Article 1. That all Government of right
onginates from the People, is founded in compact
only, and instituted solely for the good of the
whole, and they have, at all times, the inalienable
right to alter, reform or abolish their Form of
Government in such manner as they may deem
expedient
Art. 2. The Constitution of the United States,
and the Laws made, or which shall be made, in
pursuance thereof, and all Treaties made, or
which shall be made, under the authority of the
United States, are, and shall be the Supreme
Law of the State, and the Judges of this State,
and all the People of this State, are, and shall
be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution
or Law of this State to the contrary notwith-
standing
Art. 3. The powers not delegated to the United
States by the Constitution thereof, nor prohibited
by it to the States, are reserved to the States re-
spectively, or to the people thereof
Art. 4. That the People of this State have the
sole and exclusive right of regulating the internal
government and police thereof, as a free, sover-
eign and independent State
Art. 5. That the Inhabitants of Maryland are
entitled to the Common Law of England, and the
tnal by Jury, according to the course of that
Law, and to the benefit of such of the English
statutes as existed on the Fourth day of July, sev-
enteen hundred and seventy-six, and which, by
' Including amendments proposed by the General Assembly and
adopted by the people through November 7 1978

expenence, have been found applicable to their
local and other circumstances, and have been in-
troduced, used and practiced by the Courts of
Law or Equity, and also of all Acts of Assembly
in force on the first day of June, eighteen hun-
dred and sixty-seven, except such as may have
since expired, or may be inconsistent with the
provisions of this Constitution, subject, neverthe-
less, to the revision of, and amendment or repeal
by, the Legislature of this State And the
Inhabitants of Maryland are also entitled to all
property denved to them from, or under the
Charter granted by His Majesty Charles the First
to Caecilius Calvert, Baron of Baltimore
Art. 6. That all persons invested with the Leg-
islative or Executive powers of Government are
the Trustees of the Public, and, as such, account-
able for their conduct Wherefore, whenever the
ends of Government are perverted, and public
liberty manifestly endangered, and all other
means of redress are ineffectual, the People may,
and of nght ought, to reform the old, or establish
a new Government, the doctnne of non-resistance
against arbitrary power and oppression is absurd,
slavish and destructive of the good and happiness
of mankind
Art. 7.^ That the nght of the People to partici-
pate in the Legislature is the best security of lib-
erty and the foundation of all free Government,
for this purpose, elections ought to be free and
frequent, and every citizen having the
qualifications prescribed by the Constitution,
ought to have the nght of suffrage
^Thus amended by Chapter 357 Acts of 1971 ratified Novern
her 7 1972