Important Documents of Louisiana
A curated collection of documents that established, transferred, defined, or fundamentally reshaped Louisiana. SwampBrain articles can be added to these entries as they are published, while the original or official source links remain available for reference.
Louisiana Constitution
Constitution of the State of Louisiana of 1974
Louisiana’s current state constitution and the foundation of the modern structure of state government.
Amendments to the Louisiana Constitution of 1974
A reference to constitutional amendments adopted after the 1974 Constitution took effect.
Historical Louisiana Constitutions
Louisiana has operated under eleven state constitutions since statehood. These earlier constitutions reflect major changes in government, suffrage, civil rights, taxation, reconstruction, and political power.
Louisiana Constitution of 1812
Louisiana’s first state constitution, adopted as the Territory of Orleans prepared to enter the Union.
Louisiana Constitution of 1845
A major antebellum revision of Louisiana’s state government and constitutional structure.
Louisiana Constitution of 1852
Reworked the state’s constitutional framework during the decade before the Civil War.
Louisiana Constitution of 1861
Adopted during Louisiana’s secession from the United States and entry into the Confederacy.
Louisiana Constitution of 1864
A Civil War-era constitution that abolished slavery within the areas governed by the reorganized state government.
Louisiana Constitution of 1868
A Reconstruction-era constitution adopted as Louisiana moved toward readmission to the Union.
Louisiana Constitution of 1879
Reorganized state government after Reconstruction and reflected the political order of the post-Reconstruction era.
Louisiana Constitution of 1898
A deeply consequential constitution that sharply restricted Black political participation and reshaped Louisiana’s electoral system.
Louisiana Constitution of 1913
A short-lived constitutional revision adopted during the Progressive Era.
Louisiana Constitution of 1921
The lengthy constitution that governed Louisiana for more than five decades before being replaced by the Constitution of 1974.
Louisiana Purchase & Transfer
Louisiana Purchase Treaty
The treaty of cession by which France transferred the Louisiana Territory to the United States. The transaction also included two financial conventions.
Governor William C. C. Claiborne’s Address to the Citizens of Louisiana
Claiborne’s December 20, 1803 address connected the formal transfer of Louisiana with the beginning of United States administration.
Thomas Jefferson’s Message to Congress Regarding Louisiana
President Jefferson’s message addressed the newly acquired territory and the federal government’s administration of Louisiana.
Louisiana Statehood
Louisiana Constitution of 1812
The constitution adopted by Louisiana’s convention before admission as the eighteenth state.
Act for the Admission of the State of Louisiana into the Union
The congressional act approving Louisiana’s admission to the Union, with formal statehood taking effect on April 30, 1812.
Louisiana Statehood Document Collection
A National Archives collection tracing Louisiana from the Purchase through territorial government and admission to the Union.
SwampBrain is a reference and educational resource. Original and official-source links are provided so readers can review the underlying records directly.