The Commonwealth Charter is the supreme law of the Shenandoahan Commonwealth. The Commonwealth Charter was ratified by the Shenandoahan Commonwealth Legislature following the end of the Copperhead War and the dissolution of the Allegheny Confederation. Many of its tenants and articles are based upon the Allegheny Constitution, which was first ratified in 1791. The first seven articles of the Commonwealth Charter outline those who receive suffrage within the nation, as well as outlining he duties, responsibilities and limitations of the federal government.
Articles
| Amendment
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Year ratified
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Contents
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Article 1
Article 1 addresses the issue of suffrage within the Shenandoahan Commonwealth. It states that any male aged eighteen or older who were the owners of real estate were eligible to vote in national and state elections. Article 1 has been amended serval times since its ratification in 1924
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| Amendment 1-1 |
1926
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Amendment 1-1 modified Article 1 to extend suffrage to female landowners as well as citizens of both sexes who were renters of property, so long as that property was not situated within special economic zones. In addition, Amendment 1-1 allowed for land owner within any existing or future marriage sanctioned by the state to designate their spouse as a de jure land owner and thereby extended the right to vote to spouses
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| Amendment 1-2 |
1927
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Amendment 1-2 modified Article 1 allowed for a burial plot to be given to members of the Shenandoahan National Guard who met certain conditions, and that possession of the plot was considered acceptable to be granted voting rights. This plot is often referred to as the Guardsmans Plot
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| Amendment 1-3 |
1937
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Amendment 1-3 modified Amendment 1-1 to Article 1, requiring that rental property claimed for the purpose of voting be actively lived in or utilized for some gainful purpose either by the owner or a third party providing financial compensation to the owner for said property.
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| Amendment 1-4 |
1951
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Amendment 1-4 modified Article 1 to allow for the joint ownership of real estate to apply to conferring the right to vote upon all owners of the property, so long as the property is actively lived in or utilized for some gainful purpose either by the owner or a third party providing financial compensation to the owner for said property.
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| Amendment 1-5 |
1970
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Amendment 1-5 modified Article 1 by placing requirements on the amount of land that must be owned by a person to be eligible to vote. This amendment also modified Amendment 1-2 by specifically exempting the Guardsman's Plot from the land area requirement, thereby allowing possessors of the Guardsmans Plot to retain their right to vote. Further, Amendment 1-5 allowed for the owners of buildings situated upon land not owned by them to qualify for voting rights, so long as the building is utilized for gainful commercial expenses or is utilized as a dwelling by the owner
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Article 2
Article 2 addresses the powers, duties and responsibilities of the executive branch of the government of the Shenandoahan Commonwealth, including establishing the various executive departments and cabinet-level positions within the executive branch.
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| Amendment 2-1 |
1962
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Amendment 2-1 modified Article 2 by stipulating that a presidential candidate can not serve in any office within the executive branch between consecutive presidential terms.
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| Amendment 2-2 |
1977
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Amendment 2-1 modified Article 2 by placing the duty of collecting import tariffs and dues on the Shenandoah Customs and Border Control, and reporting their income to the Department of the Treasury. This marked the first time a law enforcement agency in the Commonwealth was responsible to two executive departments .
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Article 3
Article 3 addresses the powers, duties and responsibilities of the legislative branch of the government of the Shenandoahan Commonwealth
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Article 4
Article 4 addresses the powers, duties and responsibilities of the judicial branch of the government of the Shenandoahan Commonwealth. This article establishes the legal rights of citizens and the due process of law.
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Article 5
Article 5 addresses the requirements and limits the federal government of the Shenandoahan Commonwealth may place upon taxation.
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| Amendment 5-1 |
1935
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Permits the Shenandoahan Commonwealth Legislature to levy an income tax without apportioning it among the various states in the Commonwealth.
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Article 6
Article 6 addresses the powers and limitation of the federal government concerning the conscription of civilians into the armed forces during times of emergency.
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| Amendment 6-1 |
1966
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Confers upon the president of the Commonwealth the ability to conscript up to 10,000 military age males, regardless of the nation being involved in a declared war. Prior to this amendment, the approval of the Shenandoahan Commonwealth Legislature was required for any conscription to occur. The approval of the Shenandoahan Commonwealth Legislature is still required for conscription of over 10,000 persons.
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Article 7
Article 7 addresses the rights of the nine states that comprise the Shenandoahan Commonwealth as well as establishing and codifying their representation within the federal government.
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Article 8
Article 8 authorized the Department of Justice to appoint officers to detect, investigate and prosecute crimes committed by any subject, citizen, or foreigner against the government and resulted in the creation of the Shenandoah Federal Protective Service and the Shenandoah State Police. Article 7 was ratified in 1930.
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| Amendment 8-1 |
1932
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Often referred to as the Deputation Amendment, Amendment 8-1 law enforcement agencies at the county level to deputize civilians to "suppress lawlessness or defend the county".
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| Amendment 8-2 |
1945
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Amendment 7-2 modified Article 8 by expanding the role of the Shenandoah Federal Protective Service from fugitive recovery and transport to acting as the Commonwealth's a national level law enforcement agency concerned primarily with domestic intelligence gathering and counterintelligence operations. This relegated the Shenandoah State Police to serve as the primary uniformed law enforcement agency of the nation at the federal level and charged them with investigating crimes and enforcing laws at the state level within all nine states of the Commonwealth.
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| Amendment 8-3 |
1975
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Amendment 8-3 modifies Amendment 8-1 to extend the ability of deputization to the Shenandoah Federal Protective Service and the Shenandoah State Police
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Article 9
Article 9 established the National Military Establishment headed by the secretary of defense; and created the Commonwealth Security Council. It was ratified in 1947. Prior to 1947, the Shenandoah National Guard was under the direction of the Department of the Guard, which was reduced to a cabinet level position by this article.
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| Amendment 9-1 |
1962
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Amendment 9-1 modified Article 9 by renaming the National Military Establishment to the modern day Department of Defense, and merged the cabinet-level Department of the Guard, Department of the Coast Guard, and Department of the Air Guard, into the Department of Defense.
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Article 10
Article 10 established the Department of Labor, an executive department charged with overseeing the creation and regulation of trade unions within the Shenandoahan Commonwealth as well developing occupational safety and efficiency standards. This article also outlawed the creation of or participation in any non-sanctioned labor movement. Article 10 was ratified in 1950.
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Article 11
Article 11 established the Department of the Interior for the purpose of managing federally owned lands and resources. Prior to this, federal land was regulated by the Department of Defense. However, the Department of Defense lacked the ability to effectively regulate the lands, resulting in severe encroachment by both private citizens and corporations. This article also disbanded the Department of Natural Resources and Department of Energy and recreated them as departments within the Department of the Interior. Article 11 was ratified in 1985.
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| Amendment 11-1 |
1999
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Amendment 11-1 modified Article 11 by giving the Department of the Interior the right to establish the the right to designate land for the sole habitation of indigenous peopless and to relocate said peoples to that land as needed. Also granted the Department of the Interior the right to establish the Shenandoah Tribal Police to oversee law enforcement within the reservations created by the Department of the Interior.
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