When Iowans Tried to Rewrite Their Constitution:
The Convention the Legislature Stopped and the History We Forgot
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By Sondra Wilson | Updated October 8, 2026
From Iowa's voter-approved constitutional convention that never happened to Rhode Island's attempt to establish a people's government: what history reveals about the power to replace state constitutions.
Table of Contents
1. Iowa's Founders Never Intended Their Constitution to Be Permanent
Why the 1857 framers protected the people's authority to reconsider their government.
2. Before 1920: The Constitutional Convention Movements Iowans Have Forgotten
The convention referendums of 1870, 1880, 1890, 1900, and 1910, including the contested vote-count history of 1900.
3. 1920: Iowans Voted for a New Constitutional Convention. The Legislature Refused to Carry It Out.
What the voters approved, what reformers wanted to change, how the House and Senate failed to agree, and why the convention never happened.
4. 1936: Iowa's Supreme Court Acknowledged That the Legislature Ignored Its Constitutional Duty
What Duncan v. City of Des Moines actually decided, why its statement about 1920 matters, and what legal questions it left unresolved.
5. 1960–2020: Another Century of Attempts to Change Iowa's Constitution
How battles over legislative representation, political influence, and citizen-led reform shaped later campaigns.
6. Rhode Island, 1841: When Citizens Wrote Their Own Constitution Without Legislative Permission
The People's Convention, expanded voting rights, a citizen-organized referendum, and the election of an alternative state government.
7. Rhode Island, 1842: Two Governments Claimed Authority Over the Same State
How the charter government resisted, why the conflict escalated, and how an officially authorized replacement constitution eventually emerged.
8. 1849: The U.S. Supreme Court Declined to Decide Which Government Was Legitimate
What Luther v. Borden established about state-government recognition, the role of Congress, and the limits of federal court intervention.
9. What Was Tried, What Failed, and What Remains Legally Unresolved?
What Iowa and Rhode Island reveal about popular sovereignty, judicial enforcement, legislative obstruction, recognition, and constitutional ratification.
10. Lessons for the Next Generation of Constitutional Reform
What any future effort would need to examine concerning legal authority, public participation, delegate elections, transparency, ratification, and enforceable implementation procedures.
Continued in Part Four — A New Iowa Constitution: The Proposed Draft, the Safeguards, and How to Participate.