You're listening to an airwave media podcast.

What does Sputnik have to do with student loans?

How did a set of trembling hands end the Soviet Union?

How did inflation kill moon bases and how did a former president decide to run

for a second non-consecutive term? These are among the topics we deal with on the My History

Can Beat Up Your Politics Podcast.

We tell stories of history that relate to today's news events.

Give a listen.

My History can beat up your politics wherever you get podcasts.

Hello! Hello and thank you for joining the American Revolution.

Today, episode 91, State Constitutions Part 1.

Prior to July 1776, none of the colonies had declared full and permanent independence from Britain. Most were not operating under their old royal charters either.

Provincial Congresses operated in the colonies, but under what authority and how they should be structured all seem to be open questions.

Many colonies still had royal governors attempting to rule either just offshore in a Navy ship, or in some cases still actually within the colony.

So I think it would be useful to step back and see how and when each colony made the move to establish an independent government.

Local politicians develop their own new constitutions to create a structure for their

state government, at least until the violence ended and British rule was

restored under acceptable terms. Even before independence, though, most of these

new constitutions were written with an eye towards setting up what would likely become new permanent

independent governments.

In case you're wondering, I'm looking at each colony in the order in which they first implemented their own

constitution. New Hampshire was one of the first colonies to move to a

...