delegates. Elections and the franchise Despite the declaration that all power emanates from the people, the document kept political power in the hands of the male citizens who met a minimum property requirement. When adopted, the 1776 constitution allowed 20,000 of the 300,000+ people living in Maryland to vote. Slaves and women could not vote, nor did they have equal rights to men. Only Christians could hold office until 1826, when legislation was adopted allowing Jews to hold office and have equal rights and privileges with Christians. They directly elected delegates to the Maryland General Assembly and indirectly elected State Senators. Voters would elect Senatorial Electors every five years. These men would then meet together to elect a fifteen-member Senate, nine members from the Western Shore and six members from the Eastern Shore. If a Senate vacancy occurred between elections, then the Senate itself selected a replacement. The Governor was elected by the joint legislature, not by the people directly. And most local offices were appointed by the Governor, with the concurrence of his Executive Council. Subsequent history The 1776 constitution was amended 66 times, most notably in 1837, to, among other things, provide for a popularly elected governor, instead of one chosen by the legislature. The constitution was initially about 8,800 words long. The several amendments added to it between 1792 and 1846 brought its total length to about 15,200 words. Black men who met the property requirement could vote until 1810, when the General Assembly ratified a constitutional amendment (approved by the 1809 assembly) to change "freemen" to "free white men" in Article 2 of the constitution. See also Government of Maryland History of Maryland History of the United States (1776–1789) List of delegates to the Maryland Constitutional Convention (1776) Maryland Constitution of 1867 Maryland Constitution of 1864 Maryland Constitution of 1851 State constitution (United States) References Bibliography Russo, Jean. Maryland Humanities Council (2001). "From Revolution to Revolution: Eighteenth-Century Maryland". Ridgway, Whitman H. Maryland Humanities Council (2001). "(Maryland) Politics and Law" Smith, Herbert C., and John T. Willis. Maryland Politics and Government: Democratic Dominance. University of Nebraska Press, 2012. External links Text of the Constitution Amendments to the Maryland Constitution of 1776 The Archives of Maryland - Constitutional Records 1776 in American law Defunct state constitutions of the United States Maryland law Maryland in the American Revolution Legal history of Maryland 1776 in Maryland