The
Constitution of the Confederate States of America was the supreme
law of the
Confederate States of America, as adopted on March 11, 1861, and in effect from February 22, 1862 through the conclusion of the
American Civil War. The Confederacy also operated under a
Provisional Constitution from February 8, 1861 to February 22, 1862. The original Provisional Constitution is currently located at the
Museum of the Confederacy in
Richmond, Virginia, and differs slightly from the version later adopted. The final, hand-written document is currently located in the
University of Georgia archives at
Athens, Georgia. In regard to most articles of the Constitution, the document is a word-for-word duplicate of the
United States Constitution. However, there are crucial differences between the two documents, in tone and legal content, primarily regarding slavery.