On February 8, 1867, the United States Congress voted to admit Nebraska as a state, provided that suffrage was not denied to non-white voters. The bill admitting Nebraska as a state was vetoed by President Andrew Johnson, but the veto was overridden by a supermajority in both Houses of Congress, and Nebraska was admitted to the Union.[1]
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After a failed attempt to ratify a constitution in 1870, in 1874, the Nebraska Legislature proposed a constitutional convention to meet to draft a new constitution. This proposal was overwhelmingly approved by a popular vote of 18,067 to 3,880, and the convention, consisting of sixty-nine members, began meeting May 11, 1875.[1]
The Nebraska Constitution, based partly upon the 1870 Constitution of Illinois, was adopted by the constitutional convention on June 12, 1875. This constitution became known as the Grasshopper Constitution, as it coincided with Albert's swarm, an immense concentration of grasshoppers that invaded the Western United States.[2] The constitution was ratified on October 12, 1875 after it was approved by a popular vote of 30,322 to 5,474, and came into force on November 1, 1875.[1][3]
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With the addition of 228 amendments since its adoption, including the creation of a unicameral legislature, the 1875 Nebraska Constitution remains the basic law of the state to this day.[4]
