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1850 Constitutional Convention

In 1849, the General Assembly provided Maryland voters with the means of "calling a Convention to frame a new Constitution and Form of Government" (Chapter 346, Acts of 1849). In May 1850, voters approved the convention and elected its delegates. The convention met from November 1850 through May 1851. The 1849 legislation responded to increasing complaints of disproportionate representation: Eastern Shore residents enjoyed proportional representation greater than that afforded residents of the Western Shore and Baltimore City. Delegates of the latter jurisdictions planned to use the convention to reapportion state representation, while Eastern Shore delegates desired to use the convention to tighten controls on state spending. Upon the conclusion of its business in 1851, the convention disbanded.