Nine provincial conventions governed Maryland between 1774 and 1776. The eighth provincial convention resolved on July 3, 1776, to draft a new constitution and form a new government “by the authority of the people only.” This constitution was adopted by the ninth provincial convention in November 1776 and included a Declaration of Rights that protected freedom of religion. Similar to the US Constitution, the constitution called for a bicameral legislature and the separation of powers into three branches.