We, the people of the State of Rhode Island , grateful to Almighty
God for the civil and religious liberty which
He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing upon our endeavors to secure and to transmit
the same, unimpaired, to succeeding generations, do ordain and establish this Constitution of government.
OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF POWERS
The powers
of the government shall be distributed into three separate and distinct departments: the legislative, executive
and judicial.