Virginia Reform Constitutional Convention closes

Background. Following the 1830 Constitution, Virginia's politics changed under the pressure of party competition. General Assembly malapportionment was a perpetual irritant, and in December 1849 Democrat John B. Floyd became the fourth governor to call for a Constitutional Convention to reform the Constitution of 1830. Delegates were elected on the fourth Thursday in August 1850. Most states reformed their earlier constitutions to embrace white manhood suffrage and white population apportionment, and reformers in the 1850 Convention spent most of their time explaining that their innovations would not threaten slavery in Virginia.

Convention Proceedings. The Convention met from October 14, 1850, until August 1, 1851. It featured fierce debates that raged throughout Virginia in the press and were widely reported nationally. The assembly was known as the Reform Convention because it liberalized Virginia political institutions. The delegates were elected on the fourth Thursday in August 1850, and the proceedings were officially reported by William G. Bishop.

Ratification. Following the convention's closure, the new Constitution was put to a popular vote. Over three days' balloting in October 1851, the new Constitution was overwhelmingly approved, with 75,748 votes for and 11,060 against. This came amid a broader reform trend in which most states had reformed their earlier constitutions to embrace white manhood suffrage and white population apportionment in state legislatures.