The reformist traditions of the 1868 constitution did not last. In the 1874 elections, Democrats regained control of state government and immediately called a referendum on a constitutional convention. The resulting document instituted limited government and centralized control. It abolished the state board of education, imposed strict limits on how counties and municipalities could spend money, and removed the 1868 constitution’s statement that “all men are created equal.” Voters ratified the new constitution by a wide margin, marking the end of Reconstruction in Alabama.