On this date in 1838 delegates from around Florida met at St. Joseph to draft a constitution and bill of rights for the Territory of Florida on this date. Robert R. Reid, future governor of the territory, presided over the convention. Delegates were broken into eighteen committees to determine specific areas of the government. The only major issue of contention was banking legislation, but the convention adjourned on January 11. No original copy of the document exists today, but a secretary’s copy is held by the State Archives of Florida.
Check out the State Archives of Florida’s Florida Memory website to read the entire document.
~Florida Historical Society