Federal Constitution of the U.S.

¶ … Federal Constitution of the U.S. is the general framework for the legislation of the states making up the federation. Thus, each state can grant or ban certain rights to its citizens. The Nevada State Constitution differs on some aspects from the U.S. federal law.

constitution failed to grant rights and freedoms to all its citizens. For instance, non-taxed Indians were excluded from public life, whereas the State of Nevada Constitution insured that foreigners could vote if they proved a six months residence on the territory of the state. (Mendelson, 1981) Moreover, they were promised equal rights with the citizens of the state. From the very beginning, the Nevada Constitution prohibited slavery and insured the freedom of religious manifestation. In comparison, the U.S. Constitution only abolished slavery through 13th Amendment passed in 1865. (Skousen, 1986)

Another expression of the increased democratic nature of the Nevada Constitution is the procedure of bringing amendments to its text. While the U.S. constitution needs two thirds of the Congress and three fourths of the states' approval in order to pass an amendment, the Nevada Constitution relies more on the will of its population and the amendment procedure thus requires for an initiative from either part of the legislative body and the subsequent approval of the citizens. (Constitution of Nevada, art. 16)