Constitution of the State of Oklahoma

1907

Oklahoma adopted its constitution on November 16, 1907, the same day it was admitted to the Union as the 46th state. Drafted in the Indian Territory town of Guthrie by a convention dominated by Democrats, the document drew heavily from other progressive-era state constitutions and included extensive protections for labor and restrictions on corporations — a reflection of the populist sentiment then running strong across the Southern Plains. At roughly 74,000 words it remains one of the longest state constitutions in the United States, a product of the convention's preference for writing detailed policy directly into fundamental law rather than leaving it to the legislature.