CHARTER - A grant made by the sovereign,
either to the whole people or to a portion of them,
securing to them the enjoyment of certain rights.
Of the former kind is the late charter of France,
which extended to the whole country; the charters
which were granted to the different American colonies
by the British government were charters of the latter
species.
A charter differs from a constitution in that the
former is granted by the sovereign, while the latter
is established by the people themselves: both are
the fundamental law of the land.
This term is susceptible of another signification.
During the middle ages almost every document was called
carta, charta, or chartula. In this sense the term
is nearly synonymous with deed.
The act of the legislature creating a corporation
is called its charter.
Mar. Contr. An agreement by which a vessel is hired
by the owner to another; as A B chartered the ship
Benjamin Franklin to C D.
