toanother; no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust; and no person shall be denied the enjoyment of any civil right merely on account of his religious principles.

5. Every person may freely speak, write, and publish his sentiments on all Subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that right. No law shall be passed to restrain or abridge the liberty of speech or of the press. In all prosecutions or indictments for libel, the truth may be given in evidence to the jury; and if it shall appear to the jury that the matter charged as libelous is true, and was published with good motives and for justifiable ends, the party shall be acquitted; and the jury shall have the right to determine the law and the fact.

6. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated; and no warrant shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the papers and things to be seized.


 
7.The right of trial by jury shall remain inviolate; but the Legislature may authorize the trial of civil suits, when the matter in dispute does not exceed fifty dollars, by a jury of six men.

8. In all criminal prosecutions the accused shall have the right to a speedyand public trial by an impartial jury; to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of Counsel in his defense.

9. No person shall be held to answer for a criminal offence, unless on thepresentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases of impeachment, or in cases cognizable by Justices of the peace, or arising in the army or navy; or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger.

10. No person shall after acquittal, be tried for the same offence. All personsshall, before conviction, be bailable by sufficient sureties, except for capital offences, when the proof is evident or presumption great.

11. The privilege of the writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unlessin case of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.

12. The military shall be in strict subordination to the civil power.

13. No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house without theconsent of the owner, nor in time of war except in a manner prescribed by law.

14. Treason against the State shall consist only in levying war against it, or inadhering to its enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason, unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.

15. Excessive bail shall not be required, excessive fines shall not be imposed,and cruel and unusual punishments shall not be inflicted.

16. Private property shall not be taken for public use without just compen-sation; but land may be taken for public highways as heretofore until the legislature shall direct compensation to be made. 

17. No person shall be imprisoned for debt in any action, or on any judgment founded upon contract, unless in cases of fraud; nor shall any person be imprisoned for a militia fine in time of peace. 

18. The people have the right freely to assemble together, to consult for the common good, to make known their opinions to their representatives, and to petition for redress of grievances. 

19. This enumeration of rights and privileges shall not be construed to impair or deny others retained by the people.


William Paterson Alexander Wurts
Secretary President of the Convention
Th. J. Saunders
Assistant Sec’y
Warren Bergen
P. B. Kennedy John Cassedy
Samuel Hibbler Abr. Westervelt
Robert S. Kennedy Hudson
Somerset Robt. Gilchrist
P. D. Vroom Passaic
Ferdinand S. Schenck Elias B. D. Ogden
George H. Brown Andrew Parsons
Hunterdon Sussex
Jonathan Pickel Joseph E. Edsall
David Neighbour John Bell
Peter I. Clark Martin Ryerson
Middlesex Essex
M. Jaques Jos. C. Hornblower
James Parker D’d Naar
Jos. F. Randolph O.S. Halsted
James C. Zabriskie
Mercer Elias Vanarsdale
Jno. R. Thomson William Stites
Henry W. Green Morris
R. S. Field Mahlon Dickerson
Francis Child
Ephraim Marsh
W. Nelson Wood
Monmouth Salem
George F. Fort Jno. H. Lambert
Bernard Connolly Richard P. Thompson
Thomas G. Haight Alex’. G. Cattell
Daniel Holmes Cumberland
Robt. Laird Wm. Belford Ewing
Burlington Joshua Brick
Moses Wills Daniel Elmer
J. J. Spencer Cape May
Wm. R. Allen Joshua Swain
Jno. C. Ten Eyck
Chas. Stokes
Camden
John W. Mickle
Abraham Browning
Gloucester
Jno. R. Sickler
Charles C. Stratton
Atlantic
Jonathan Pitney

New Jersey, ss: Be it remembered that on the twenty-ninth day of June in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and forty-four, the above Constitution was delivered to the Governor of this State, in open Convention by the President thereof – And it is thereupon by the said Governor ordered and directed that the same be filed in the office of the Secretary of State.

Dan’l. Haines, Gov. of N.J.
PureHistory.org ℗ is your source to learn about the broad and beautiful spectrum of our shared History.