Comparing Constitutions: Ohio
Name:
If You’ve Seen One . . .
. . . you have not seen them all! The United States Constitution
isn’t the only constitution in America. Each state also has its own
constitution that is the “law of the land” inside the state’s borders
(except, of course, that the U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of
the United States and is superior to individual state constitutions).
State constitutions are different from the United States Constitution
in many ways, but there are many similarities, too. For example,
the U.S. Constitution begins with a preamble that introduces the
Constitution and explains its purpose. The Ohio Constitution also
has a preamble.
Activity A: Compare the U.S. Constitution’s preamble with the
Ohio Constitution’s preamble. Box the parts that are the same (or
basically the same) in both documents.
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Government Rules!
Just as the U.S. Constitution gives the rules for how the U.S.
government should run, state constitutions give rules for how a state
government should run. State governments operate independently
from the federal government, and a state’s constitution sets out
the structure and functions of the state’s government. Like the
U.S. Constitution, all state constitutions create three branches of
government: Executive, Judicial, and Legislative.
States may structure their individual branches differently than the
federal government, however, because state governments have a lot
of responsibilities that are different from what the federal government
does. The U.S. Constitution requires states to be governed by a
representative democracy, which means state citizens must be able to
elect their government representatives. But beyond that, states are
free to organize their governments in a way that best suits the state’s
individual needs.
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Reading & Activity ̶ Side A
Comparing Constitutions: Ohio
Name:
Activity B: Compare how the government is set up in the U.S. Constitution with how the state
government is set up by the Ohio Constitution. This time, underline the parts that are different.
U.S. Constitution
Ohio Constitution
The executive Power shall be vested in a
President of the United States of America.
The supreme executive power of this
State shall be vested in the Governor.
The judicial Power of the United States shall be
vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior
Courts as the Congress may from time to time
ordain and establish.
The judicial power of the state is vested in a
supreme court, courts of appeals, courts of
common pleas and divisions thereof, and such other
courts inferior to the Supreme Court as may from
time to time be established by law.
All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested
in a Congress of the United States, which shall
consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.
The legislative power of the state shall be vested
in a General Assembly consisting of a Senate and
House of Representatives...
The House of Representatives shall be composed of
Members chosen every second year...
Representatives shall be elected biennially [and]
their term of office shall... continue two years.
... No person shall hold the office of State
Representative for a period longer than four
successive terms of two years.
The Senate of the United States shall be composed
of two senators from each State, chosen for six
Years…
[S]enators shall be elected to and hold office for
terms of four years. ... No person shall hold the
office of State Senator for a period longer than
two successive terms of four years.
Every bill which shall have passed the House of
Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it
become a Law, be presented to the President of
the United States; If he approve he shall sign it, but
if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that
House in which it shall have originated...
If... two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the
Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections,
to the other House, by which it shall likewise be
reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that
House, it shall become a Law.
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Every bill which has passed both houses of the
General Assembly... shall be presented forthwith to
the governor for his approval.
If the governor approves an act, he shall sign it, it
becomes law... If he does not approve it, he shall
return it with his objections in writing, to the
house in which it originated...
If three-fifths of the members elected to the
house of origin vote to repass the bill, it shall
be sent ... to the other house, which may also
reconsider the vote on its passage. If three fifths
of the members elected to the second house vote
to repass it, it becomes law...
Reading & Activity ̶ Side B
Comparing Constitutions: Ohio
Name:
Layers of Government
Both the U.S. and Ohio constitutions create goverments where smaller units of government share
power with a larger government. However, the power-sharing systems work very differently.
National Layers
of
Government
States
Ohio Layers
of
Government
Counties
States are a unit
of government
that existed
before the U.S.
Constitution was
written. (There
were only 13
states back
then, and Ohio
was not one of
them.)
The Ohio
Constitution
authorizes units
of government
called counties.
Nine existed
before Ohio
became a state.
Townships
Nation
The U.S.
Constitution
creates a
larger unit of
government.
This federal
government got
its power and
authority from
the states.
Activity C: The relationship between larger and
smaller units of government in Ohio (and all
states) is the opposite of the relationship at the
national level. Explain how:
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
Townships are
small units of
government
created by the
U.S. federal
government
before Ohio
became a
state. Ohio’s
constitution
affirms them.
Cities/Villages
Finally, Ohio’s
constitution
authorizes even
smaller units of
government—
cities and
villages. Areas
not classified as
a city or village
are governed by
townships and
counties.
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
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Reading & Activity ̶ Side C
Comparing Constitutions: Ohio
Name:
Everybody’s Got Rights
The U.S. Constitution itself doesn’t include many protections for individual rights.
These kinds of rights are listed in the first ten amendments to the Constitution,
called the Bill of Rights, and in many of the other 27 amendments. State
constitutions contain many of these same rights and guarantees, which are normally
written into the state’s constitution itself.
Why the overlap? Before 1925, the Bill of Rights was understood to restrict only
the federal government’s actions—not state governments’ actions. Each state’s
constitution guaranteed its citizens certain individual rights, which were often the
same as those in the Bill of Rights. Since 1925, the Supreme Court has ruled that
most of the Bill of Rights applies at the state level, too. States can’t offer citizens
fewer rights, but they can offer more, and sometimes they do.
Activity D: Compare the following rights found in these U.S and Ohio founding documents. Answer the
questions about each comparison.
U.S. Declaration of Independence
We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal, that they
are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
U.S. Constitution
X
Ohio Constitution
All men are, by nature, free and
independent, and have certain inalienable
rights, among which are those of enjoying
and defending life and liberty, acquiring,
possessing, and protecting property, and
seeking and obtaining happiness and safety.
-- from Article 1, Section 1
1. Circle the three rights listed in the Declaration of Independence.
2. Ohio’s constitution lists more than three “inalienable rights.” List
them here (one word per right) and circle them above.
___________________
____________________
___________________
____________________
3. The Ohio Constitution gets
even more specific about
these rights. Underline the
seven verbs that explain
in detail exactly what is
meant by these rights.
___________________
U.S. Constitution
Ohio Constitution
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a
The people have the right to bear arms for their defense
free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms,
and security... -- from Article 1, Section 4
shall not be infringed. -- from Amendment 2
4. Which constitution seems more clear about why people have the right to keep and bear arms?
•
Circle your choice.
•
Underline the words or phrases that support your answer.
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Reading & Activity ̶ Side D
Comparing Constitutions: Ohio
U.S. Constitution
Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment
of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof...
-- from Amendment 1
Name:
Ohio Constitution
All men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to
the dictates of their own conscience. No person shall be compelled to attend, erect,
or support any place of worship, or maintain any form of worship, against his consent;
and no preference shall be given, by law, to any religious society... Religion, morality, and
knowledge, however, being essential to good government, it shall be the duty of the
General Assembly to pass suitable laws, to protect every religious denomination in the
peaceable enjoyment of its own mode of public worship, and to encourage schools and the
means of instruction. -- from Article 1, Section 7
5. Which constitution does each statement apply to? Check one
or both circles.
U.S. Ohio


Forbids laws that would establish a preferred
religion.


Requires laws to protect religious worship.


Declares that religious worship is a natural right.


Gives people the right to practice religion as
they choose.
U.S. Declaration of Independence
[T]o secure these [inalienable] rights,
Governments are instituted among Men,
deriving their just powers from the consent
of the governed, --That whenever any Form
of Government becomes destructive of
these ends, it is the Right of the People to
alter or to abolish it, and to institute new
Government...
U.S. Constitution
6. The Ohio Constitution is more
specific about people’s rights.
Find and underline words and
phrases that show this.
7. Find and circle the three things
Ohio’s constitution says are
essential to good government.
Does this surprise you? Do you
agree? (Just think about it—no
need to write anything.)
Ohio Constitution
All political power is inherent in the people.
We the People of the United
Government is instituted for their equal
States... do ordain and
protection and benefit, and they have the
establish this Constitution for
right to alter, reform, or abolish the same,
the United States of America.
whenever they may deem it necessary;.
-- from the Preamble
-- from Article 1, Section 2
8. The Ohio Constitution says all political power
belongs to the people. Underline the words in
the Declaration of Independence that mean the
same thing.
10. The Ohio Constitution gives Ohioans
some rights. Does this same section imply
that Ohioans have some responsibilities, too?
Brainstorm as many as you can think of:
9. Explain how the Preamble excerpt from the
U.S. Constitution shows that power belongs to
the people:
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______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
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_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
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Reading & Activity ̶ Side E
Comparing Constitutions: Ohio
Name:
We Need a Little Change Around Here
Nothing stays the same—not even constitutions. Changing a constitution
is a big deal. That’s because a constitution is the foundation for all the
other laws in the country or in a state. Because constitutions are so
important, it’s not easy to change them. They don’t pull a constitutional
amendment out of a hat! Usually there is a complicated procedure that
requires many people to agree on the proposed amendment. There are
two main steps to amending (changing) most constitutions: proposing
(suggesting) an amendment and ratifying (approving) the amendment.
Activity E: Compare the methods for amending the U.S. Constitution with
the methods for amending Ohio’s Constitution. Answer the questions.
U.S. Constitution
Step 1:
Method 1: Two-thirds of the members
of both the Senate and the House of
Representatives vote to propose an
amendment.
Proposing
an
Amendment Method 2: The legislatures in two-thirds of
the states vote to propose an amendment.
Step 2:
Method 1: The legislatures in threefourths of the states vote to approve the
amendment.
Ratifying
Method 2: Three-fourths of the states
an
Amendment hold conventions that vote to approve the
amendment.
Look at Method 1 for proposing an amendment.
Shade the fraction circles below and check the
box to show which constitution requires a higher
percentage of approval:
 U.S. Constitution
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Ohio Constitution
Method 1: Either the Ohio House of
Representatives or the Ohio Senate proposes
an amendment, and three-fifths of members
of both houses vote to approve the idea.
Method 2: Two-thirds of the members of
both the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House of
Representatives vote to call a convention for
proposing an amendment.
Only Method: The proposed amendment from
either the General Assembly or the special
convention is put on a ballot and submitted
to voters in an election. If a majority of
those voting in the election approve the
amendment, it is added to the Constitution.
Explain the major difference between how
amendments to the U.S. Constitution and the
Ohio Constitution are ratified:
 Ohio Constitution
Reading & Activity ̶ Side F