Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Updated December 17, 2024
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
R47747
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
R47747
Congressional Research Service
The Constitution allows Congress to admit “New States ... into this Union.” By ratifying the Constitution in 1787-1790, the 13 original states—which declared independence from Great Britain in 1776 and initially united under the Articles of Confederation—joined the new federal government. An additional 37 states joined between 1791 (Vermont) and 1959 (Alaska and Hawaii). Each star on the national flag represents one of the 50 states.
This report provides historical information about each state’s journey to statehood with a focus on the role of Congress. A chronology describes selected events for each state such as the formation of a territorial government; federal legislation that enabled residents to prepare for statehood; the drafting and adoption of a state constitution; and federal legislation that admitted the new state into the Union. Citations point, in general, to primary legislative sources such as the Congressional Record, House Journal, and Senate Journal.
The five tables in this report summarize key information across all 50 states: admission order and date, territorial law (if any), enabling law (if any), admission law, and the outcome of state-level ratification or referendum votes (if any).
This report does not address the history of a territory before its acquisition by the United States, policy or legal questions related to statehood, potential future action by Congress, the status of current U.S. territories, or statehood-related proposals that have not become law.
December 17, 2024
Ben Leubsdorf Senior Research Librarian
Kathleen E. Marchsteiner Senior Research Librarian
Carol Wilson Senior Research Librarian
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1
Overview ................................................................................................................................... 1 About This Report ..................................................................................................................... 1
Sources, Compilations, and Additional Resources .................................................................... 2
Summary Tables .............................................................................................................................. 3 Statehood Timelines ...................................................................................................................... 15
Alabama .................................................................................................................................. 15 Alaska ...................................................................................................................................... 17
Arizona .................................................................................................................................... 18
Arkansas .................................................................................................................................. 20
California ................................................................................................................................ 22 Colorado .................................................................................................................................. 23
Connecticut ............................................................................................................................. 24 Delaware ................................................................................................................................. 25 Florida ..................................................................................................................................... 25 Georgia .................................................................................................................................... 27
Hawaii ..................................................................................................................................... 27 Idaho ........................................................................................................................................ 29
Illinois ..................................................................................................................................... 30 Indiana ..................................................................................................................................... 31
Iowa ......................................................................................................................................... 33
Kansas ..................................................................................................................................... 34 Kentucky ................................................................................................................................. 36 Louisiana ................................................................................................................................. 37
Maine ...................................................................................................................................... 39 Maryland ................................................................................................................................. 40 Massachusetts .......................................................................................................................... 41
Michigan ................................................................................................................................. 42 Minnesota ................................................................................................................................ 43
Mississippi .............................................................................................................................. 45 Missouri .................................................................................................................................. 46 Montana .................................................................................................................................. 48 Nebraska .................................................................................................................................. 50
Nevada .................................................................................................................................... 52 New Hampshire ....................................................................................................................... 53
New Jersey .............................................................................................................................. 53 New Mexico ............................................................................................................................ 54 New York ................................................................................................................................ 56 North Carolina ......................................................................................................................... 56
North Dakota ........................................................................................................................... 57
Ohio ......................................................................................................................................... 59
Oklahoma ................................................................................................................................ 61 Oregon ..................................................................................................................................... 63
Pennsylvania ........................................................................................................................... 64 Rhode Island............................................................................................................................ 64 South Carolina ......................................................................................................................... 65
South Dakota ........................................................................................................................... 65
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service
Tennessee ................................................................................................................................ 67 Texas ....................................................................................................................................... 69 Utah ......................................................................................................................................... 71
Vermont ................................................................................................................................... 72
Virginia .................................................................................................................................... 74
Washington .............................................................................................................................. 74
West Virginia ........................................................................................................................... 76
Wisconsin ................................................................................................................................ 78 Wyoming ................................................................................................................................. 80
Table 1. Chronological List of State Admissions ............................................................................ 3 Table 2. Territorial Acts ................................................................................................................... 4 Table 3. Enabling Acts ..................................................................................................................... 7
Table 4. Admission Acts .................................................................................................................. 9 Table 5. Referendum Votes ............................................................................................................. 11
Author Information ........................................................................................................................ 81
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 1
The Constitution allows Congress to admit “New States ... into this Union.”1 Congress has exercised this power 37 times since 1791, most recently in 1959.
The 13 original colonies, which declared independence from Great Britain in 1776 and initially united under the Articles of Confederation, joined the new federal government by ratifying the Constitution in 1787-1790. Vermont was the next state to join the Union, in 1791, followed by Kentucky in 1792.
As the United States expanded across North America, many regions were organized as territories, beginning with the Northwest Territory.2 Tennessee, in 1796, was the first state to join the Union following a period of territorial government (as the Southwest Territory). Six states joined the Union without first being organized as a territory: California, Kentucky, Maine, Texas, Vermont, and West Virginia.
The 1912 admission of Arizona and New Mexico completed the Lower 48 contiguous states stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. Alaska and Hawaii both achieved statehood in 1959, taking the nation to its current count of 50 states—each represented by a star on the national flag.3
This report provides selected historical information about each state’s journey to statehood with a focus on the role of Congress.
For each state, a chronology (in the form of a bulleted list) describes selected events in the history of its admission (see “Statehood Timelines”). These events may include acquisition of the region by the U.S. government, the creation of a territorial government,4 federal legislation that enabled residents to prepare for statehood, the drafting of a state constitution, any state-level referendum or ratification votes related to statehood, federal legislation to admit the new state into the Union, and a presidential proclamation to make its admission official. A shaded box for each state provides key dates and United States Statutes at Large citations, when applicable.
Some states took similar paths to admission, though, in general, those paths have varied considerably. Although this report focuses on Congress’s role in the admission of states, the statehood timelines do not describe every legislative action taken during the admission process, and they generally omit proposals or bills that did not become law.5 Moreover, the timelines do not typically discuss the details of legislative measures, such as conditions Congress may have
1 Article IV, Section 3, Clause 1.
2 Congress, operating under the Articles of Confederation, established the Territory of the United States North West of the River Ohio in 1787. It included all or part of six future states: Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. See the “Ohio” timeline for details.
3 4 U.S.C. §§1-2.
4 Many territories were created out of existing territories, and territorial boundaries changed over time. Illinois Territory, for example, was initially part of the Northwest Territory and then part of Indiana Territory. For simplicity, the timelines in this report generally omit territorial affiliations before legislation that created a separate and distinct territory that would later achieve statehood.
5 For example, the “Hawaii” timeline does not include multiple attempts to achieve statehood before 1959.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 2
placed on a state’s admission; actions taken by territorial legislatures or governors; or the wording of ballot questions related to statehood.
This report includes five tables summarizing key information from the individual timelines:
• Table 1 shows the dates and order of admission for each state.
• Table 2 describes legislation that established territorial governments, if any.
• Table 3 describes enabling legislation that allowed territories to prepare for statehood, if any.
• Table 4 describes legislation that admitted states to the Union, if any.
• Table 5 describes popular or convention votes on statehood or related matters, such as ratification of a state constitution in preparation for admission, if any.
With the exception of the information provided in Table 1, available information on the states varies according to the specific path to statehood for each state. The availability of this information for each state is noted in the tables.
In general, this report does not discuss the history or status of a territory before its acquisition by the United States, nor does it address policy or legal questions related to statehood, potential future action by Congress, or the status of current U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.6
Many footnotes in this report point to primary legislative sources such as the Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States (the House Journal) and the Journal of the Senate of the United States of America (the Senate Journal). Also cited are the Congressional Record and two of its predecessor publications: The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States (the Annals of Congress) and the Congressional Globe.7
Some citations point to multivolume compilations of historical documents, such as The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution;8 The Territorial Papers of the United States;9 and The Federal and State Constitutions, Colonial Charters, and Other Organic Laws of the States, Territories, and Colonies Now or Heretofore Forming the United States of America.10
In addition, this report cites secondary sources such as scholarly books and journal articles, as well as reference materials such as encyclopedias and research guides.
Almost all of the primary sources and compilations cited in this report are available online. The Library of Congress’s A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation collection contains congressional and legal records for 1774 to 1875.11 Other freely available repositories include the
6 Information about these subjects is available in other CRS products, including CRS In Focus IF11792, Statehood Process and Political Status of U.S. Territories: Brief Policy Background, by R. Sam Garrett; CRS Report R44721, Political Status of Puerto Rico: Brief Background and Recent Developments for Congress, by R. Sam Garrett; CRS In Focus IF11443, District of Columbia Statehood and Voting Representation, by Joseph V. Jaroscak; and CRS Report R47101, DC Statehood: Constitutional Considerations for Proposed Legislation, by Mainon A. Schwartz.
7 See CRS Report R43434, Policy and Legislative Research for Congressional Staff: Finding Documents, Analysis, News, and Training, by Sarah W. Caldwell, Ellen M. Lechman, and Michele L. Malloy.
8 Bibliographic information is available from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for the Study of the American Constitution at https://csac.history.wisc.edu.
9 Twenty-eight volumes, printed by the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), 1934-1975.
10 Seven volumes, edited by Francis Newton Thorpe and printed by GPO, 1909.
11 Available at https://www.loc.gov/collections/century-of-lawmaking.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 3
American Presidency Project database, maintained by the University of California, Santa Barbara;12 the Government Publishing Office’s (GPO’s) GovInfo website;13 HathiTrust’s database of historical books and government publications;14 the Law Library of Congress website;15 LLMC Digital’s collection of historical legal materials;16 and Yale Law School’s Avalon Project collection.17 Subscription-only databases, such as ProQuest Congressional, also contain relevant content such as legislative documents.
Additional information about territories and statehood is available in reference resources such as Prestatehood Legal Materials: A Fifty-State Research Guide, Including New York City and the District of Columbia18 and The Uniting States: The Story of Statehood for the Fifty United States.19
Members and congressional staff can contact CRS for assistance locating research materials, including materials about a specific state.
Table 1. Chronological List of State Admissions
Order State Admission Date
1 Delaware December 7, 1787
2 Pennsylvania December 12, 1787
3 New Jersey December 18, 1787
4 Georgia January 2, 1788
5 Connecticut January 9, 1788
6 Massachusetts February 6, 1788
7 Maryland April 28, 1788
8 South Carolina May 23, 1788
9 New Hampshire June 21, 1788
10 Virginia June 25, 1788
11 New York July 26, 1788
12 North Carolina November 21, 1789
13 Rhode Island May 29, 1790
14 Vermont March 4, 1791
15 Kentucky June 1, 1792
16 Tennessee June 1, 1796
17 Ohio March 1, 1803
18 Louisiana April 30, 1812
19 Indiana December 11, 1816
20 Mississippi December 10, 1817
21 Illinois December 3, 1818
22 Alabama December 14, 1819
23 Maine March 15, 1820
24 Missouri August 10, 1821
25 Arkansas June 15, 1836
12 Available at https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu.
13 Available at https://www.govinfo.gov.
14 Available at https://www.hathitrust.org.
15 Available at https://www.loc.gov/research-centers/law-library-of-congress.
16 Available at https://llmc.com.
17 Available at https://avalon.law.yale.edu.
18Two volumes, edited by Michael Chiorazzi and Marguerite Most (New York: The Haworth Information Press, 2005).
19 Three volumes, edited by Benjamin F. Shearer (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2004).
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 4
Order State Admission Date
26 Michigan January 26, 1837
27 Florida March 3, 1845
28 Texas December 29, 1845
29 Iowa December 28, 1846
30 Wisconsin May 29, 1848
31 California September 9, 1850
32 Minnesota May 11, 1858
33 Oregon February 14, 1859
34 Kansas January 29, 1861
35 West Virginia June 20, 1863
36 Nevada October 31, 1864
37 Nebraska March 1, 1867
38 Colorado August 1, 1876
39 North Dakota November 2, 1889
40 South Dakota November 2, 1889
41 Montana November 8, 1889
42 Washington November 11, 1889
43 Idaho July 3, 1890
44 Wyoming July 10, 1890
45 Utah January 4, 1896
46 Oklahoma November 16, 1907
47 New Mexico January 6, 1912
48 Arizona February 14, 1912
49 Alaska January 3, 1959
50 Hawaii August 21, 1959
Sources: Benjamin F. Shearer (ed.), The Uniting States: The Story of Statehood for the Fifty United States, 3 vols. (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2004); Michael Chiorazzi and Marguerite Most (eds.), Prestatehood Legal Materials: A Fifty-State Research Guide, Including New York City and the District of Columbia, 2 vols. (New York: The Haworth Information Press, 2005). Notes: Admission date for the 13 original states indicates the date states ratified the U.S. Constitution. For other states, admission date indicates the date that their admission became effective. In some cases, this differs from the date of presidential approval listed in Table 4 (e.g., if admission was finalized by a presidential proclamation authorized by the admission law, or if the admission law specified a specific date to take effect).
Table 2. T erritorial Acts
Enacted legislation that established a territorial government
State
(Territory, if
Name Differs) House Passage Senate Passage
Presidential
Approval Citation(s)
Alabama March 3, 1817 Feb. 21, 1817 March 3, 1817 3 Stat. 371
Alaska Aug. 20, 1912 Aug. 17, 1912 Aug. 24, 1912 37 Stat. 512
62 H.R. 38
Arizona May 8, 1862 Feb. 20, 1863
25-12
Feb. 24, 1863 12 Stat. 664 37 H.R. 357
Arkansas Feb. 20, 1819 March 1, 1819 March 2, 1819 3 Stat. 493
California N/A N/A N/A N/A
Colorado Feb. 18, 1861
90-44
Feb. 26, 1861
26-18
Feb. 28, 1861 12 Stat. 172
36 S. 366
Connecticut N/A N/A N/A N/A
Delaware N/A N/A N/A N/A
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 5
State
(Territory, if
Name Differs) House Passage Senate Passage
Presidential
Approval Citation(s)
Florida March 27, 1822
Unanimousa
March 27, 1822 March 30, 1822 3 Stat. 654
Georgia N/A N/A N/A N/A
Hawaii Apr. 27, 1900
138-54
Apr. 25, 1900 Apr. 30, 1900 31 Stat. 141
56 S. 222
Idaho March 3, 1863
65-33a
March 3, 1863
25-12
March 3, 1863 12 Stat. 808 37 H.R. 738
Illinois Jan. 18, 1809
69-37
Jan. 31, 1809 Feb. 3, 1809 2 Stat. 514
Indiana May 3, 1800 May 5, 1800 May 7, 1800 2 Stat. 58
Iowa June 6, 1838
118-51
June 6, 1838 June 12, 1838 5 Stat. 235
25 S. 269
Kansas May 22, 1854
113-100
May 25, 1854
35-13
May 30, 1854 10 Stat. 277 33 H.R. 236
Kentucky N/A N/A N/A N/A
Louisiana (Orleans Territory)
March 23, 1804
51-45
March 23, 1804
15-9
March 26, 1804 2 Stat. 283
Maine N/A N/A N/A N/A
Maryland N/A N/A N/A N/A
Massachusetts N/A N/A N/A N/A
Michigan Jan. 7, 1805 Jan. 8, 1805 Jan. 11, 1805 2 Stat. 309
Minnesota March 3, 1849
107-70
March 1, 1849
30-18
March 3, 1849 9 Stat. 403
30 S. 152
Mississippi March 27, 1798 March 29, 1798 Apr. 7, 1798 1 Stat. 549
Missouri May 21, 1812 May 21, 1812 June 4, 1812 2 Stat. 743
Montana May 20, 1864
102-26
May 19, 1864
26-13
May 26, 1864 13 Stat. 85 38 H.R. 15
Nebraska May 22, 1854
113-100
May 25, 1854
35-13
May 30, 1854 10 Stat. 277 33 H.R. 236
Nevada March 1, 1861
92-52b
Feb. 26, 1861 March 2, 1861 12 Stat. 209
36 S. 563
New Hampshire N/A N/A N/A N/A
New Jersey N/A N/A N/A N/A
New Mexico Sept. 6, 1850
108-97
Sept. 9, 1850
31-10
Sept. 9, 1850 9 Stat. 446
31 S. 307
New York N/A N/A N/A N/A
North Carolina N/A N/A N/A N/A
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 6
State
(Territory, if
Name Differs) House Passage Senate Passage
Presidential
Approval Citation(s)
North Dakota (Dakota Territory)
March 1, 1861 Feb. 26, 1861 March 2, 1861 12 Stat. 239
36 S. 562
Ohio (Northwest Territory)
Aug. 5, 1789 Aug. 4, 1789 Aug. 7, 1789 1 Stat. 50
Oklahoma Apr. 21, 1890 Apr. 23, 1890
50-5
May 2, 1890 26 Stat. 81
51 S. 895
Oregon Aug. 2, 1848
128-71b
Aug. 12, 1848
31-23 and 29-25
Aug. 14, 1848 9 Stat. 323
30 H.R. 201
Pennsylvania N/A N/A N/A N/A
Rhode Island N/A N/A N/A N/A
South Carolina N/A N/A N/A N/A
South Dakota (Dakota Territory)
March 1, 1861 Feb. 26, 1861 March 2, 1861 12 Stat. 239
36 S. 562
Tennessee (Southwest Territory)
May 5, 1790 Apr. 27, 1790 May 26, 1790 1 Stat. 123
Texas N/A N/A N/A N/A
Utah Sept. 7, 1850
97-85
Aug. 1, 1850 Sept. 9, 1850 9 Stat. 453
31 S. 225
Vermont N/A N/A N/A N/A
Virginia N/A N/A N/A N/A
Washington Feb. 10, 1853
129-29b
March 2, 1853 March 2, 1853 10 Stat. 172 32 H.R. 348
West Virginia N/A N/A N/A N/A
Wisconsin Apr. 14, 1836 Apr. 18, 1836 Apr. 20, 1836 5 Stat. 10
24 S. 92
Wyoming July 22, 1868
106-50
June 3, 1868 July 25, 1868 15 Stat. 178
40 S. 357
Sources: Annals of Congress, Congressional Globe, Congressional Record, House Journal, Senate Journal, U.S. Statutes at Large. Notes: N/A means no territorial legislation was enacted (i.e., the 13 original states plus six states moved directly to statehood without an intervening period of territorial government). Final votes on passage are listed. Two vote tallies are listed if the question was divided. No vote count is listed when a vote tally was not recorded (e.g., a measure was passed by voice vote). The effective date of legislation may differ from its date of presidential approval. Bills and resolutions are presented with the Congress number preceding the bill citation (e.g., H.R. 1 during the 50th Congress would appear as 50 H.R. 1). No bill or resolution number is listed for legislation that was not identified in the record by number. The names of territories are noted in parentheses if they differ from the eventual name of the state. Many territories were created out of existing territories, so territorial boundaries differed at times from future state boundaries. a. Votes marked with “a” are based on the vote tally in the Congressional Record or predecessor publication, with no vote count listed in the House Journal or Senate Journal.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 7
b. Votes marked with “b” are based on the vote tally in the House Journal or Senate Journal, with the Congressional Record or predecessor publication listing a different vote count.
Table 3. Enabling Acts
Enacted legislation that allowed residents to prepare for statehood
State House Passage Senate Passage
Presidential
Approval Citation(s)
Alabama Feb. 19, 1819 Feb. 23, 1819 March 2, 1819 3 Stat. 489
Alaska N/A N/A N/A N/A
Arizona June 18, 1910 June 16, 1910
65-0
June 20, 1910 36 Stat. 557
61 H.R. 18166
Arkansas N/A N/A N/A N/A
California N/A N/A N/A N/A
Colorado March 3, 1875
164-76a
Feb. 24, 1875
43-13b
March 3, 1875 18 Stat. 474c 43 H.R. 435c
Connecticut N/A N/A N/A N/A
Delaware N/A N/A N/A N/A
Florida N/A N/A N/A N/A
Georgia N/A N/A N/A N/A
Hawaii N/A N/A N/A N/A
Idaho N/A N/A N/A N/A
Illinois Apr. 15, 1818 Apr. 14, 1818 Apr. 18, 1818 3 Stat. 428
Indiana Apr. 15, 1816 Apr. 13, 1816 Apr. 19, 1816 3 Stat. 289
Iowa N/A N/A N/A N/A
Kansas N/A N/A N/A N/A
Kentucky N/A N/A N/A N/A
Louisiana Feb. 13, 1811
69-45
Feb. 7, 1811
22-10
Feb. 20, 1811 2 Stat. 641
Maine N/A N/A N/A N/A
Maryland N/A N/A N/A N/A
Massachusetts N/A N/A N/A N/A
Michigan June 13, 1836 Apr. 2, 1836
24-18
June 15, 1836 5 Stat. 49 24 S. 177
Minnesota Jan. 31, 1857
97-75
Feb. 25, 1857
31-22
Feb. 26, 1857 11 Stat. 166 34 H.R. 642
Mississippi Feb. 26, 1817 Feb. 27, 1817 March 1, 1817 3 Stat. 348
Missouri March 2, 1820
90-87 and 134-42
March 2, 1820 March 6, 1820 3 Stat. 545
Montana Feb. 20, 1889 Feb. 20, 1889 Feb. 22, 1889 25 Stat. 676c
50 S. 185c
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 8
State House Passage Senate Passage
Presidential
Approval Citation(s)
Nebraska March 17, 1864 Apr. 14, 1864 Apr. 19, 1864 13 Stat. 47
38 H.R. 14½
Nevada March 17, 1864 Feb. 24, 1864 March 21, 1864 13 Stat. 30c
38 S. 96c
New Hampshire N/A N/A N/A N/A
New Jersey N/A N/A N/A N/A
New Mexico June 18, 1910 June 16, 1910
65-0
June 20, 1910 36 Stat. 557
61 H.R. 18166
New York N/A N/A N/A N/A
North Carolina N/A N/A N/A N/A
North Dakota Feb. 20, 1889 Feb. 20, 1889 Feb. 22, 1889 25 Stat. 676c
50 S. 185c
Ohio Apr. 29, 1802 Apr. 28, 1802
16-6
Apr. 30, 1802 2 Stat. 173
Oklahoma June 14, 1906 June 13, 1906 June 16, 1906 34 Stat. 267c
59 H.R. 12707c
Oregon N/A N/A N/A N/A
Pennsylvania N/A N/A N/A N/A
Rhode Island N/A N/A N/A N/A
South Carolina N/A N/A N/A N/A
South Dakota Feb. 20, 1889 Feb. 20, 1889 Feb. 22, 1889 25 Stat. 676c
50 S. 185c
Tennessee N/A N/A N/A N/A
Texas Feb. 28, 1845
134-77b
Feb. 27, 1845
27-25
March 1, 1845 5 Stat. 797
28 H.J.Res. 46
Utah Dec. 13, 1893 July 10, 1894 July 16, 1894 28 Stat. 107c 53 H.R. 352c
Vermont N/A N/A N/A N/A
Virginia N/A N/A N/A N/A
Washington Feb. 20, 1889 Feb. 20, 1889 Feb. 22, 1889 25 Stat. 676c
50 S. 185c
West Virginia N/A N/A N/A N/A
Wisconsin June 10, 1846 Aug. 5, 1846 Aug. 6, 1846 9 Stat. 56
29 H.R. 105
Wyoming N/A N/A N/A N/A
Sources: Annals of Congress, Congressional Globe, Congressional Record, House Journal, Senate Journal, U.S. Statutes at Large. Notes: N/A means no enabling legislation was enacted ahead of final legislation to admit the state to the Union. Some enabling acts involved multiple future states. Only final votes on passage are listed. Two vote tallies are
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 9
listed if the question was divided. No vote count is listed when a a measure was passed by voice vote. The effective date of legislation may differ from the date of presidential approval. Bills and resolutions are presented with the Congress number preceding the bill citation (e.g., H.R. 1 during the 50th Congress would appear as 50 H.R. 1). No bill or resolution number is listed for legislation not identified in the record by number. a. Votes marked with “a” are based on the vote tally in the Congressional Record or predecessor publication, with no vote count listed in the House Journal or Senate Journal.
b. Votes marked with “b” are based on the vote tally in the House Journal or Senate Journal, with the Congressional Record or predecessor publication listing a different vote count.
c. Citations marked with “c” are combined enabling and admission acts, and appear in both Table 3 and Table 4.
Table 4. Admission Acts
Enacted legislation that admitted a state into the Union
State House Passage Senate Passage
Presidential
Approval Citation(s)
Alabama Dec. 8, 1819 Dec. 8, 1819 Dec. 14, 1819 3 Stat. 608
Alaska May 28, 1958
210-166
June 30, 1958
64-20
July 7, 1958 72 Stat. 339
85 H.R. 7999
Arizona Aug. 19, 1911 Aug. 18, 1911
53-9
Aug. 21, 1911 37 Stat. 39
62 S.J.Res. 57
Arkansas June 13, 1836
143-50
Apr. 4, 1836
31-6
June 15, 1836 5 Stat. 50
24 S. 178
California Sept. 7, 1850
150-56
Aug. 13, 1850
34-18
Sept. 9, 1850 9 Stat. 452
31 S. 169
Colorado March 3, 1875
164-76
Feb. 24, 1875
43-13a
March 3, 1875 18 Stat. 474b 43 H.R. 435b
Connecticut N/A N/A N/A N/A
Delaware N/A N/A N/A N/A
Florida Feb. 13, 1845
144-48a
March 1, 1845
36-9
March 3, 1845 5 Stat. 742
28 H.R. 497
Georgia N/A N/A N/A N/A
Hawaii March 12, 1959
323-89
March 11, 1959
76-15
March 18, 1959 73 Stat. 4
86 S. 50
Idaho Apr. 3, 1890
129-1
July 1, 1890 July 3, 1890 26 Stat. 215
51 H.R. 4562
Illinois Nov. 23, 1818
117-34
Dec. 1, 1818 Dec. 3, 1818 3 Stat. 536
Indiana Dec. 9, 1816
Unanimousc
Dec. 6, 1816 Dec. 11, 1816 3 Stat. 399
Iowa Dec. 21, 1846 Dec. 24, 1846 Dec. 28, 1846 9 Stat. 117
29 H.R. 557
Kansas Jan. 28, 1861 Jan. 21, 1861
36-16
Jan. 29, 1861 12 Stat. 126
36 H.R. 23
Kentucky Jan. 28, 1791 Jan. 12, 1791 Feb. 4, 1791 1 Stat. 189
Louisiana Apr. 6, 1812 Apr. 1, 1812 Apr. 8, 1812 2 Stat. 701
Maine March 3, 1820 March 3, 1820 March 3, 1820 3 Stat. 544
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 10
State House Passage Senate Passage
Presidential
Approval Citation(s)
Maryland N/A N/A N/A N/A
Massachusetts N/A N/A N/A N/A
Michigan Jan. 25, 1837
132-43
Jan. 5, 1837
25-10
Jan. 26, 1837 5 Stat. 144
24 S. 81
Minnesota May 11, 1858
157-39a
Apr. 7, 1858
49-3
May 11, 1858 11 Stat. 285
35 S. 86
Mississippi Dec. 8, 1817 Dec. 3, 1817 Dec. 10, 1817 3 Stat. 472
Missouri Feb. 26, 1821
87-81
Feb. 28, 1821
28-14
March 2, 1821 3 Stat. 645
Montana Feb. 20, 1889 Feb. 20, 1889 Feb. 22, 1889 25 Stat. 676b
50 S. 185b
Nebraska Jan. 15, 1867
103-55
Jan. 16, 1867
28-14
Veto (Jan. 30, 1867)
overridden by
Senate (Feb. 8,
1867, 31-9) and
House (Feb. 9,
1867, 120-44)
14 Stat. 391
39 S. 456
Nevada March 17, 1864 Feb. 24, 1864 March 21, 1864 13 Stat. 30b
38 S. 96b
New Hampshire N/A N/A N/A N/A
New Jersey N/A N/A N/A N/A
New Mexico Aug. 19, 1911 Aug. 18, 1911
53-9
Aug. 21, 1911 37 Stat. 39
62 S.J.Res. 57
New York N/A N/A N/A N/A
North Carolina N/A N/A N/A N/A
North Dakota Feb. 20, 1889 Feb. 20, 1889 Feb. 22, 1889 25 Stat. 676b
50 S. 185b
Ohio May 19, 1953 Aug. 1, 1953 Aug. 7, 1953 67 Stat. 407
83 H.J.Res. 121
Oklahoma June 14, 1906 June 13, 1906 June 16, 1906 34 Stat. 267b
59 H.R. 12707b
Oregon Feb. 12, 1859
114-103
May 18, 1858
35-17
Feb. 14, 1859 11 Stat. 383
35 S. 239
Pennsylvania N/A N/A N/A N/A
Rhode Island N/A N/A N/A N/A
South Carolina N/A N/A N/A N/A
South Dakota Feb. 20, 1889 Feb. 20, 1889 Feb. 22, 1889 25 Stat. 676b
50 S. 185b
Tennessee May 30, 1796 May 31, 1796 June 1, 1796 1 Stat. 491
Texas Dec. 16, 1845
141-57a
Dec. 22, 1845
31-14
Dec. 29, 1845 9 Stat. 108
29 H.J.Res. 2
Utah Dec. 13, 1893 July 10, 1894 July 16, 1894 28 Stat. 107b 53 H.R. 352b
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 11
State House Passage Senate Passage
Presidential
Approval Citation(s)
Vermont Feb. 14, 1791 Feb. 12, 1791 Feb. 18, 1791 1 Stat. 191
Virginia N/A N/A N/A N/A
Washington Feb. 20, 1889 Feb. 20, 1889 Feb. 22, 1889 25 Stat. 676b
50 S. 185b
West Virginia Dec. 10, 1862
96-55
July 14, 1862
23-17
Dec. 31, 1862 12 Stat. 633
37 S. 365
Wisconsin May 11, 1848 May 19, 1848 May 29, 1848 9 Stat. 233
30 H.R. 397
Wyoming July 8, 1890 June 27, 1890
29-18
July 10, 1890 26 Stat. 222 51 H.R. 982
Sources: Annals of Congress, Congressional Globe, Congressional Record, House Journal, Senate Journal, U.S. Statutes at Large. Notes: N/A means no admission act (i.e., one of the 13 original states). Some admission acts involved multiple states. An admission act may have preceded a presidential proclamation formally admitting the state, and/or the effective date of admission may have differed from the date of presidential approval; see Table 1 for each state’s effective date of admission. Only final votes on passage are listed. Two vote tallies are listed if the question was divided. No vote count is listed when a vote tally was not recorded (e.g., a measure was passed by voice vote). Bills and resolutions are presented with the Congress number preceding the bill citation (e.g., H.R. 1 during the 50th Congress would appear as 50 H.R. 1). No bill or resolution number is listed for legislation not identified in the record by number. a. Votes marked with “b” are based on the vote tally in the House Journal or Senate Journal, with the Congressional Record or predecessor publication listing a different vote count.
b. Citations marked with “c” are combined enabling and admission acts, and appear in both Table 3 and Table 4.
c. Votes marked with “a” are based on the vote tally in the Congressional Record or predecessor publication, with no vote count listed in the House Journal or Senate Journal.
Table 5. Referendum Votes
State-level referendums, ratifications, and other statehood-related votes, including
both popular votes and votes by delegates elected to a convention
State
Referendum
Question or Type Date
Vote
(Yes-No) Notes
Alabama N/A N/A N/A N/A
Alaska “Shall Alaska immediately be admitted into the Union as a State?”
Aug. 26, 1958 40,452-8,010 Earlier statehood referendum held Oct. 8, 1946; state constitution ratified Apr. 24, 1956
Arizona Amendment to state constitution
Dec. 12, 1911 14,963-1,980 Congress required amendment as condition for admission; state constitution ratified Feb. 9, 1911
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 12
State
Referendum
Question or Type Date
Vote
(Yes-No) Notes
Arkansas Opinion of statehood
Aug. 1, 1835 1,942-908 Several counties allowed opinion on statehood to be recorded on territorial election ballot
California Ratification of state constitution
Nov. 13, 1849 12,061-811
Colorado Ratification of state constitution
July 1, 1876 15,443-4,062
Connecticut Ratification of U.S. Constitution
Jan. 9, 1788 128-40 Vote of delegates to state convention
Delaware Ratification of U.S. Constitution
Dec. 7, 1787 30-0 Vote of delegates to state convention
Florida Ratification of state constitution
May 6, 1839 2,071-1,958 Earlier statehood referendum held May 1, 1837
Georgia Ratification of U.S. Constitution
Dec. 31, 1787 26-0 Vote of delegates to state convention; ratification formalized Jan. 2, 1788
Hawaii “Shall Hawaii immediately be admitted into the Union as a State?”
June 27, 1959 132,773-7,971 Earlier statehood referendum held Nov. 5, 1940; state constitution ratified Nov. 7, 1950
Idaho Ratification of state constitution
Nov. 5, 1889 12,398-1,773
Illinois N/A N/A N/A N/A
Indiana N/A N/A N/A N/A
Iowa Ratification of state constitution
Aug. 3, 1846 9,492-9,036 Earlier state constitution rejected Apr. 7, 1845 and Aug. 4, 1845; earlier referendum Apr. 1, 1844
Kansas Ratification of state constitution
Oct. 4, 1859 10,421-5,530 Earlier state constitution rejected Aug. 2, 1858
Kentucky Opinion of statehood
July 28, 1790 24-18 Vote of delegates to Ninth Kentucky Convention
Louisiana N/A N/A N/A
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 13
State
Referendum
Question or Type Date
Vote
(Yes-No) Notes
Maine “Should Maine separate from Massachusetts?”
July 26, 1819 17,091-7,132 Earlier votes on separation held in 1792, 1797, 1807, and 1816 (twice)
Maryland Ratification of U.S. Constitution
Apr. 26, 1788 63-11 Vote of delegates to state convention; ratification formalized Apr. 28, 1788
Massachusetts Ratification of U.S. Constitution
Feb. 6, 1788 187-168 Vote of delegates to state convention
Michigan Ratification of state constitution
Oct. 5-06, 1835 6,752-1,374 Later, on Dec. 15, 1836, a second state convention known as the “Frostbitten Convention” unanimously approved the conditions of the enabling act
Minnesota Ratification of state constitution
Oct. 13, 1857 30,055-571
Mississippi N/A N/A N/A N/A
Missouri N/A N/A N/A N/A
Montana Ratification of state constitution
Oct. 1, 1889 24,676-2,274
Nebraska Ratification of state constitution
June 2, 1866 3,938-3,838
Nevada Ratification of state constitution
Sept. 7, 1864 10,375-1,284
New Hampshire Ratification of U.S. Constitution
June 21, 1788 57-47 Vote of delegates to state convention
New Jersey Ratification of U.S. Constitution
Dec. 18, 1787 38-0 Vote of delegates to state convention
New Mexico Amendment to state constitution
Nov. 7, 1911 34,897-22,831 Congress required amendment as condition for admission; state constitution ratified Jan. 21, 1911
New York Ratification of U.S. Constitution
July 26, 1788 30-27 Vote of delegates to state convention
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 14
State
Referendum
Question or Type Date
Vote
(Yes-No) Notes
North Carolina Ratification of U.S. Constitution
Nov. 21, 1789 194-77 Vote of delegates to second state convention; first convention voted Aug. 2, 1788 to demand amendments
North Dakota Ratification of state constitution
Oct. 1, 1889 27,441-8,107 Earlier referendum on dividing Dakota Territory held Nov. 8, 1887
Ohio N/A N/A N/A N/A
Oklahoma Ratification of state constitution
Sept. 17, 1907 180,333-73,059 Indian Territory voted Nov. 7, 1905 on constitution for separate state of Sequoyah
Oregon Ratification of state constitution
Nov. 9, 1857 7,195-3,215 Earlier referendum on statehood held June 1857
Pennsylvania Ratification of U.S. Constitution
Dec. 12, 1787 46-23 Vote of delegates to state convention
Rhode Island Ratification of U.S. Constitution
May 29, 1790 34-32 Vote of delegates to state convention
South Carolina Ratification of U.S. Constitution
May 23, 1788 149-73 Vote of delegates to state convention
South Dakota Ratification of state constitution
Oct. 1, 1889 70,131-3,267 Earlier referendum on dividing Dakota Territory held Nov. 8, 1887
Tennessee “Is it your wish if, on taking the enumeration, there should prove to be less than sixty thousand inhabitants, that the Territory shall be admitted as a State in to the Federal Union with such less number or not?”
Sept. 15, 1795 to
Nov. 15, 1795
6,504-2,562
Texas Annexation and ratification of state constitution
Oct. 13, 1845 7,664-430
(annexation), 7,527-
536 (ratification)
Utah Ratification of state constitution
Nov. 5, 1895 31,305-7,607
Vermont Ratification of U.S. Constitution
Jan. 10, 1791 105-4 Vote of delegates to state convention
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 15
State
Referendum
Question or Type Date
Vote
(Yes-No) Notes
Virginia Ratification of U.S. Constitution
June 25, 1788 89-79 Vote of delegates to state convention
Washington Ratification of state constitution
Oct. 1, 1889 40,152-11,879
West Virginia Ratification of state constitution
March 26, 1863 28,321-572 Earlier vote on statehood Oct. 24, 1861
Wisconsin Ratification of state constitution
March 13, 1848 16,759-6,384 Earlier state constitution rejected Apr. June 1847
Wyoming Ratification of state constitution
Nov. 5, 1889 6,272-1,923
Sources: Various; see citations in the “Statehood Timelines” section for details. Notes: N/A means no referendum or similar vote was located. In general, if multiple votes occurred as part of the statehood process (e.g., an initial referendum on whether to seek admission and a subsequent ratification vote on the state constitution), the final vote is described in the table (in this example, ratification of the state constitution) and the earlier vote (in this example, the initial referendum) is mentioned in the “Notes” column.
• September 3, 1783: United States acquires part of the future Alabama from Great Britain in the Treaty of Paris. Additional territory is later acquired in the Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819.20
• January 17, 1817: Senator Charles Tait of Georgia reports, from a select committee, a bill that would create a new territorial government in the eastern part of the Mississippi Territory. He also reports a separate bill to prepare the western part of the territory for statehood.21
• February 21, 1817: Senate passes the bill creating the Alabama Territory without a recorded vote.22
20 Harriet E. Amos Doss, “The State of Alabama,” in The Uniting States: The Story of Statehood for the Fifty United States, vol. 1, ed. Benjamin F. Shearer (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2004), pp. 24-53.
21 Journal of the Senate of the United States of America (Senate Journal), 14th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 17, 1817), p. 123; The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States (Annals of Congress), vol. 30, 14th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 17, 1817), p. 71. See the “Mississippi” timeline for information on the latter bill.
22 Senate Journal, 14th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 21, 1817), pp. 273-274; Annals of Congress, vol. 30, 14th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 21, 1817), p. 139.
Alabama: 22nd State
Alabama Territory created March 3, 1817 (3 Stat. 371) Enabling law enacted March 2, 1819 (3 Stat. 489) Alabama admitted December 14, 1819 (3 Stat. 608)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 16
• March 3, 1817: House passes the Alabama Territory bill without a recorded vote.23 President James Madison signs “[a]n Act to establish a separate territorial government for the eastern part of the Mississippi territory,” creating the Alabama Territory.24
• December 11, 1818: Senate receives a petition from Alabama territorial officials “praying admission into the Union” as a state and refers it to a select committee.25
• December 18, 1818: Senator Tait reports from the select committee a bill enabling Alabama to “form a constitution and state government” and join the Union.26
• January 12, 1819: Senate passes the Alabama statehood bill without a recorded vote.27
• February 19, 1819: House passes an amended version of the enabling act without a recorded vote.28
• February 23, 1819: Senate concurs in the House’s amendments to the enabling act without a recorded vote.29
• March 2, 1819: President James Monroe signs “[a]n Act to enable the people of the Alabama territory to form a constitution and state government, and for the admission of such state into the Union on an equal footing with the original states.”30
• July 5, 1819: Delegates gather in Huntsville to write a state constitution for Alabama.31
• August 2, 1819: Delegates at the Huntsville convention finalize and sign a state constitution for Alabama.32
23 Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States (House Journal), 14th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 3, 1817), p. 545; Annals of Congress, vol. 30, 14th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 3, 1817), p. 1066.
24 3 Stat. 371.
25 Senate Journal, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 11, 1818), p. 70; Annals of Congress, vol. 33, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 11, 1818), p. 66.
26 Senate Journal, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 18, 1818), p. 86; Annals of Congress, vol. 33, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 18, 1818), p. 75.
27 Senate Journal, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 12, 1819), p. 143; Annals of Congress, vol. 33, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 12, 1819), p. 121.
28 House Journal, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 19, 1819), pp. 290-291; Annals of Congress, vol. 34, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 19, 1819), p. 1272.
29 Senate Journal, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 23, 1819), p. 295; Annals of Congress, vol. 33, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 23, 1819), p. 253.
30 3 Stat. 489.
31 Journal of the Convention of the Alabama Territory Begun July 5, 1819 (Huntsville, AL: John Boardman, 1819), pp. 3-4.
32 Journal of the Convention of the Alabama Territory, pp. 38-39.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 17
• December 8, 1819: Senate adopts a joint resolution declaring Alabama admitted into the Union, without a recorded vote.33 House adopts the resolution without a recorded vote.34
• December 14, 1819: President Monroe signs the admission resolution into law, establishing “[t]hat the state of Alabama shall be one, and is hereby declared to be one, of the United States of America.”35
• October 18, 1867: United States purchases Alaska from Russia.36
• May 17, 1884: President Chester A. Arthur signs “[a]n act providing a civil government for Alaska,” which creates the District of Alaska.37
• April 4, 1911: Delegate James Wickersham of Alaska introduces 62 H.R. 38,38 which would grant territory status to Alaska.39
• April 24, 1912: House amends 62 H.R. 38 and passes it without a recorded vote.40
• July 24, 1912: Senate amends 62 H.R. 38 and passes it without a recorded vote.41
• August 17, 1912: Senate adopts conference report on 62 H.R. 38 without a recorded vote.42
• August 20, 1912: House agrees to conference report on 62 H.R. 38 without a recorded vote.43
33 Senate Journal, 16th Cong., 1st sess. (December 8, 1819), p. 21; Annals of Congress, vol. 35, 16th Cong., 1st sess. (December 8, 1819), p. 20-21.
34 House Journal, 16th Cong., 1st sess. (December 8, 1819), p. 22; Annals of Congress, vol. 35, 16th Cong., 1st sess. (December 8, 1819), p. 710.
35 3 Stat. 608.
36 William S. Hanable, “The State of Alaska,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 1, pp. 54-78.
37 23 Stat. 24. District status gave Alaska a governor and federal court, but no territorial legislature. See Jessica Van Buren, “Alaska Prestatehood Legal Research Resources,” in Prestatehood Legal Materials: A Fifty-State Research Guide, Including New York City and the District of Columbia, vol. 1, eds. Michael Chiorazzi and Marguerite Most (New York: The Haworth Information Press, 2005), pp. 31-50.
38 Throughout this report, bills and resolutions are presented with the Congress number preceding the bill citation. In this instance, 62 H.R. 38 is H.R. 38 during the 62nd Congress.
39 House Journal, 62nd Cong., 1st sess. (April 4, 1911), p. 15; Congressional Record, vol. 47, part 1 (April 4, 1911), p. 22.
40 House Journal, 62nd Cong., 2nd sess. (April 24, 1912), pp. 598-599; Congressional Record, vol. 48, part 6 (April 24, 1912), pp. 5260-5303.
41 Senate Journal, 62nd Cong., 2nd sess. (July 24, 1912), p. 479; Congressional Record, vol. 48, part 10 (July 24, 1912), pp. 9535-9540.
42 Senate Journal, 62nd Cong., 2nd sess. (August 17, 1912), pp. 559-560; Congressional Record, vol. 48, part 11 (August 17, 1912), pp. 11164-11165.
43 House Journal, 62nd Cong., 2nd sess. (August 20, 1912), p. 994; Congressional Record, vol. 48, part 11 (August 20, 1912), pp. 11393-11394.
Alaska: 49th State
Alaska Territory created August 24, 1912 (37 Stat. 512) Statehood law enacted July 7, 1958 (72 Stat. 339) Alaska admitted January 3, 1959 (73 Stat. c16)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 18
• August 24, 1912: President William Howard Taft signs 62 H.R. 38 into law, establishing a territorial government for Alaska.44
• October 8, 1946: Alaska voters back statehood, 9,630 to 6,822, in a referendum.45
• November 8, 1955: A constitutional convention called by the Territorial Legislature holds its first meeting at the University of Alaska, just outside Fairbanks.46
• February 5, 1956: Delegates vote 54-0 to adopt a state constitution for Alaska.47
• April 24, 1956: Alaska residents vote 17,477 to 7,180 in favor of ratifying the new state constitution.48
• June 7, 1957: Representative Leo W. O’Brien of New York introduces 85 H.R. 7999, a bill for “the admission of the State of Alaska into the Union.”49
• May 28, 1958: House votes 210-166 to pass 85 H.R. 7999.50
• June 30, 1958: Senate votes 64-20 to pass 85 H.R. 7999.51
• July 7, 1958: President Dwight Eisenhower signs 85 H.R. 7999 into law, admitting Alaska as a state pending a referendum vote.52
• August 26, 1958: Alaskans approve statehood in a three-part referendum. On the question, “Shall Alaska immediately be admitted into the Union as a State?” the vote is 40,452 to 8,010.53
• January 3, 1959: President Eisenhower issues Proclamation No. 3269, “Admission of the State of Alaska into the Union,” concluding the statehood process.54
44 37 Stat. 512.
45 Ernest Gruening, Annual Report of the Governor of Alaska to the Secretary of the Interior (Washington: GPO, 1947), p. 1.
46 Minutes of the Daily Proceedings, Alaska Constitutional Convention, vol. 1 (Juneau, AK: Alaska Legislative Council, 1965), p. 1.
47 Minutes of the Daily Proceedings, Alaska Constitutional Convention, vol. 5, pp. 3938-3939.
48 B. Frank Heintzleman, 1956 Annual Report, Governor of Alaska to the Secretary of the Interior (Washington: GPO, 1956), p. 1.
49 House Journal, 85th Cong., 1st sess. (June 7, 1957), p. 512; Congressional Record, vol. 103, part 7 (June 7, 1957), p. 8564.
50 House Journal, 85th Cong., 2nd sess. (May 28, 1958), pp. 408-409; Congressional Record, vol. 104, part 7 (May 28, 1958), pp. 9756-9757.
51 Senate Journal, 85th Cong., 2nd sess. (June 30, 1958), p. 435; Congressional Record, vol. 104, part 10 (June 30, 1958), p. 12650.
52 72 Stat. 339.
53 Alaska Division of Elections, Statehood Election: Final Results of Special Referendum Election, at https://www.elections.alaska.gov/Core/Archive/58STATE/1958-statehood.pdf.
54 73 Stat. c16.
Arizona: 48th State
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 19
• April 25, 1854: The United States buys part of the land that will become Arizona from Mexico in the Gadsden Purchase, adding to land acquired in 1848 by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.55
• March 12, 1862: Representative James M. Ashley of Ohio reports 37 H.R. 357, a bill to create a territorial government for Arizona, from the House Committee on Territories.56
• May 8, 1862: House passes 37 H.R. 357 without a recorded vote, after rejecting a motion to table the bill.57
• February 20, 1863: Senates passes 37 H.R. 357 on a 25-12 vote.58
• February 24, 1863: President Abraham Lincoln signs 37 H.R. 357 into law, creating the Territory of Arizona.59
• January 14, 1910: Representative Edward L. Hamilton of Michigan introduces 61 H.R. 18166, which would enable Arizona and New Mexico to write constitutions in preparation for statehood.60
• January 17, 1910: House suspends the rules and passes 61 H.R. 18166 without a recorded vote.61
• June 16, 1910: Senate amends 61 H.R. 18166, then passes it on a 65-0 vote.62
• June 18, 1910: House passes Senate-amended version of 61 H.R. 18166 without a recorded vote.63
• June 20, 1910: President William Howard Taft signs 61 H.R. 18166 into law, enabling Arizona and New Mexico to write constitutions and form state governments.64
• October 10, 1910: Delegates gather in Phoenix to write a state constitution for Arizona.65
55 Valerie L. Adams, “The State of Arizona,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 1, pp. 79-105.
56 House Journal, 37th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 12, 1862), p. 439; Congressional Globe, 37th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 12, 1862), p. 1193.
57 The House Journal reported the vote on tabling the bill as 72-50, while the Congressional Globe reported the vote as 72-52. See House Journal, 37th Cong., 2nd sess. (May 8, 1862), pp. 657-659, and Congressional Globe, 37th Cong., 2nd sess. (May 8, 1862), pp. 2023-2030.
58 Senate Journal, 37th Cong., 3rd sess. (February 20, 1863), p. 300; Congressional Globe, 37th Cong., 3rd sess. (February 20, 1863), pp. 1125-1128.
59 12 Stat. 664.
60 House Journal, 61st Cong., 2nd sess. (January 14, 1910), p. 168; Congressional Record, vol. 45, part 1 (January 14, 1910), p. 654.
61 House Journal, 61st Cong., 2nd sess. (January 17, 1910), pp. 175-176; Congressional Record, vol. 45, part 1 (January 17, 1910), pp. 702-714.
62 Senate Journal 61st Cong., 2nd sess. (June 16, 1910), pp. 452-453; Congressional Record, vol. 45, part 8 (June 16, 1910), pp. 8225-8237.
63 House Journal, 61st Cong., 2nd sess. (June 18, 1910), p. 803; Congressional Record, vol. 45, part 8 (June 18, 1910), pp. 8485-8487.
64 36 Stat. 557.
65 Minutes of the Constitutional Convention of the Territory of Arizona (Phoenix, AZ: Press of Phoenix Printing Co., 1910), p. 5.
Arizona Territory created February 24, 1863 (12 Stat. 664) Enabling law enacted June 20, 1910 (36 Stat. 557) Admission law enacted August 21, 1911 (37 Stat. 39) Arizona admitted February 14, 1912 (37 Stat. 1728)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 20
• December 9, 1910: Delegates vote 40-12 to adopt a state constitution for Arizona.66
• February 9, 1911: Arizona voters ratify the state constitution by a vote of 12,534 to 3,920.67
• August 15, 1911: President Taft vetoes 62 H.J.Res. 14, a joint resolution to admit Arizona and New Mexico as states, objecting to the provision of Arizona’s constitution that allows voters to recall judges.68
• August 17, 1911: Senator William A. Smith of Michigan reports 62 S.J.Res. 57 from the Senate Committee on Territories. This joint resolution would admit Arizona and New Mexico as states, but it would first require Arizona to remove judicial recall from its state constitution.69
• August 18, 1911: Senate debates and passes 62 S.J.Res. 57 on a 53-9 vote.70
• August 19, 1911: House debates and passes 62 S.J.Res. 57 without a recorded vote.71
• August 21, 1911: President Taft signs 62 S.J.Res. 57 into law, admitting New Mexico and Arizona as states once certain conditions have been met, including the amending of Arizona’s constitution to exempt judicial officers from recall.72
• December 12, 1911: Arizona voters amend the state constitution to remove judicial recall, by a 14,963 to 1,980 vote, meeting President Taft’s demand.73
• February 14, 1912: President Taft issues a proclamation admitting Arizona as the 48th state.74
• April 30, 1803: The United States acquires the land that will become Arkansas from France in the Louisiana Purchase.75
• December 16, 1818: House convenes a select committee to consider whether to create a separate territorial
66 Minutes of the Constitutional Convention of the Territory of Arizona, pp. 433-434.
67 Richard E. Sloan, Report of the Governor of Arizona to the Secretary of the Interior For the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1911 (Washington: GPO, 1911), p. 5.
68 William Howard Taft, Special Message of the President of the United States Returning Without Approval House Joint Resolution No. 14, H. Doc. 62-106 (Washington: GPO, 1911).
69 Senate Journal, 62nd Cong., 1st sess. (August 17, 1911), p. 178; Congressional Record, vol. 47, part 4 (August 17, 1911), p. 4061.
70 Senate Journal, 62nd Cong., 1st sess. (August 18, 1911), p. 185; Congressional Record, vol. 47, part 4 (August 18, 1911), pp. 4118-4141.
71 House Journal, 62nd Cong., 1st sess. (August 19, 1911), p. 390; Congressional Record, vol. 47, part 5 (August 19, 1911), pp. 4217-4242.
72 37 Stat. 39. See “New Mexico” timeline for details on its admission.
73 Voters would restore the provision in November 1912. See David R. Berman, Arizona Politics and Government: The Quest for Autonomy, Democracy, and Development (Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1998), p. 35.
74 37 Stat. 1728.
75 William D. Baker, “The State of Arkansas,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 1, pp. 106-133.
Arkansas: 25th State
Arkansas Territory created July 4, 1819 (3 Stat. 493) Arkansas admitted June 15, 1836 (5 Stat. 50)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 21
government for the “Arkansaw Country” (also spelled “Arkansas Country”) within the existing Missouri Territory.76
• December 21, 1818: Representative George Robertson of Kentucky reports a bill from the select committee creating a new territory.77
• February 20, 1819: House passes the bill to establish Arkansas Territory without a recorded vote on final passage, following days of debate and several close votes on amendments and procedural motions related to slavery in the territory.78
• March 1, 1819: Senate passes the Arkansas Territory bill without a recorded vote on final passage, following a 19-14 vote to defeat a motion to recommit with instructions to report the bill back with an antislavery amendment.79
• March 2, 1819: President James Monroe signs the law “establishing a separate territorial government in the southern part of the territory of Missouri.” The new territory, which will come into existence on July 4, 1819, is spelled “Arkansaw” in the statute, though “Arkansas” becomes the standard spelling.80
• August 1, 1835: During territorial elections, several Arkansas counties allow voters to express an opinion of statehood on their ballots. The Arkansas Advocate newspaper reports the tally as 1,942 in favor and 908 opposed.81
• January 4, 1836: Delegates gather in Little Rock to write a new state constitution for Arkansas.82
• January 30, 1836: Delegates at the Little Rock convention vote 46-4 to adopt the Arkansas state constitution.83
• March 10, 1836: Senate votes 22-17 to refer the Arkansas state constitution to a select committee.84
• March 22, 1836: Senate select committee reports out 24 S. 178, a bill admitting Arkansas as a state.85
• April 4, 1836: Senate votes 31-6 to pass 24 S. 178.86
76 House Journal, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 16, 1818), pp. 107-108; Annals of Congress, vol. 33, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 16, 1818), p. 413-414.
77 House Journal, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 21, 1818), p. 119; Annals of Congress, vol. 33, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 21, 1818), p. 422.
78 House Journal, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 20, 1819), p. 296; Annals of Congress, vol. 34, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 20, 1819), p. 1283.
79 Senate Journal, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 1, 1819), pp. 324-325; Annals of Congress, vol. 33, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 1, 1819), p. 274.
80 3 Stat. 493.
81 D.A. Stokes Jr., “The First State Elections in 1836,” Arkansas Historical Quarterly 20, no. 2 (Summer 1961), 126- 150.
82 Journal of the Proceedings of the Convention Met to Form a Constitution and System of State Government for the People of Arkansas (Little Rock, AR: Albert Pike, 1836), p. 3.
83 Journal of the Proceedings of the Convention Met to Form a Constitution ... for the People of Arkansas, p. 51.
84 Senate Journal, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (March 10, 1836), pp. 210-211; Congressional Globe, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (March 10, 1836), pp. 240.
85 Senate Journal, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (March 22, 1836), pp. 236-237; Congressional Globe, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (March 22, 1836), p. 275.
86 Senate Journal, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (April 4, 1836), pp. 266-267; Congressional Globe, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (April 4, 1836), pp. 315-316.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 22
• June 13, 1836: House votes 143-50 to pass 24 S. 178.87
• June 15, 1836: President Andrew Jackson signs 24 S. 178 into law, admitting Arkansas into the Union.88
• February 2, 1848: The United States acquires California from Mexico in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.89
• June 3, 1849: Bennet Riley, the U.S. Army officer serving as governor of California, calls a convention with the purpose of “forming a State constitution or a plan for Territorial government.”90
• September 1, 1849: Convention delegates begin to gather in Monterey.91
• September 5, 1849: Convention delegates vote, 28-8, to draft a constitution and seek statehood for California rather than organize a territorial government.92
• October 13, 1849: Convention delegates sign a state constitution for California.93
• November 13, 1849: California residents ratify the state constitution by a vote of 12,061 to 811.94
• January 29, 1850: Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky proposes what becomes the Compromise of 1850, a legislative package that includes California’s admission to the Union as a free state, in response to growing tensions between the North and South.95
• February 13, 1850: President Zachary Taylor transmits the California state constitution to Congress.96
• March 25, 1850: Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois reports 31 S. 169, a bill to admit California as a state, from the Senate Committee on Territories.97
87 House Journal, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (June 13, 1836), pp. 997-1004; Congressional Globe, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (June 13, 1836), pp. 550-551.
88 5 Stat. 50.
89 Anne Woo-Sam, “The State of California,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 1, pp. 134-160.
90 J. Ross Browne, Report of the Debates in the Convention of California, on the Formation of the State Constitution, in September and October, 1849 (Washington: John T. Towers, 1850), pp. 3-5.
91 Browne, Report of the Debates in the Convention of California, p. 7.
92 Browne, Report of the Debates in the Convention of California, p. 23.
93 Browne, Report of the Debates in the Convention of California, p. 476.
94 Francis Newton Thorpe (ed.), The Federal and State Constitutions, Colonial Charters, and Other Organic Laws of the States, Territories, and Colonies Now or Heretofore Forming the United States of America, vol. 1 (Washington: GPO, 1909), p. 391.
95 James McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (Oxford, UK and New York: Oxford University Press, 1988), pp. 70-75.
96 House Journal, 31st Cong., 1st sess. (February 13, 1850), pp. 529-530; Senate Journal, 31st Cong., 1st sess. (February 13, 1850), pp. 148; Congressional Globe, 31st Cong., 1st sess. (February 13, 1850), pp. 347-350 and 355.
97 Senate Journal, 31st Cong., 1st sess. (March 25, 1850), p. 234; Congressional Globe, 31st Cong., 1st sess. (March 25, 1850), p. 592.
California: 31st State
California admitted September 9, 1850 (9 Stat. 452)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 23
• August 13, 1850: Senate debates and passes 31 S. 169 on a 34-18 vote.98
• September 7, 1850: House debates and passes 31 S. 169 on a 150-56 vote.99
• September 9, 1850: President Millard Fillmore signs 31 S. 169 into law, admitting California as the 31st state.100
• February 2, 1848: The United States acquires part of the land that will become Colorado from Mexico in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, adding to land acquired in the 1803 Louisiana Purchase and the 1845 annexation of Texas.101
• April 3, 1860: Senator James S. Green of Missouri reports 36 S. 366, which would create a new territory, from the Senate Committee on Territories.102
• February 4, 1861: Senate passes 36 S. 366 to create the Colorado Territory without a recorded vote, after also considering the names “Jefferson” and “Idaho.”103
• February 18, 1861: House amends 36 S. 366, then passes it on a 90-44 vote.104
• February 26, 1861: Senate votes 26-18 to pass the House-amended version of 36 S. 366.105
• February 28, 1861: President James Buchanan signs 36 S. 366 into law, creating the Colorado Territory.106
• December 8, 1873: Following attempts to admit Colorado that President Andrew Johnson vetoed in 1866 and 1867,107 Delegate Jerome B. Chaffee of Colorado introduces 43 H.R. 435, a bill to “enable the people of Colorado to form a
98 Senate Journal, 31st Cong., 1st sess. (August 13, 1850), p. 557; Congressional Globe, 31st Cong., 1st sess. (August 13, 1850), p. 1573.
99 House Journal, 31st Cong., 1st sess. (September 7, 1850), pp. 1415-1424; Congressional Globe, 31st Cong., 1st sess. (September 7, 1850), pp. 1769-1772.
100 9 Stat. 452.
101 William Virden, “The State of Colorado,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 1, pp. 161-190.
102 Senate Journal, 36th Cong., 1st sess. (April 3, 1860), p. 335; Congressional Globe, 36th Cong., 1st sess. (April 3, 1860), pp. 1502.
103 Senate Journal, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 4, 1861), p. 184; Congressional Globe, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 4, 1861), pp. 728-729.
104 House Journal, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 18, 1861), pp. 345-348; Congressional Globe, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 18, 1861), pp. 1003-1005.
105 Senate Journal, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 26, 1861), pp. 313-314; Congressional Globe, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 26, 1861), pp. 1205-1206.
106 12 Stat. 172.
107 Ben: Perley Poore (ed.), Veto Messages of the Presidents of the United States, with the Action of Congress Thereon (Washington: GPO, 1886), pp. 305-308 and 331-337.
Colorado: 38th State
Colorado Territory created February 28, 1861 (12 Stat. 172) Enabling and statehood law enacted March 3, 1875 (18 Stat. 474) Colorado admitted August 1, 1876 (19 Stat. 665)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 24
constitution and State government, and for the admission of the said State into the Union on an equal footing with the original states.”108
• June 8, 1874: House votes to suspend the rules and pass 43 H.R. 435.109
• February 24, 1875: Senate debates and amends 43 H.R. 435, then passes it.110
• March 3, 1875: House concurs in Senate amendments with a 164-76 vote to suspend the rules and pass the bill.111
• March 3, 1875: President Ulysses S. Grant signs 43 H.R. 435 into law.112
• December 20, 1875: Delegates gather in Denver to write a state constitution for Colorado.113
• March 14, 1876: Colorado convention delegates vote 30-0 to approve the state constitution.114
• July 1, 1876: Colorado residents vote 15,443 to 4,062 in favor of ratifying the new state constitution.115
• August 1, 1876: President Grant issues a proclamation admitting Colorado as the 38th state.116
• April 23, 1662: King Charles II grants a royal charter to the “Governor and Company of the English Colony of Connecticut in New-England, in America.”117
• July 4, 1776: Connecticut joins 12 other colonies in declaring independence from Great Britain.118
• July 9, 1778: Connecticut signs the Articles of Confederation.119
108 House Journal, 43rd Cong., 1st sess. (December 8, 1873), p. 80; Congressional Record, vol. 2, part 1 (December 8, 1873), p. 89.
109 The House Journal reported the vote as 170-66, while the Congressional Record reported the vote as 171-66. See House Journal, 43rd Cong., 1st sess. (June 8, 1874), pp. 1132-1133, and Congressional Record, vol. 2, part 5 (June 8, 1874), pp. 4691-4692.
110 The Senate Journal reported the vote as 43-13, while the Congressional Record reported the vote as 42-12. See Senate Journal, 43rd Cong., 2nd sess. (February 24, 1875), pp. 337-339, and Congressional Record, vol. 3, part 3 (February 24, 1875), pp. 1671-1690.
111 House Journal, 43rd Cong., 2nd sess. (March 3, 1875), pp. 644-645; Congressional Record, vol. 3, part 3 (March 3, 1875), pp. 2238-2239.
112 18 Stat. 474.
113 Proceedings of the Constitutional Convention Held in Denver, December 20, 1875 to Frame a Constitution for the State of Colorado (Denver, CO: Smith-Brooks Press, 1907), p. 15.
114 Proceedings of the Constitutional Convention ... for the State of Colorado, p. 708.
115 J. Warner Mills and John H. Gabriel, Mills Annotated Statutes of the State of Colorado, revised ed., vol. 1 (Denver, CO: Mills Publishing Co., 1912), p. c24.
116 19 Stat. 665.
117 Thorpe, Federal and State Constitutions, vol. 1, pp. 529-536.
118 Worthington Chauncey Ford (ed.), Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789, vol. 5 (Washington: GPO, 1906) (July 4, 1776), pp. 510-516.
119 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 11 (July 9, 1778), p. 677.
Connecticut: Fifth State
Connecticut ratified Constitution January 9, 1788
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 25
• May 14-September 17, 1787: Connecticut’s three delegates participate in the Constitutional Convention.120
• January 9, 1788: Connecticut’s convention ratifies the Constitution, 128-40.121
• August 24, 1682: James, Duke of York, gives the land that will become Delaware to William Penn, who had acquired Pennsylvania the prior year from the Duke’s brother, King Charles II.122
• 1704: A new legislature holds its first meeting in New Castle, though the three counties continue to share a governor with neighboring Pennsylvania and do not formally adopt the name “Delaware” until 1776.123
• July 4, 1776: Delaware joins 12 other colonies in declaring independence from Great Britain.124
• May 5, 1779: Delaware signs the Articles of Confederation.125
• May 14-September 17, 1787: Delaware’s five delegates participate in the Constitutional Convention.126
• December 7, 1787: Delaware’s convention ratifies the Constitution by a 30-0 vote, making it the first state to join the new federal government.127
• February 22, 1819: The United States acquires Florida from Spain in the Adams-Onís Treaty.128
120 Max Farrand (ed.), The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787, vol. 3 (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1911), p. 557.
121 Jonathan Elliot (ed.), The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution, vol. 1 (Washington: Printed For the Author, 1836), pp. 321-322; Merrill Jensen (ed.), The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, vol. 3 (Madison, WI: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1978), pp. 554-562.
122 “The Duke of York’s Deed of Feoffment of Newcastle, and Twelve Miles Circle, to William Penn, August 24, 1682,” in Votes and Proceedings of the House of Representatives of the Province of Pennsylvania, vol. 1, part 1 (Philadelphia: B. Franklin and D. Hall, 1752), pp. xxxvi-xxxvii.
123 Eileen B. Cooper, David King, and Mary Jane Mallonee, “Colonial Delaware Legal Bibliography,” in Chiorazzi and Most, Prestatehood Legal Materials, vol. 1, pp. 175-217.
124 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 5 (July 4, 1776), pp. 510-516.
125 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 14 (May 5, 1779), p. 548.
126 Farrand, Records, vol. 3, p. 558.
127 Elliot, Debates, vol. 1, p. 319; Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, vol. 3, pp. 105-113.
128 Andrew K. Frank, “The State of Florida,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 1, pp. 245-270.
Delaware: First State
Delaware ratified Constitution December 7, 1787
Florida: 27th State
Florida Territory created March 30, 1822 (3 Stat. 654) Florida admitted March 3, 1845 (5 Stat. 742)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 26
• February 6, 1822: Senator William Smith of South Carolina reports from the Senate Judiciary Committee a bill to establish a territorial government in Florida.129
• March 8, 1822: Senate passes Florida Territory bill without a recorded vote.130
• March 27, 1822: House passes an amended version of the Florida Territory bill.131 Senate concurs in House amendments without a recorded vote.132
• March 30, 1822: President James Monroe signs the law “for the establishment of a territorial government in Florida.”133
• May 1, 1837: In a referendum on statehood, Florida residents vote 2,214 to 1,274 in favor of seeking admission to the Union.134
• December 3, 1838: Delegates to a convention convened by the Florida Territory’s Legislative Council gather in St. Joseph to write a state constitution.135
• January 11, 1839: Delegates vote 55-1 to approve the Florida state constitution.136
• May 6, 1839: Florida voters ratify the new state constitution by a vote of 2,071 to 1,958.137
• January 7, 1845: Representative Aaron V. Brown of Tennessee reports 28 H.R. 497, a bill to admit Florida and Iowa as states, from the House Committee on Territories.138
• February 13, 1845: House votes 144-48 to pass 28 H.R. 497.139
• March 1, 1845: Senate votes 36-9 to pass 28 H.R. 497.140
129 Senate Journal, 17th Cong., 1st sess. (February 6, 1822), p. 115; Annals of Congress, vol. 38, 17th Cong., 1st sess. (February 6, 1822), p. 182.
130 Senate Journal, 17th Cong., 1st sess. (March 8, 1822), p. 176; Annals of Congress, vol. 38, 17th Cong., 1st sess. (March 8, 1822), p. 279.
131 The Annals of Congress states that the “question on the passage of the bill was…carried without opposition,” while the House Journal does not describe the vote. See House Journal, 17th Cong., 1st sess. (March 27, 1822), p. 404 and Annals of Congress, vol. 39, 17th Cong., 1st sess. (March 27, 1822), p. 1379.
132 Senate Journal, 17th Cong., 1st sess. (March 27, 1822), p. 229; Annals of Congress, vol. 38, 17th Cong., 1st sess. (March 27, 1822), p. 344.
133 3 Stat. 654.
134 R.K. Call, “Proclamation of Governor Call and Returns of the 1837 Election,” in Florida Becomes a State, ed. Dorothy Dodd (Tallahassee, FL: Florida Centennial Commission, 1945), pp. 109-112.
135 Journal of the Proceedings of a Convention of Delegates to Form a Constitution for the People of Florida, Held at St. Joseph, December, 1838 (St. Joseph, FL: Printed at the “Times” Office, 1839), p. 3.
136 Journal of the Proceedings of a Convention ... to Form a Constitution for the People of Florida, p. 117.
137 Dodd, Florida Becomes a State, pp. 69-70; Robert Raymond Reid, “Proclamation of President of the Constitutional Convention,” in Dodd, Florida Becomes a State, p. 340; Reid, “Statement of the Votes For and Against the Constitution,” in Dodd, Florida Becomes a State, pp. 376-378.
138 House Journal, 28th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 7, 1845), p. 177; Congressional Globe, 28th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 7, 1845), p. 104.
139 The House Journal reported the vote as 144-48, while the Congressional Globe reported the vote as 145-46. See House Journal, 28th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 13, 1845), pp. 375-381, and Congressional Globe, 28th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 13, 1845), pp. 282-286.
140 Senate Journal, 28th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 1, 1845), pp. 232-233; Congressional Globe, 28th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 1, 1845), pp. 377-383.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 27
• March 3, 1845: President John Tyler signs 28 H.R. 497 to admit Florida and Iowa as states. Florida’s admission is immediate, whereas Iowa’s admission is delayed until December 1846 due to a dispute over its borders.141
• June 9, 1732: King George II grants a royal charter for the colony of Georgia.142
• July 4, 1776: Georgia joins 12 other colonies in declaring independence from Great Britain.143
• July 24, 1778: Georgia signs the Articles of Confederation.144
• May 14-September 17, 1787: Georgia’s four delegates participate in the Constitutional Convention.145
• December 31, 1787: Georgia’s convention votes 26-0 to ratify the Constitution.146
• January 2, 1788: Georgia’s convention delegates sign a deed formally ratifying the Constitution.147
• July 7, 1898: The United States annexes the Republic of Hawaii.148
• December 6, 1899: Senator Shelby M. Cullom of Illinois introduces 56 S. 222, a bill to create a territorial government for the Hawaiian islands.149
• March 1, 1900: Senate amends and passes 56 S. 222 without a recorded vote.150
• April 6, 1900: House amends and passes 56 S. 222 by a 120-28 vote.151
141 5 Stat. 742. See the “Iowa” timeline for detatils on its admission process.
142 Thorpe, Federal and State Constitutions, vol. 2, pp. 765-777.
143 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 5 (July 4, 1776), pp. 510-516.
144 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 11 (July 24, 1778), p. 716.
145 Farrand, Records, vol. 3, p. 559.
146 Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, vol. 3, pp. 269-284.
147 Elliot, Debates, vol. 1, pp. 323-324.
148 J.D. Bowers, “The State of Hawaii,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 1, pp. 295-324.
149 Senate Journal, 56th Cong., 1st sess. (December 6, 1899), p. 29; Congressional Record, vol. 33, part 1 (December 6, 1899), p. 89.
150 Senate Journal, 56th Cong., 1st sess. (March 1, 1900), p. 170; Congressional Record, vol. 33, part 3 (March 1, 1900), pp. 2438-2449.
151 The House Journal did not report the vote, but it appears in the Congressional Record. See House Journal, 56th Cong., 1st sess. (April 6, 1900), p. 443, and Congressional Record, vol. 33, part 4 (April 6, 1900), pp. 3851-3866.
Georgia: Fourth State
Georgia ratified Constitution January 2, 1788
Hawaii: 50th State
Hawaii Territory created April 30, 1900 (31 Stat. 141) Statehood law enacted March 18, 1959 (73 Stat. 4) Hawaii admitted August 21, 1959 (73 Stat. c74)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 28
• April 25, 1900: Senate approves conference report on 56 S. 222 without a recorded vote.152
• April 27, 1900: House approves conference report on 56 S. 222 by a 138-54 vote.153
• April 30, 1900: President William McKinley signs 56 S. 222 into law, creating the Territory of Hawaii.154
• November 5, 1940: Hawaii Territory voters back statehood, 46,174 to 22,428, in a plebiscite that asked, “Do you favor statehood for Hawaii?”155
• April 3, 1950: Delegates to a convention convened by the territorial legislature gather in Honolulu to draft a state constitution.156
• July 22, 1950: Delegates at the Honolulu convention vote 60-1 to adopt a state constitution.157
• November 7, 1950: Hawaii residents vote 82,788 to 27,109 in favor of ratifying the state constitution.158
• January 9, 1959: Senator James E. Murray of Montana introduces 86 S. 50, a bill to admit Hawaii as a state. The latest effort followed decades of debate and unsuccessful attempts to achieve statehood, but the bill is introduced less than a week after Alaska is admitted as the 49th state.159
• March 11, 1959: Senate passes 86 S. 50 on a 76-15 vote.160
• March 12, 1959: House passes 86 S. 50 on a 323-89 vote.161
• March 18, 1959: President Dwight Eisenhower signs 86 S. 50 into law.162
• June 27, 1959: Hawaii voters endorse statehood in a three-part referendum. The vote is 132,773 to 7,971 on the question, “Shall Hawaii immediately be admitted into the Union as a State?”163
152 Senate Journal, 56th Cong., 1st sess. (April 25, 1900), pp. 304-305; Congressional Record, vol. 33, part 5 (April 25, 1900), pp. 4648-4651.
153 House Journal, 56th Cong., 1st sess. (April 27, 1900), p. 512; Congressional Record, vol. 33, part 5 (April 27, 1900), pp. 4766-4767.
154 31 Stat. 141.
155 Roger Bell, Last Among Equals: Hawaiian Statehood and American Politics (Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai’i Press, 1984), pp. 71-78 and 353.
156 Proceedings of the Constitutional Convention of Hawaii, 1950, vol. 1 (Honolulu, HI: State of Hawaii, 1960), p. 1.
157 Proceedings of the Constitutional Convention of Hawaii, vol. 1, p. 139.
158 U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, State Constitution of Hawaii, committee print, 85th Cong., 1st sess., March 28, 1957, p. iii.
159 Senate Journal, 86th Cong., 1st sess. (January 9, 1959), p. 26; Congressional Record, vol. 105, part 1 (January 9, 1959), p. 228.
160 Senate Journal, 86th Cong., 1st sess. (March 11, 1959), p. 175; Congressional Record, vol. 105, part 3 (March 11, 1959), p. 3890.
161 House Journal, 86th Cong., 1st sess. (March 12, 1959), p. 284; Congressional Record, vol. 105, part 3 (March 12, 1959), pp. 4038-4039.
162 73 Stat. 4.
163 Letter from William F. Quinn, Governor of the Territory of Hawaii, to Dwight Eisenhower, President of the United States of America, July 2, 1959, at https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/research/online-documents/ hawaii-statehood/1959-07-02-quinn-to-dde.pdf.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 29
• August 21, 1959: President Eisenhower issues Proclamation 3309, “Admission of the State of Hawaii Into the Union,” formally admitting Hawaii as the 50th state.164
• June 15, 1846: The United States acquires the Oregon Country, including the land that will become Idaho, following a period of joint occupation with Great Britain.165
• February 11, 1863: Representative James M. Ashley of Ohio reports 37 H.R. 738, a bill to create a new territorial government, from the House Committee on Territories.166
• February 12, 1863: House amends and passes 37 H.R. 738.167
• March 3, 1863: Senate amends 37 H.R. 738, naming the new territory “Idaho” instead of “Montana,” then passes it on a 25-12 vote.168 House concurs in Senate changes to 37 H.R. 738 by a vote of 65-33.169 President Abraham Lincoln signs 37 H.R. 738 into law, creating the Territory of Idaho.170
• April 2, 1889: Idaho’s territorial governor calls a constitutional convention.171
• July 4, 1889: Delegates meet in Boise to begin writing a state constitution.172
• August 6, 1889: Delegates at the Boise convention vote 51-0 to adopt a state constitution for Idaho.173
• November 5, 1889: Voters in Idaho ratify the state constitution by a 12,398 to 1,773 margin.174
164 73 Stat. c74.
165 Katherine G. Aiken, “The State of Idaho,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 1, pp. 325-356.
166 The Congressional Globe reported the bill number as H.R. 626. See House Journal, 37th Cong., 3rd sess. (February 11, 1863), p. 369, and Congressional Globe, 37th Cong., 3rd sess. (February 11, 1863), pp. 884-885.
167 The House Journal records the vote as 86-40, while the Congressional Globe records the vote as 85-39. See House Journal, 37th Cong., 3rd sess. (February 12, 1863), pp. 379-381, and Congressional Globe, 37th Cong., 3rd sess. (February 12, 1863), p. 914.
168 Senate Journal, 37th Cong., 3rd sess. (March 3, 1863), pp. 415-416; Congressional Globe, 37th Cong., 3rd sess. (March 3, 1863), pp. 1507-1509.
169 The House Journal did not report the vote, but it appears in the Congressional Globe. See House Journal, 37th Cong., 3rd sess. (March 3, 1863), pp. 587, and Congressional Globe, 37th Cong., 3rd sess. (March 3, 1863), p. 1542.
170 12 Stat. 808.
171 E.A. Stevenson, “Proclamation,” April 2, 1889, Idaho State Archives, at https://idahohistory.contentdm.oclc.org/ digital/collection/p16281coll38/id/52.
172 I.W. Hart (ed.), Proceedings and Debates of the Constitutional Convention of Idaho, 1889, vol. 1 (Caldwell, ID: Caxton Printers, 1912), p. 1.
173 Proceedings and Debates of the Constitutional Convention of Idaho, vol. 2, p. 2037.
174 George L. Shoup, Report of the Governor of Idaho to the Secretary of the Interior, 1890 (Washington: GPO, 1890), p. 88.
Idaho: 43rd State
Idaho Territory created March 3, 1863 (12 Stat. 808) Idaho admitted July 3, 1890 (26 Stat. 215)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 30
• January 13, 1890: Representative Isaac S. Struble of Iowa introduces 51 H.R. 4562, a bill “to provide for the admission of the State of Idaho.”175
• April 3, 1890: House passes 51 H.R. 4562 by a 129-1 vote.176
• July 1, 1890: Senate passes 51 H.R. 4562 without a recorded vote.177
• July 3, 1890: President Benjamin Harrison signs 51 H.R. 4562 into law, admitting Idaho as the 43rd state.178
• September 3, 1783: The United States acquires the land that will become Illinois from Great Britain in the Treaty of Paris.179
• December 31, 1808: Delegate Jesse B. Thomas of Indiana reports a bill to divide the Indiana Territory into two territories, from a select committee appointed to examine the issue.180
• January 18, 1809: House votes 69-37 to pass the bill dividing Indiana Territory.181
• January 31, 1809: Senate passes the Indiana Territory bill without a recorded vote.182
• February 3, 1809: President Thomas Jefferson signs the bill to split the Indiana Territory, creating the Illinois Territory effective March 1, 1809.183
• January 23, 1818: Delegate Nathaniel Pope of Illinois reports a bill allowing Illinois Territory residents to write a constitution and form a state government in preparation for admission to the Union, from a select committee appointed to review the territorial government’s petition seeking statehood.184
175 According to the Congressional Record, Rep. Edwin H. Conger of Iowa introduced the bill on behalf of Rep. Struble, who was “absent on account of sickness.” See House Journal, 51st Cong., 1st sess. (January 13, 1890), p. 110, and Congressional Record, vol. 21, part 1 (January 13, 1890), p. 523.
176 House Journal, 51st Cong., 1st sess. (April 3, 1890), p. 430; Congressional Record, vol. 21, part 3 (April 3, 1890), pp. 3005-3006.
177 Senate Journal, 51st Cong., 1st sess. (July 1, 1890), p. 411; Congressional Record, vol. 21, part 7 (July 1, 1890), p. 6834.
178 26 Stat. 215.
179 Michael E. Meagher, “The State of Illinois,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 1, pp. 357-382.
180 House Journal, 10th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 31, 1808), p. 432; Annals of Congress, vol. 19, 10th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 31, 1808), pp. 971-973.
181 House Journal, 10th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 18, 1809), pp. 477-478; Annals of Congress, vol. 19, 10th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 18, 1809), pp. 1093-1095.
182 Senate Journal, 10th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 31, 1809), p. 336; Annals of Congress, vol. 19, 10th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 31, 1809), p. 339.
183 2 Stat. 514.
184 House Journal, 15th Cong., 1st sess. (January 23, 1818), p. 174; Annals of Congress, vol. 31, 15th Cong., 1st sess. (January 23, 1818), p. 814.
Illinois: 21st State
Illinois Territory created March 1, 1809 (2 Stat. 514) Enabling law enacted April 18, 1818 (3 Stat. 428) Illinois admitted December 3, 1818 (3 Stat. 536)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 31
• April 6, 1818: House passes the Illinois bill without a recorded vote.185
• April 14, 1818: Senate passes an amended version of the Illinois bill without a recorded vote.186
• April 15, 1818: House concurs in Senate amendments to the Illinois bill without a recorded vote.187
• April 18, 1818: President James Monroe signs the Illinois enabling legislation into law.188
• August 3-26, 1818: Delegates meet in Kaskaskia and draft a state constitution for Illinois.189
• November 20, 1818: Representative Richard C. Anderson Jr. of Kentucky reports a joint resolution admitting Illinois to the Union, from a select committee appointed to review the state constitution.190
• November 23, 1818: House passes the resolution admitting Illinois to the Union on a 117-34 vote.191
• December 1, 1818: Senate passes the Illinois statehood resolution without a recorded vote.192
• December 3, 1818: President Monroe signs into law the resolution admitting Illinois as the 21st state.193
• September 3, 1783: The United States acquires the land that will become Indiana from Great Britain in the Treaty of Paris.194
185 House Journal, 15th Cong., 1st sess. (April 6, 1818), p. 428; Annals of Congress, vol. 32, 15th Cong., 1st sess. (April 6, 1818), p. 1681.
186 Senate Journal, 15th Cong., 1st sess. (April 14, 1818), pp. 357-358; Annals of Congress, vol. 31, 15th Cong., 1st sess. (April 14, 1818), p. 365.
187 House Journal, 15th Cong., 1st sess. (April 15, 1818), pp. 466-467; Annals of Congress, vol. 32, 15th Cong., 1st sess. (April 15, 1818), p. 1738.
188 3 Stat. 428.
189 Richard V. Carpenter, “The Illinois Constitutional Convention of 1818,” Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 6, no. 3 (October 1913), pp. 327-424; Illinois Legislative Reference Bureau, Constitutional Conventions in Illinois (Springfield, IL: Illinois State Journal Co., 1918), pp. 9-11.
190 House Journal, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (November 20, 1818), p. 25; Annals of Congress, vol. 33, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (November 20, 1818), pp. 297-298.
191 House Journal, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (November 23, 1818), pp. 30-31; Annals of Congress, vol. 33, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (November 23, 1818), pp. 305-311.
192 Senate Journal, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 1, 1818), p. 43; Annals of Congress, vol. 33, 15th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 1, 1818), p. 32.
193 3 Stat. 536.
194 John P. Hundley, “The State of Indiana,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 1, pp. 383-409.
Indiana: 19th State
Indiana Territory created July 4, 1800 (2 Stat. 58) Enabling law enacted April 19, 1816 (3 Stat. 289) Indiana admitted December 11, 1816 (3 Stat. 399)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 32
• March 20, 1800: Representative William Craik of Maryland reports a bill to divide the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio (Northwest Territory) into two parts.195
• March 31, 1800: House passes the Northwest Territory bill without a recorded vote.196
• April 21, 1800: Senate amends and passes the Northwest Territory bill without a recorded vote.197
• May 3, 1800: House agrees to a compromise version of the Northwest Territory bill without a recorded vote.198
• May 5, 1800: Senate agrees to the compromise version of the Northwest Territory bill without a recorded vote.199
• May 7, 1800: President John Adams signs the bill to split the Northwest Territory, creating Indiana Territory in the west effective July 4, 1800.200
• January 5, 1816: Delegate Jonathan Jennings of Indiana reports a bill enabling Indiana to write a constitution and form a state government in preparation for admission to the Union.201
• March 30, 1816: House passes the Indiana bill on a 108-3 vote.202
• April 13, 1816: Senate passes an amended version of the Indiana bill without a recorded vote.203
• April 15, 1816: House agrees to the Senate’s amendments to the Indiana bill without a recorded vote.204
• April 19, 1816: President James Madison signs the Indiana enabling act.205
• June 10-29, 1816: Delegates meet in Corydon and draft a state constitution for Indiana.206
195 House Journal, 6th Cong., 1st sess. (March 20, 1800), p. 635; Annals of Congress, vol. 10, 6th Cong. (March 20, 1800), 1st sess., p. 635.
196 House Journal, 6th Cong., 1st sess. (March 31, 1800), p. 646; Annals of Congress, vol. 10, 6th Cong., 1st sess. (March 31, 1800), p. 649.
197 Senate Journal, 6th Cong., 1st sess. (April 21, 1800), p. 77; Annals of Congress, vol. 10, 6th Cong., 1st sess. (April 21, 1800), p. 164.
198 House Journal, 6th Cong., 1st sess. (May 3, 1800), p. 695; Annals of Congress, vol. 10, 6th Cong., 1st sess. (May 3, 1800), pp. 698-699.
199 Senate Journal, 6th Cong., 1st sess. (May 5, 1800), p. 86; Annals of Congress, vol. 10, 6th Cong., 1st sess. (May 5, 1800), p. 173.
200 2 Stat. 58.
201 House Journal, 14th Cong., 1st sess. (January 5, 1816), p. 128; Annals of Congress, vol. 29, 14th Cong., 1st sess. (January 5, 1816), pp. 459-461.
202 House Journal, 14th Cong., 1st sess. (March 30, 1816), pp. 554-555; Annals of Congress, vol. 29, 14th Cong., 1st sess. (March 30, 1816), p. 1300.
203 Senate Journal, 14th Cong., 1st sess. (April 13, 1816), p. 450; Annals of Congress, vol. 29, 14th Cong., 1st sess. (April 13, 1816), p. 315.
204 House Journal, 14th Cong., 1st sess. (April 15, 1816), p. 651; Annals of Congress, vol. 29, 14th Cong., 1st sess. (April 15, 1816), p. 1373.
205 3 Stat. 289.
206 Journal of the Convention of the Indiana Territory (Louisville: Butler & Wood, 1816), pp. 3 and 68-69.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 33
• December 2, 1816: Senate appoints a select committee to investigate whether additional legislation is necessary to complete Indiana’s admission as a state.207
• December 4, 1816: Senator Jeremiah Morrow of Ohio reports from the select committee a resolution declaring Indiana admitted to the Union.208
• December 6, 1816: Senate amends and passes the Indiana statehood resolution without a recorded vote.209
• December 9, 1816: House passes Indiana statehood resolution.210
• December 11, 1816: President Madison signs the resolution admitting Indiana as the 19th state.211
• April 30, 1803: The United States acquires the land that will become Iowa from France in the Louisiana Purchase.212
• March 14, 1838: Senator Thomas Morris of Ohio introduces 25 S. 269, a bill to create a new Iowa Territory.213
• June 1, 1838: Senate passes 25 S. 269 without a recorded vote.214
• June 6, 1838: House amends 25 S. 269 before passing it on a 118-51 vote.215 Senate passes the House-amended bill without a recorded vote, following a 33-6 vote against tabling the bill.216
• June 12, 1838: President Martin Van Buren signs 25 S. 269 into law, creating the Iowa Territory effective July 3, 1838.217
• April 1, 1844: Iowa Territory voters, by a margin of 6,976 to 4,181, support calling a convention to write a state constitution.218
207 Senate Journal, 14th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 2, 1816), p. 5; Annals of Congress, vol. 30, 14th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 2, 1816), pp. 9-10.
208 Senate Journal, 14th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 4, 1816), pp. 27-28; Annals of Congress, vol. 30, 14th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 4, 1816), p. 18.
209 Senate Journal, 14th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 6, 1816), pp. 33-34; Annals of Congress, vol. 30, 14th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 6, 1816), pp. 20-21.
210 The House Journal did not report a specific vote count, while the Annals of Congress reported that the vote was unanimous. See House Journal, 14th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 9, 1816), p. 44, and Annals of Congress, vol. 30, 14th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 9, 1816), p. 254.
211 3 Stat. 399.
212 William Roba, “The State of Iowa,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 1, pp. 410-433.
213 Senate Journal, 25th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 14, 1838), pp. 290-291; Congressional Globe, 25th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 14, 1838), p. 239.
214 Senate Journal, 25th Cong., 2nd sess. (June 1, 1838), pp. 440-441. The Congressional Globe did not report passage of the bill.
215 House Journal, 25th Cong., 2nd sess. (June 6, 1838), pp. 1042-1044; Congressional Globe, 25th Cong., 2nd sess. (June 6, 1838), p. 432.
216 Senate Journal, 25th Cong., 2nd sess. (June 6, 1838), pp. 448-449; Congressional Globe, 25th Cong., 2nd sess. (June 6, 1838), pp. 434-435.
217 5 Stat. 235.
218 Roba, “The State of Iowa,” p. 423.
Iowa: 29th State
Iowa Territory created July 3, 1838 (5 Stat. 235) Iowa admitted December 28, 1846 (9 Stat. 117)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 34
• October 7-November 1, 1844: Delegates meet in Iowa City and draft a state constitution.219
• March 3, 1845: President John Tyler signs 28 H.R. 497, a bill to admit Florida and Iowa as states.220 However, Iowa’s admission is made conditional on the territory accepting “truncated boundaries” for the state. Iowa voters twice—on April 7, 1845, and August 4, 1845—reject ratification of a state constitution with those borders.221
• May 4-19, 1846: Delegates meet in Iowa City and draft a second state constitution, with modified boundaries.222
• August 3, 1846: Iowa voters ratify their new constitution by a vote of 9,492 to 9,036.223
• August 4, 1846: President James K. Polk signs into law the compromise over Iowa’s borders, resolving the dispute and clearing the way for statehood.224
• December 17, 1846: Representative Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois reports 29 H.R. 557, a bill to admit Iowa as a state, from the House Committee on Territories.225
• December 21, 1846: House passes 29 H.R. 557 without a recorded vote.226
• December 24, 1846: Senate passes 29 H.R. 557 without a recorded vote following a 40-2 vote to reject an amendment.227
• December 28, 1846: President Polk signs 29 H.R. 557 into law, admitting Iowa into the Union.228
• April 30, 1803: The United States acquires part of the land that will become Kansas from France in the Louisiana Purchase, with additional
219 Journal of the Convention for the Formation of a Constitution for the State of Iowa, Begun and Held at Iowa City, on the First Monday of October, Eighteen Hundred and Forty-Four (Iowa City, IA: Jesse Williams, 1845), pp. 3 and 211.
220 5 Stat. 742; see the “Florida” timeline for additional details on this legislation.
221 Roba, “The State of Iowa,” p. 424.
222 Journal of the Convention for the Formation of a Constitution for the State of Iowa, Begun and Held at Iowa City, on the First Monday of May, Eighteen Hundred and Forty-Six (Iowa City, IA: Abraham M. Palmer, 1846), pp. 23 and 109; James Alton James, Constitution and Admission of Iowa Into the Union (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Press, 1900), pp. 33-34.
223 James Clarke, “Proclamation by the Governor of the Territory of Iowa” (September 9, 1846) in U.S. Congress, House, Constitution of Iowa, 29th Cong., 2nd sess., December 15, 1846, H.Doc. 29-16, p. 17.
224 9 Stat. 52; James, Constitution and Admission of Iowa Into the Union, pp. 37-39.
225 House Journal, 29th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 17, 1846), p. 62; Congressional Globe, 29th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 17, 1846), p. 53.
226 House Journal, 29th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 21, 1846), p. 81; Congressional Globe, 29th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 21, 1846), pp. 57-58.
227 Senate Journal, 29th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 24, 1846), pp. 69-70; Congressional Globe, 29th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 24, 1846), pp. 79-82.
228 9 Stat. 117.
Kansas: 34th State
Kansas Territory created May 30, 1854 (10 Stat. 277) Kansas admitted January 29, 1861 (12 Stat. 126)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 35
territory acquired in 1845 in the annexation of Texas.229
• December 14, 1853: Senator Augustus Caesar Dodge of Iowa introduces 33 S. 22, a bill to create a new Nebraska Territory.230
• January 31, 1854: Representative William A. Richardson of Illinois reports 33 H.R. 236, a bill creating new territorial governments for Kansas and Nebraska, from the House Committee on Territories.231
• March 3, 1854: Senate votes 37-14 to pass 33 S. 22, which as amended would create two new territories, Kansas and Nebraska.232
• May 22, 1854: House passes an amended version of 33 H.R. 236 on a 113-100 vote, in lieu of voting on the Senate-passed 33 S. 22.233
• May 25, 1854: Senate passes 33 H.R. 236 on a 35-13 vote.234
• May 30, 1854: President Franklin Pierce signs 33 H.R. 236 into law, creating the Kansas and Nebraska territories and repealing the 1820 Missouri Compromise, which would have barred slavery in the new territories. Instead, the Kansas- Nebraska Act leaves residents of the two territories “perfectly free to form and regulate their domestic institutions in their own way.”235
• February 2, 1858: President James Buchanan recommends that Congress admit Kansas under a pro-slavery state constitution drafted in Lecompton amid years of violence in the territory between anti- and pro-slavery factions. Faced with opposition in the House, the law signed by President Buchanan on May 4, 1858, requires a “fair and free” vote by Kansans on the Lecompton Constitution as a condition of statehood. Kansas voters overwhelmingly reject the Lecompton Constitution in an August 2, 1858 referendum.236
• July 5, 1859: Delegates gather in Wyandotte to draft a new state constitution, the territory’s fourth constitutional convention following gatherings in Topeka in 1855, Lecompton in 1857, and Leavenworth in 1858.237
• July 29, 1859: The Wyandotte convention votes 34-13 to adopt a new, anti- slavery state constitution.238
229 M.H. Hoeflich, “The State of Kansas,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 1, pp. 434-459.
230 Senate Journal, 33rd Cong., 1st sess. (December 14, 1853), p. 44; Congressional Globe, 33rd Cong., 1st sess. (December 14, 1853), p. 44.
231 House Journal, 33rd Cong., 1st sess. (January 31, 1854), p. 296; Congressional Globe, 33rd Cong., 1st sess. (January 31, 1854), pp. 294-297.
232 Senate Journal, 33rd Cong., 1st sess. (March 3, 1854), pp. 236-237; Congressional Globe, 33rd Cong., 1st sess. (March 3, 1854), pp. 531-532.
233 House Journal, 33rd Cong., 1st sess. (May 22, 1854), pp. 923-924; Congressional Globe, 33rd Cong., 1st sess. (May 22, 1854), p. 1254.
234 Senate Journal, 33rd Cong., 1st sess. (May 25, 1854), pp. 412-413; Congressional Globe, 33rd Cong., 1st sess. (May 25, 1854), p. 1321.
235 10 Stat. 277. Additional documents related to the Kansas-Nebraska Act are available in the Library of Congress research guide “Kansas-Nebraska Act: Primary Documents in American History,” at https://guides.loc.gov/kansas- nebraska-act.
236 McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom, pp. 167-169; 11 Stat. 269.
237 Kansas Historical Society, “Kansas Constitutions,” in Kansapedia, at https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/kansas- constitutions/16532.
238 Harry G. Larimer (ed.), Kansas Constitutional Convention: A Reprint of the Proceedings and Debates of the (continued...)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 36
• October 4, 1859: Kansas voters ratify the Wyandotte Constitution by a vote of 10,421 to 5,530.239
• February 15, 1860: Representative Galusha A. Grow of Pennsylvania introduces 36 H.R. 23, a bill to admit Kansas to the Union.240
• April 11, 1860: House votes to pass 36 H.R. 23.241
• January 21, 1861: Senate amends 36 H.R. 23 and passes it by a 36-16 vote.242
• January 28, 1861: House votes 119-41 to suspend the rules and take up 36 H.R. 23, then agrees to the Senate’s amendments without a recorded vote.243
• January 29, 1861: President Buchanan signs 36 H.R. 23 into law, admitting Kansas as the 34th state.244
• December 31, 1776: Virginia’s General Assembly establishes Kentucky County in the western part of the commonwealth.245
• November 1, 1780: Virginia’s General Assembly splits Kentucky into multiple counties and subsequently refers to the area as the District of Kentucky.246
• July 3, 1788: Congress, still operating under the Articles of Confederation, decides to postpone a decision on statehood for Kentucky until the new federal government convenes in 1789.247
• December 18, 1789: Virginia’s General Assembly enacts a law “concerning the erection of the district of Kentuckey [sic] into an independent state,” clearing the way for Kentucky to secede from Virginia and enter the Union on its own.248
Convention Which Framed the Constitution of Kansas at Wyandotte in July, 1859 (Topeka, KS: Kansas State Printing Plant, 1920), pp. 570-571.
239 Samuel Medary, “Proclamation” (November 1, 1859) in U.S. Congress, House Committee on Territories, Kansas, report to accompany H.R. 23, 36th Cong., 1st sess., H.Rept. 36-255, March 29, 1860, pp. 20-21.
240 House Journal, 36th Cong., 1st sess. (February 15, 1860), p. 294; Congressional Globe, 36th Cong., 1st sess. (February 15, 1860), p. 795.
241 The House Journal reported the vote as 135-72, while the Congressional Globe reported the vote as 134-73. See House Journal, 36th Cong., 1st sess. (April 11, 1860), pp. 707-708, and Congressional Globe, 36th Cong., 1st sess. (April 11, 1860), p. 1672.
242 Senate Journal, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 21, 1861), pp. 127-128; Congressional Globe, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 21, 1861), pp. 487-489.
243 House Journal, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 28, 1861), pp. 236-237; Congressional Globe, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 28, 1861), pp. 603-604.
244 12 Stat. 126.
245 William Waller Hening (ed.), The Statutes at Large; Being a Collection of All the Laws of Virginia, From the First Session of the Legislature, in the Year 1619, vol. 9 (Richmond, VA: J&G Cochran, Printers, 1821), pp. 257-261.
246 Hening, Statutes at Large, vol. 10, pp. 315-317 and 436.
247 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 34 (July 3, 1788), pp. 287-294.
248 Hening, Statutes at Large, vol. 13, pp. 17-21.
Kentucky: 15th State
Kentucky admitted June 1, 1792 (1 Stat. 189)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 37
• July 28, 1790: Delegates gathered in Danville vote 24-18 that “it is expedient for, and the will of, the good people of the District of Kentucky that the same be erected into an Independent State.”249
• December 8, 1790: President George Washington asks Congress to consider Kentucky’s application for statehood.250
• December 14, 1790: Senate creates a committee to consider Kentucky statehood.251
• January 3, 1791: Senator Philip Schuyler of New York reports the committee’s recommendation that Kentucky be granted statehood.252
• January 4, 1791: Senate committee assigned to consider Kentucky statehood reports a bill admitting Kentucky to the Union.253
• January 12, 1791: Senate passes the Kentucky bill without a recorded vote.254
• January 28, 1791: House passes the Kentucky bill without a recorded vote.255
• February 4, 1791: President Washington signs into law the act declaring that on June 1, 1792, Kentucky will “be received and admitted into this Union, as a new and entire member of the United States of America.”256
• April 2, 1792: Delegates gather in Danville to write a state constitution.257
• April 19, 1792: Delegates in Danville adopt a state constitution for Kentucky.258
• June 1, 1792: Kentucky joins the Union as the 15th state.259
• April 30, 1803: Robert Livingston and James Monroe sign the Louisiana
249 Letter from George Muter, President of the Ninth Kentucky Convention, to George Washington, President of the United States of America, October 4, 1790, at https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-06-02-0250.
250 Washington, “Second Annual Address to Congress” (December 8, 1790), American Presidency Project (University of California, Santa Barbara), at https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/203719.
251 Senate Journal, 1st Cong., 3rd sess. (December 14, 1790), p. 222; Annals of Congress, vol. 2, 1st Cong., 3rd sess. (December 14, 1790), p. 1777.
252 Senate Journal, 1st Cong., 3rd sess. (January 3, 1791), pp. 228-229; Annals of Congress, vol. 2, 1st Cong., 3rd sess. (January 3, 1791), pp. 1784-1785.
253 Senate Journal, 1st Cong., 3rd sess. (January 4, 1791), p. 229; Annals of Congress, vol. 2, 1st Cong., 3rd sess. (January 4, 1791), p. 1785.
254 Senate Journal, 1st Cong., 3rd sess. (January 12, 1791), p. 232; Annals of Congress, vol. 2, 1st Cong., 3rd sess. (January 12, 1791), p. 1788.
255 House Journal, 1st Cong., 3rd sess. (January 28, 1791), p. 366; Annals of Congress, vol. 2, 1st Cong., 3rd sess. (January 28, 1791), p. 1934.
256 1 Stat. 189.
257 Journal of the First Constitutional Convention of Kentucky (Lexington, KY: State Bar Association of Kentucky, 1942), p. 1.
258 Journal of the First Constitutional Convention of Kentucky, p. 22.
259 Stephen Asperheim, “The Commonwealth of Kentucky,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 1, pp. 460-485.
Louisiana: 18th State
Orleans Territory created March 26, 1804 (2 Stat. 283) Enabling law enacted February 20, 1811 (2 Stat. 641) Louisiana admitted April 30, 1812 (2 Stat. 701)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 38
Purchase Treaty and Conventions in Paris, France.260
• October 20, 1803: The Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase treaty by a vote of 24-7.261
• December 30, 1803: Senator John Breckinridge of Kentucky reports a bill “erecting Louisiana into two territories,” from a committee appointed to study the issue.262
• February 18, 1804: The Senate passes an amended version of the bill “erecting Louisiana into two Territories” by a vote of 20-5.263
• March 17, 1804: The House passes an amended version of the bill splitting the Louisiana Purchase into two territories by a vote of 66-21.”264
• March 20, 1804: The Senate rejects several of the House’s changes to the Louisiana bill.265
• March 21, 1804: The House requests a conference committee with the Senate to resolve differences over the Louisiana bill.266
• March 23, 1804: House votes 51-45 to pass a compromise version of the Louisiana bill,267 followed by a 15-9 vote in the Senate.268
• March 26, 1804: President Thomas Jefferson signs the act splitting the Louisiana Purchase into two areas: the Territory of Orleans, including the city of New Orleans, and the District of Louisiana, covering the bulk of the land acquired from France.269
• December 27, 1810: Representative Nathaniel Macon of North Carolina introduces a bill that would enable Orleans Territory residents to draft a constitution and form a state government in preparation for statehood.270
• January 15, 1811: House passes the Orleans Territory bill by a 77-36 vote.271
260 8 Stat. 200.
261 Senate Journal, 8th Cong., 1st sess. (October 20, 1803), p. 450. This does not appear in the Annals of Congress.
262 Senate Journal, 8th Cong., 1st sess. (December 30, 1803), p. 331; Annals of Congress, vol. 13, 8th Cong., 1st sess. (December 30, 1803), p. 223.
263 Senate Journal, 8th Cong., 1st sess. (February 18, 1804), p. 360; Annals of Congress, vol. 13, 8th Cong., 1st sess. (February 18, 1804), p. 255.
264 House Journal, 8th Cong., 1st sess. (March 17, 1804), pp. 661-662; Annals of Congress, vol. 13, 8th Cong., 1st sess. (March 17, 1804), p. 1199.
265 Senate Journal, 8th Cong., 1st sess. (March 20, 1804), pp. 384-385; Annals of Congress, vol. 13, 8th Cong., 1st sess. (March 20, 1804), pp. 288-290.
266 House Journal, 8th Cong., 1st sess. (March 21, 1804), p. 661; Annals of Congress, vol. 13, 8th Cong., 1st sess. (March 21, 1804), pp. 1206-1208.
267 House Journal, 8th Cong., 1st sess. (March 23, 1804), pp. 678-679; Annals of Congress, vol. 13, 8th Cong., 1st sess. (March 23, 1804), pp. 1229-1230.
268 Senate Journal, 8th Cong., 1st sess. (March 23, 1804), p. 391; Annals of Congress, vol. 13, 8th Cong., 1st sess. (March 23, 1804), pp. 296-297.
269 2 Stat. 283. The District of Louisiana will later become the Louisiana Territory and, in 1812, the Missouri Territory. See the “Missouri” timeline for details.
270 House Journal, 11th Cong., 3rd sess. (December 27, 1810), p. 464; Annals of Congress, vol. 22, 11th Cong., 3rd sess. (December 27, 1810), p. 466.
271 House Journal, 11th Cong., 3rd sess. (January 15, 1811), pp. 483-485; Annals of Congress, vol. 22, 11th Cong., 3rd sess. (January 15, 1811), p. 577.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 39
• February 7, 1811: Senate passes an amended version of the Orleans Territory bill by a 22-10 vote.272
• February 13, 1811: House agrees to the Senate’s amendment by a 69-45 vote.273
• February 20, 1811: President James Madison signs the act enabling Orleans Territory to prepare for statehood.274
• November 4, 1811: A constitutional convention begins in New Orleans.275
• January 22, 1812: Delegates to the New Orleans convention sign a state constitution for Louisiana.276
• March 16, 1812: Representative John Dawson of Virginia introduces a bill to admit Louisiana as a state.277
• March 20, 1812: House votes 79-23 to pass the Louisiana statehood bill.278
• April 1, 1812: Senate passes an amended version of the Louisiana statehood act without a recorded vote.279
• April 6, 1812: House agrees to the Senate-amended version of the admission act without a recorded vote.280
• April 8, 1812: President Madison signs the act admitting Louisiana into the Union, which will take effect on April 30.281
• April 30, 1812: Louisiana becomes the 18th state.
• October 7, 1691: A new charter for the Massachusetts Bay colony enlarges it to include Maine, among other places. Maine will remain part of Massachusetts for more than a century.282
272 Senate Journal, 11th Cong., 3rd sess. (February 7, 1811), p. 564; Annals of Congress, vol. 22, 11th Cong., 3rd sess. (February 7, 1811), p. 127.
273 House Journal, 11th Cong., 3rd sess. (February 13, 1811), pp. 549-551; Annals of Congress, vol. 22, 11th Cong., 3rd sess. (February 13, 1811), p. 964.
274 2 Stat. 641.
275 Journal de la Convention d’Orléans de 1811-12 (Jackson, LA: Jerome Bayon, 1844), p. 1.
276 Constitution or Form of Government of the State of Louisiana (New Orleans: Jo. Bar. Baird, 1812), p. 30.
277 House Journal, 12th Cong., 1st sess. (March 16, 1812), p. 248; Annals of Congress, vol. 24, 12th Cong., 1st sess. (March 16, 1812), p. 466.
278 House Journal, 12th Cong., 1st sess. (March 20, 1812), pp. 257-258; Annals of Congress, vol. 24, 12th Cong., 1st sess. (March 20, 1812), p. 1227.
279 Senate Journal, 12th Cong., 1st sess. (April 1, 1812), pp. 90-91; Annals of Congress, vol. 23, 12th Cong., 1st sess. (April 1, 1812), p. 186.
280 House Journal, 12th Cong., 1st sess. (April 6, 1812), p. 276; Annals of Congress, vol. 24, 12th Cong., 1st sess. (April 6, 1812), p. 1254.
281 2 Stat. 701.
282 “The Charter of Massachusetts Bay—1691,” in Thorpe, Federal and State Constitutions, vol. 3, pp. 1870-1886; M.H. Hoeflich, “The State of Maine,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 2, p. 513-538.
Maine: 23rd State
Maine admitted March 15, 1820 (3 Stat. 544)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 40
• June 19, 1819: Massachusetts consents to Maine’s separation and statehood, pending the outcome of a referendum vote and other steps.283
• July 26, 1819: Mainers vote in favor of separating from Massachusetts, 17,091 to 7,132. It is the sixth in a series of votes on the subject going back to 1792.284
• October 11-29, 1819: Delegates gather in Portland to write a new Maine constitution.285
• December 6, 1819: Maine voters ratify the new state constitution by 9,040 to 796.286
• December 21, 1819: Representative John Holmes of Massachusetts reports, from a select committee, a bill to admit Maine as a state.287
• January 3, 1820: House passes an amended version of the Maine statehood bill without a recorded vote.288
• February 18, 1820: Senate amends and passes the Maine statehood bill without a recorded vote on final passage.289
• March 3, 1820: House and Senate agree to a compromise version of the Maine statehood bill, which is then passed by the House and Senate without recorded votes.290 President James Monroe signs the bill, which will take effect on March 15, 1820.291
• March 15, 1820: Maine becomes the 23rd state. Its admission is paired with the admission of Missouri as a slave state as part of the Missouri Compromise.292
283 “An Act relating to the Separation of the District of Maine from Massachusetts Proper, and forming the same into a Separate and Independent State,” in Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Passed at the Several Sessions of the General Court, Beginning May, 1818 and Ending February, 1822 (Boston: Russell and Gardner, 1822), pp. 248- 260, at https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/110107.
284 Stephanie Kermes, Creating an American Identity: New England, 1789-1825 (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008), p. 158; Appendix V in Ronald F. Banks, Maine Becomes a State: The Movement to Separate Maine from Massachusetts, 1785-1820 (Middleton, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 1970).
285 Journal of the Constitutional Convention of the District of Maine: With the Articles of Separation, and Governor Brooks’ Proclamation, Prefixed (Augusta, ME: Fuller & Fuller, 1856).
286 Maine State Legislature, Amendments to the Maine Constitution, 1820-Present, November 2021, at https://www.maine.gov/legis/lawlib/lldl/constitutionalamendments; Journal of the Constitutional Convention of the District of Maine, p. 98. This is the tally for votes “legally and seasonably returned.”
287 House Journal, 16th Cong., 1st sess. (December 21, 1819), p. 60; Annals of Congress, vol. 35, 16th Cong., 1st sess. (December 21, 1819), p. 749.
288 House Journal, 16th Cong., 1st sess. (January 3, 1820), p. 99; Annals of Congress, vol. 35, 16th Cong., 1st sess. (January 3, 1820), p. 849.
289 Senate Journal, 16th Cong., 1st sess. (February 18, 1820), pp. 169-170; Annals of Congress, vol. 35, 16th Cong., 1st sess. (February 18, 1820), p. 430.
290 House Journal, 16th Cong., 1st sess. (March 3, 1820), p. 283; Senate Journal, 16th Cong., 1st sess. (March 3, 1820), pp. 206-207; Annals of Congress, vol. 36, 16th Cong., 1st sess. (March 3, 1820), p. 1589; Annals of Congress, vol. 35, 16th Cong., 1st sess. (March 3, 1820), pp. 471-472.
291 3 Stat. 544.
292 See the “Missouri” timeline for additional information.
Maryland: Seventh State
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 41
• June 20, 1632: King Charles I grants the charter for the colony of Maryland to Cecil Calvert.293
• July 4, 1776: Maryland joins 12 other colonies in declaring independence from Great Britain.294
• March 1, 1781: Maryland signs and ratifies the Articles of Confederation.295
• May 14-September 17, 1787: Maryland’s five delegates participate in the Constitutional Convention.296
• April 28, 1788: Maryland’s convention formally ratifies the Constitution, following a 63-11 vote on April 26.297
• March 4, 1629: A charter is given to the “Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England” by King Charles I.298
• October 7, 1691: A new charter, given by King William and Queen Mary, enlarges Massachusetts “to include the old colony of Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth Colony, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, Maine, and parts of Nova Scotia.”299
• July 4, 1776: Massachusetts joins 12 other colonies in declaring independence from Great Britain.300
• July 9, 1778: Massachusetts signs and ratifies the Articles of Confederation.301
• May 14-September 17, 1787: Massachusetts’s four delegates participate in the Constitutional Convention.302
• February 6, 1788: Massachusetts’s convention ratifies the Constitution by a vote of 187-168.303
293 “The Charter of Maryland, June 20, 1632,” in Maryland State Archives, Archives of Maryland, vol. 549, p. 5, at https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001/000549/html/am549--5.html.
294 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 5 (July 4, 1776), pp. 510-516.
295 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 19 (March 1, 1781), pp. 213-214.
296 Farrand, Records, vol. 3, p. 558.
297 Elliot, Debates, vol. 1, pp. 324-325; Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, vol. 12, pp. 647- 655.
298 “The Charter of Massachusetts—1629,” in Thorpe, Federal and State Constitutions, vol. 3, pp. 1846-1860.
299 “The Charter of Massachusetts Bay—1691,” in Thorpe, Federal and State Constitutions, vol. 3, pp. 1870-1886; Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Archives Collection, at https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/archives/collections/mass-archives-collection.htm.
300 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 5 (July 4, 1776), pp. 510-516.
301 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 11 (July 9, 1778), p. 677.
302 Farrand, Records, vol. 3, p. 558.
303 Elliot, Debates, vol. 1, pp. 322-323; Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, vol. 6, pp. 1461- 1462.
Maryland ratified Constitution April 28, 1788
Massachusetts: Sixth State
Massachusetts ratified Constitution February 6, 1788
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 42
• September 3, 1783: The United States acquires the land that will become Michigan from Great Britain in the Treaty of Paris.304
• December 14, 1804: Senator Thomas Worthington of Ohio reports, from a committee on the subject, a bill that would divide the Indiana Territory into two separate territories.305
• December 24, 1804: Senate amends and passes the Indiana Territory bill without a recorded vote.306
• January 7, 1805: House passes an amended version of the Indiana Territory bill without a recorded vote.307
• January 8, 1805: Senate passes the House-amended territorial bill without a recorded vote.308
• January 11, 1805: President Thomas Jefferson signs the act to split the Indiana Territory in two, creating the Michigan Territory as of June 30, 1805.309
• October 5-6, 1835: Michigan’s constitution, drafted by a convention meeting in Detroit from May 11 to June 24, 1835, is adopted by a vote of 6,752 to 1,374.310
• March 22, 1836: Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri reports 24 S. 177, a bill that would establish the northern border of Ohio and admit Michigan as a state, from a select committee studying the issue.311
• April 2, 1836: Senate votes to pass 24 S. 177.312
• June 13, 1836: House passes 24 S. 177 without a recorded vote on final passage, following a 153-45 procedural vote.313
• June 15, 1836: President Andrew Jackson signs 24 S. 177 into law, admitting Michigan as a state on the condition that it accept newly defined borders.314
304 Jim Schwartz, “The State of Michigan,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 2, pp. 592-618.
305 Senate Journal, 8th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 14, 1804), p. 423; Annals of Congress, vol. 14, 8th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 14, 1804), p. 23.
306 Senate Journal. 8th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 24, 1804), p. 426; Annals of Congress, vol. 14, 8th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 24, 1804), p. 26.
307 House Journal, 8th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 7, 1805), p. 79; Annals of Congress, vol. 14, 8th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 7, 1805), p. 872.
308 Senate Journal, 8th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 8, 1805), p. 431; Annals of Congress, vol. 14, 8th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 8, 1805), p. 32.
309 2 Stat. 309.
310 Legislative Service Bureau, The Constitution of the State of Michigan, at https://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(hybaug5jzbffgrpwwukidlqp))/documents/mcl/pdf/michiganconstitution1963asratifie d.pdf.
311 Senate Journal, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (March 22, 1836), p. 236; Congressional Globe, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (March 22, 1836), p. 275.
312 The vote was reported as 24-18 in the Senate Journal and 24-17 in the Congressional Globe. See Senate Journal, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (April 2, 1836), pp. 263-264, and Congressional Globe, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (April 2, 1836), p. 313.
313 House Journal, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (June 13, 1836), pp. 993-997 and 1002; Congressional Globe, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (June 13, 1836), pp. 550-551.
314 5 Stat. 49.
Michigan: 26th State
Michigan Territory created June 30, 1805 (2 Stat. 309) Enabling law enacted June 15, 1836 (5 Stat. 49) Michigan admitted January 26, 1837 (5 Stat. 144)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 43
Under the proposed compromise, Michigan would cede the disputed city of Toledo to Ohio but acquire much of the Upper Peninsula.315
• September 26-30, 1836: Delegates elected to a state convention vote 28-21 to reject the congressional compromise over Michigan’s borders.316
• December 14-15, 1836: Delegates elected to a second state convention, known as the “Frostbitten Convention,” vote unanimously to accept Congress’s conditions for statehood.317
• December 29, 1836: Senator Felix Grundy of Tennessee reports 24 S. 81, a bill to admit Michigan as a state, from the Senate Judiciary Committee.318
• January 5, 1837: Senate votes 25-10 to pass 24 S. 81.319
• January 25, 1837: House votes 132-43 to pass 24 S.81.320
• January 26, 1837: President Jackson signs 24 S. 81 into law, admitting Michigan to the Union.321
• October 20, 1818: The United States acquires part of the land that will become Minnesota from Great Britain, adding to territory obtained in the Treaty of Paris (1783) and the Louisiana Purchase (1803).322
• February 23, 1848: Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois introduces 30 S. 152, a bill to create the Minnesota Territory.323
• January 19, 1849: Senate passes an amended version of the Minnesota Territory bill without a recorded vote.324
315 Schwartz, “The State of Michigan,” pp. 610-611.
316 “First Convention of Assent of the Territory of Michigan,” in Michigan Manual 2015-2016 (Lansing, MI: Legislative Service Bureau, 2016), at https://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(khjikt3ukugbvxxz5sicivm3))/documents/2015- 2016/michiganmanual/2015-MM-p0021-p0024.pdf.
317 “Second Convention of Assent of the Territory of Michigan,” in Michigan Manual 2015-2016, at https://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(khjikt3ukugbvxxz5sicivm3))/documents/2015-2016/michiganmanual/2015-MM- p0021-p0024.pdf.
318 Senate Journal, 24th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 29, 1836), p. 72; Congressional Globe, 24th Cong. , 2nd sess. (December 29, 1836), p. 59.
319 Senate Journal, 24th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 5, 1837), pp. 93-94; Congressional Globe, 24th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 5, 1837), p. 73.
320 House Journal, 24th Cong, 2nd sess. (January 25, 1837), pp. 284-285; Congressional Globe, 24th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 25, 1837), p. 125.
321 5 Stat. 144.
322 Jonathan Kasparek, “The State of Minnesota,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 2, pp. 619-641.
323 Senate Journal, 30th Cong., 1st sess. (February 23, 1848), p. 187. The bill’s introduction does not appear in the Congressional Globe.
324 Congressional Globe, 30th Cong. (January 19, 1849), 2nd sess., pp. 298-299. The bill’s passage does not appear in the Senate Journal.
Minnesota: 32nd State
Minnesota Territory created March 3, 1849 (9 Stat. 403) Enabling law enacted February 26, 1857 (11 Stat. 166) Minnesota admitted May 11, 1858 (11 Stat. 285)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 44
• February 28, 1849: House passes an amended version of the Minnesota Territory bill without a recorded vote.325
• March 1, 1849: Senate accepts most of the House’s amendments to the Minnesota Territory bill, but rejects one on a 30-18 vote.326
• March 3, 1849: House votes 107-70 to accept the Senate’s version of 30 S. 152.327 President James K. Polk signs the Minnesota Territory bill into law.328
• December 24, 1856: Delegate Henry Rice of Minnesota introduces 34 H.R. 642, a bill authorizing Minnesota Territory residents to hold a constitutional convention in preparation for statehood.329
• January 31, 1857: House votes 97-75 to pass an amended version of 34 H.R. 642.330
• February 21, 1857: Senate votes 47-1 to pass an amended version of 34 H.R. 642.331
• February 25, 1857: Senate reconsiders its amendment and votes 31-22 to approve the House-passed version.332
• February 26, 1857: President James Buchanan signs the Minnesota enabling act into law.333
• July 13-August 29, 1857: Elected delegates assemble in St. Paul to draft the state constitution, but the Democratic and Republican parties are so divided that two separate conventions are held and two constitutions are drafted. Eventually, a conference committee drafts a compromise document.334
• October 13, 1857: Minnesota voters ratify the new state constitution, 30,055 to 571.335
325 House Journal, 30th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 28, 1849), pp. 558-559; Congressional Globe, 30th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 28, 1849), p. 617.
326 Senate Journal, 30th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 1, 1849), pp. 288-289; Congressional Globe, 30th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 1, 1849), pp. 635-637.
327 House Journal, 30th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 3, 1849), pp. 620-621; Congressional Globe, 30th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 3, 1849), p. 693. A vote tally does not appear in the Congressional Globe.
328 9 Stat. 403.
329 House Journal, 34th Cong., 3rd sess. (December 24, 1856), p. 163; Congressional Globe, 34th Cong., 3rd sess. (December 24, 1856), p. 201.
330 House Journal, 34th Cong., 3rd sess. (January 31, 1857), pp. 328-329; Congressional Globe, 34th Cong., 3rd sess. (January 31, 1857), p. 519.
331 Senate Journal, 34th Cong., 3rd sess. (February 21, 1857), p. 237; Congressional Globe, 34th Cong., 3rd sess. (February 21, 1857), p. 814.
332 Senate Journal, 34th Cong., 3rd sess. (February 25, 1857), p. 252; Congressional Globe, 34th Cong., 3rd sess. (February 25, 1857), p. 877.
333 11 Stat. 166.
334 Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Minnesota Constitution 1858, at https://www.sos.state.mn.us/about- minnesota/minnesota-government/minnesota-constitution-1858.
335 Minnesota Constitution 1858.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 45
• January 26, 1858: Senator Douglas reports 35 S. 86, a bill “for the admission of the State of Minnesota into the Union,” from the Senate Committee on Territories.336
• April 7, 1858: Senate votes 49-3 to admit Minnesota as a state.337
• May 11, 1858: House votes to admit Minnesota as a state.338 President Buchanan signs 35 S. 86 into law, and Minnesota became a state.339
• September 3, 1783: The United States acquires the the land that will become Mississippi from Great Britain in the Treaty of Paris.340
• February 23, 1798: Senator James Ross of Pennsylvania reports, from a committee looking into the area south and west of Georgia, a bill to establish a new Mississippi Territory.341
• March 5, 1798: The Senate passes the Mississippi Territory bill, 20-8.342
• March 27, 1798: The House passes an amended version of the Mississippi Territory bill without a recorded vote.343
• March 29, 1798: The Senate agrees to the House amendments without a recorded vote.344
• April 7, 1798: President John Adams signs the Mississippi Territory bill into law.345
• January 17, 1817: Senator Charles Tait of Georgia reports, from a select committee studying the issue, a bill that would enable the western part of the Mississippi Territory to prepare for statehood.346
336 Senate Journal, 35th Cong., 1st sess. (January 26, 1858), p. 133; Congressional Globe, 35th Cong., 1st sess. (January 26, 1858), p. 405.
337 Senate Journal, 35th Cong., 1st sess. (April 7, 1858), p. 326; Congressional Globe, 35th Cong., 1st sess. (April 7, 1858), pp. 1511-1516.
338 The vote was reported as 157-39 in the House Journal and 157-38 in the Congressional Globe. See House Journal, 35th Cong., 1st sess. (May 11, 1858), p. 777, and Congressional Globe, 35th Cong., 1st sess. (May 11, 1858), pp. 2057- 2061.
339 11 Stat. 285.
340 Deanne Stephens Nuwer, “The State of Mississippi,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 2, pp. 642-669.
341 Senate Journal, 5th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 23, 1798), p. 445; Annals of Congress, vol. 7, 5th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 23, 1798), p. 511.
342 Senate Journal, 5th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 5, 1798), p. 449; Annals of Congress, vol. 7, 5th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 5, 1798), p. 515.
343 House Journal, 5th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 27, 1798), p. 240; Annals of Congress, vol. 8, 5th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 27, 1798), p. 1318.
344 Senate Journal, 5th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 29, 1798), p. 465; Annals of Congress, vol. 7, 5th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 29, 1798), p. 533.
345 1 Stat. 549.
346 Senate Journal, 14th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 17, 1817), p. 123; Annals of Congress, vol. 30, 14th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 17, 1817), p. 71. The eastern part of Mississippi Territory became the Alabama Territory.
Mississippi: 20th State
Mississippi Territory created April 7, 1798 (1 Stat 549) Enabling law enacted March 1, 1817 (3 Stat 348) Mississippi admitted December 10, 1817 (3 Stat. 472.)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 46
• January 31, 1817: Senate passes an amended version of the Mississippi Territory enabling bill without a recorded vote.347
• February 26, 1817: House amends and passes the Mississippi Territory enabling bill without a recorded vote.348
• February 27, 1817: Senate concurs in the House’s amendments without a recorded vote.349
• March 1, 1817: President James Madison signs the enabling act for Mississippi statehood.350
• July-August 1817: Forty-eight delegates meet to form a constitutional convention.351
• August 15, 1817: The delegates approve the final draft of the Mississippi Constitution.352
• December 3, 1817: Senator James Barbour of Virginia reports, from a select committee studying the issue, a resolution to admit Mississippi as a state. It passes the Senate without a recorded vote.353
• December 8, 1817: The House passes the resolution “on the admission of the state of Mississippi into the Union” without a recorded vote.354
• December 10, 1817: President James Monroe signs the resolution into law and Mississippi becomes the 20th state.355
• April 30, 1803: The United States acquires the land that will become Missouri from France in the Louisiana Purchase. It will become part of the Louisiana Territory, while the land that will become Louisiana is governed as the Orleans Territory.356
347 Senate Journal, 14th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 31, 1817), pp. 173-174; Annals of Congress, vol. 30, 14th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 31, 1817), p. 91.
348 House Journal, 14th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 26, 1817), p. 473-474; Annals of Congress, vol. 30, 14th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 26, 1817), p. 1034.
349 Senate Journal, 14th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 27, 1817), p. 330-331; Annals of Congress, vol. 30, 14th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 27, 1817), p. 184.
350 3 Stat. 348.
351 Nuwer, “The State of Mississippi,” p. 663.
352 Ibid.
353 Senate Journal, 15th Cong., 1st sess. (December 3, 1817), pp. 20-21; Annals of Congress, vol. 31, 15th Cong. (December 3, 1817), 1st sess., p. 20.
354 House Journal, 15th Cong., 1st sess. (December 8, 1817), p. 30; Annals of Congress, vol. 31, 15th Cong., 1st sess. (December 8, 1817), p. 409.
355 3 Stat. 472.
356 William L. Olbrich Jr., “The State of Missouri,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 2, pp. 670-701.
Missouri: 24th State
Missouri Territory created June 4, 1812 (2 Stat. 743) Enabling law enacted March 6, 1820 (3 Stat. 545) Admission law enacted March 2, 1821 (3 Stat. 645) Missouri admitted August 10, 1821 (3 Stat. 797)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 47
• November 14, 1811: Representative John Rhea of Tennessee reports, from a select committee, a bill on the Louisiana Territory’s government.357
• April 9, 1812: House passes the Louisiana Territory bill without a recorded vote.358
• May 19, 1812: Senate passes an amended version of the Louisiana Territory bill without a recorded vote.359
• May 21, 1812: House amends and passes the Senate-amended version of the Louisiana Territory bill without a recorded vote.360 Senate then approves the House-amended version without a recorded vote.361
• June 4, 1812: President James Madison signs the act reorganizing the government of Louisiana Territory and giving it a new name: Missouri Territory.362
• February 13, 1819: Representative James Tallmadge of New York proposes gradual emancipation in Missouri as a condition for statehood, setting off a sectional controversy over slavery. The eventual resolution, known as the Missouri Compromise, includes the admission of Maine as a free state, the admission of Missouri as a slave state, and the prohibition of slavery in the remainder of the Louisiana Purchase north of Missouri’s southern boundary (36° 30’ north latitude).363
• March 1, 1820: House passes a bill, by a vote of 91 to 82, enabling Missouri to prepare a state constitution and government.364
• March 2, 1820: Senate amends and passes the Missouri enabling bill without a recorded vote on final passage.365 House agrees to the Senate’s amendments by votes of 90-87 and 134-42 after the question was divided.366
• March 6, 1820: President James Monroe signs the act enabling Missouri residents to write a constitution and form a state government.367
357 House Journal, 12th Cong., 1st sess. (November 14, 1811), p. 23; Annals of Congress, vol. 23, 12th Cong., 1st sess. (November 14, 1811), p. 348.
358 House Journal, 12th Cong., 1st sess. (April 9, 1812), p. 284; Annals of Congress, vol. 24, 12th Cong., 1st sess. (April 9, 1812), p. 1279.
359 Senate Journal, 12th Cong., 1st sess. (May 19, 1812), p. 133; Annals of Congress, vol. 23, 12th Cong., 1st sess. (May 19, 1812), pp. 242-243.
360 House Journal, 12th Cong., 1st sess. (May 21, 1812), p. 347; Annals of Congress, vol. 24, 12th Cong., 1st sess. (May 21, 1812), p. 1434.
361 Senate Journal, 12th Cong., 1st sess. (May 21, 1812), p. 134; Annals of Congress, vol. 23, 12th Cong., 1st sess. (May 21, 1812), p. 244.
362 2 Stat. 743.
363 Daniel Walker Howe, What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848 (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2007), pp. 147-155.
364 House Journal, 16th Cong., 1st sess. (March 1, 1820), pp. 269-270; Annals of Congress, vol. 36, 16th Cong., 1st sess. (March 1, 1820), pp. 1572-1573.
365 Senate Journal, 16th Cong., 1st sess. (March 2, 1820), pp. 200-203; Annals of Congress, vol. 35, 16th Cong. (March 2, 1820), 1st sess., pp. 467-469.
366 House Journal, 16th Cong., 1st sess. (March 2, 1820), pp. 274-279; Annals of Congress, vol. 36, 16th Cong., 1st sess. (March 2, 1820), pp. 1576-1588.
367 3 Stat. 545.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 48
• June 12, 1820: Delegates gather in St. Louis to draft a state constitution.368
• July 17, 1820: Delegates at the St. Louis convention vote 39-1 to approve a new state constitution, which they sign two days later.369
• February 26, 1821: Representative Henry Clay of Kentucky reports, from a joint committee appointed to consider Missouri statehood, a resolution granting conditional admission to Missouri. The House approves the resolution by a vote of 87 to 81.370
• February 28, 1821: Senate approves the resolution for conditional admission of Missouri by a 28-14 vote.371
• March 2, 1821: President Monroe signs the resolution granting statehood to Missouri, on the condition that its legislature agree the state constitution “shall never be construed to authorize the passage of any law, and that no law shall be passed in conformity thereto, by which any citizen … shall be excluded from the enjoyment of any of the privileges and immunities to which such citizen is entitled under the constitution of the United States.”372
• August 10, 1821: President Monroe issues a proclamation admitting Missouri as the 24th state.373
• June 15, 1846: United States acquires part of the land that will become Montana from Great Britain in the Oregon Treaty, adding to land acquired from France in 1803 via the Louisiana Purchase.374
• December 14, 1863: Representative James M. Ashley of Ohio introduces 38 H.R. 15, a bill to create a new Territory of Montana.375
• March 17, 1864: House amends and passes 38 H.R. 15 without a recorded vote.376
368 Journal of the Missouri State Convention (St. Louis, MO: I.N. Henry and Co., 1820), p. 3.
369 Journal of the Missouri State Convention, pp. 46-48.
370 House Journal, 16th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 26, 1821), pp. 270-271 and 274-278; Annals of Congress, vol. 37, 16th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 26, 1821), pp. 1228 and 1236-1240.
371 Senate Journal, 16th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 28, 1821), pp. 239-240; Annals of Congress, vol. 37, 16th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 28, 1821), p. 390.
372 3 Stat. 645.
373 3 Stat. 797.
374 Harry W. Fritz, “The State of Montana,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 2, pp. 702-724.
375 House Journal, 38th Cong., 1st sess. (December 14, 1863), p. 44; Congressional Globe, 38th Cong., 1st sess. (December 14, 1863), p. 20.
376 House Journal, 38th Cong., 1st sess. (March 17, 1864), p. 400; Congressional Globe, 38th Cong., 1st sess. (March 17, 1864), pp. 1168-1169.
Montana: 41st State
Montana Territory created May 26, 1864 (13 Stat. 85) Enabling and statehood law enacted February 22, 1889 (25 Stat. 676) Montana admitted November 8, 1889 (26 Stat. 1551)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 49
• March 31, 1864: Senate amends 38 H.R. 15 and votes 29-8 to pass it.377
• May 19, 1864: Senate votes 26-13 to approve a compromise version of 38 H.R. 15.378
• May 20, 1864: House votes 102-26 to approve a compromise version of 38 H.R. 15.379
• May 26, 1864: President Abraham Lincoln signs 38 H.R. 15 into law, creating the Montana Territory.380
• December 12, 1887: Senator Charles F. Manderson of Nebraska introduces 50 S. 185, a bill to admit southern Dakota Territory as the State of Dakota and create a new Territory of Lincoln in northern Dakota Territory.381
• April 19, 1888: Senate votes 26-23 to pass an amended version of 50 S. 185 that would create a State of South Dakota and a new Territory of North Dakota.382
• January 18, 1889: Houses votes 145-98 to pass an amended version of 50 S. 185. This new version would clear the way to admit Montana, New Mexico, Washington, and—depending on the results of a referendum on division—either a combined state of Dakota or separate states of North Dakota and South Dakota.383
• February 20, 1889: House and Senate agree to a compromise version of 50 S. 185 that allows the creation and admission of four new states: Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington. Both chambers pass the bill without recorded votes.384
• February 22, 1889: President Grover Cleveland signs 50 S. 185, enabling statehood for Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington.385
• July 4, 1889: Delegates gather in Helena to write a state constitution for Montana.386
• August 17, 1889: Delegates to the Helena convention vote 61-2 to adopt the new Montana state constitution.387
377 Senate Journal, 38th Cong., 1st sess. (March 31, 1864), p. 290; Congressional Globe, 38th Cong., 1st sess. (March 31, 1864), pp. 1361-1364.
378 Senate Journal, 38th Cong., 1st sess. (May 19, 1864), pp. 455-456; Congressional Globe, 38th Cong., 1st sess. (May 19, 1864), pp. 2347-2351.
379 House Journal, 38th Cong., 1st sess. (May 20, 1864), pp. 680-681; Congressional Globe, 38th Cong., 1st sess. (May 20, 1864), pp. 2385-2386.
380 13 Stat. 85.
381 Senate Journal, 50th Cong., 1st sess. (December 12, 1887), p. 33; Congressional Record, vol. 19, part 1 (December 12, 1887), p. 22.
382 Senate Journal, 50th Cong., 1st sess. (April 19, 1888), pp. 695-696; Congressional Record, vol. 19, part 4 (April 19, 1888), pp. 3139-3140.
383 House Journal, 50th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 18, 1889), pp. 290-298; Congressional Record, vol. 20, part 1 (January 18, 1889), pp. 951-952.
384 House Journal, 50th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 20, 1889), pp. 561-570; Senate Journal, 50th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 20, 1889), pp. 357-366; Congressional Record, vol. 20, part 3 (February 20, 1889), pp. 2104 and 2116.
385 25 Stat. 676.
386 Proceedings and Debates of the Constitutional Convention Held in the City of Helena, Montana, July 4th, 1889, August 17th, 1889 (Helena, MT: State Publishing Co., 1921), p. 13.
387 Proceedings and Debates of the Constitutional Convention Held in the City of Helena, p. 971.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 50
• October 1, 1889: Montana voters ratify the new state constitution, 24,676 to 2,274.388
• November 8, 1889: President Benjamin Harrison issues a proclamation admitting Montana as the 41st state.389
• April 30, 1803: United States acquires the land that will become Nebraska from France in the Louisiana Purchase.390
• December 14, 1853: Senator Augustus Caesar Dodge of Iowa introduces 33 S. 22, a bill to create a new Nebraska Territory.391
• January 31, 1854: Representative William A. Richardson of Illinois reports 33 H.R. 236, a bill creating new territorial governments for Kansas and Nebraska, from the House Committee on Territories.392
• March 3, 1854: Senate votes 37-14 to pass 33 S. 22, which as amended would create two new territories, Kansas and Nebraska.393
• May 22, 1854: House passes an amended version of 33 H.R. 236 on a 113-100 vote, in lieu of voting on the Senate-passed 33 S. 22.394
• May 25, 1854: Senate passes 33 H.R. 236 on a 35-13 vote.395
• May 30, 1854: President Franklin Pierce signs 33 H.R. 236 into law, creating the Kansas and Nebraska territories and repealing the 1820 Missouri Compromise that would have barred slavery there. Instead, the Kansas-Nebraska Act leaves residents of the two territories “perfectly free to form and regulate their domestic institutions in their own way.”396
388 Ellis L. Waldron, Montana Politics Since 1864: An Atlas of Elections (Missoula, MT: Montana State University Press, 1958), p. 54.
389 26 Stat. 1551.
390 Mark R. Ellis, “The State of Nebraska,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 2, pp. 725-752.
391 Senate Journal, 33rd Cong., 1st sess. (December 14, 1853), p. 44; Congressional Globe, 33rd Cong., 1st sess. (December 14, 1853), p. 44.
392 House Journal, 33rd Cong., 1st sess. (January 31, 1854), p. 296; Congressional Globe, 33rd Cong., 1st sess. (January 31, 1854), pp. 294-297.
393 Senate Journal, 33rd Cong., 1st sess. (March 3, 1854), pp. 236-237; Congressional Globe, 33rd Cong., 1st sess. (March 3, 1854), pp. 531-532.
394 House Journal, 33rd Cong., 1st sess. (May 22, 1854), pp. 923-924; Congressional Globe, 33rd Cong., 1st sess. (May 22, 1854), p. 1254.
395 Senate Journal, 33rd Cong., 1st sess. (May 25, 1854), pp. 412-413; Congressional Globe, 33rd Cong., 1st sess. (May 25, 1854), p. 1321.
396 10 Stat. 277. Additional documents related to the Kansas-Nebraska Act are available in the Library of Congress research guide “Kansas-Nebraska Act: Primary Documents in American History,” at https://guides.loc.gov/kansas- nebraska-act.
Nebraska: 37th State
Nebraska Territory created May 30, 1854 (10 Stat. 277) Enabling law enacted April 19, 1864 (13 Stat. 47) Admission law enacted February 9, 1867 (14 Stat. 391) Nebraska admitted March 1, 1867 (14 Stat. 820)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 51
• December 14, 1863: Representative James M. Ashley of Ohio introduces 38 H.R. 14½, a bill to enable the people of Nebraska to write a constitution and form a state government.397
• March 17, 1864: House passes 38 H.R. 14½ without a recorded vote.398
• April 14, 1864: Senate passes 38 H.R. 14½ without a recorded vote.399
• April 19, 1864: President Abraham Lincoln signs the Nebraska enabling act into law.400
• June 2, 1866: Following an abortive constitutional convention in 1864, Nebraska voters ratify a state constitution written by the territorial legislature, 3,938 to 3,838.401
• December 5, 1866: Senator Benjamin Wade of Ohio introduces 39 S. 456, a bill to admit Nebraska as a state.402
• January 9, 1867: Senate votes 24-15 to pass an amended version of 39 S. 456.403
• January 15, 1867: House votes 103-55 to pass an amended version of 39 S. 456.404
• January 16, 1867: Senate votes 28-14 to accept the House’s version of 39 S. 456.405
• January 30, 1867: President Andrew Johnson vetoes 39 S. 456, the Nebraska statehood act. He objected to its requirement that “there shall be no denial of the elective franchise, or of any other right, to any person, by reason of race or color” in Nebraska.406
• February 8, 1867: Senate overrides President Johnson’s veto of 39 S. 456 by a 31-9 vote.407
397 House Journal, 38th Cong., 1st sess. (December 14, 1863), p. 44; Congressional Globe, 38th Cong., 1st sess. (December 14, 1863), pp. 19-20.
398 House Journal, 38th Cong., 1st sess. (March 17, 1864), pp. 399-400; Congressional Globe, 38th Cong., 1st sess. (March 17, 1864), p. 1167.
399 Senate Journal, 38th Cong., 1st sess. (April 14, 1864), p. 324; Congressional Globe, 38th Cong., 1st sess. (April 14, 1864), p. 1607.
400 13 Stat. 47.
401 Addison E. Sheldon (ed.), Nebraska Constitutions of 1866, 1871 & 1875 and Proposed Amendments Submitted to the People September 21, 1920 (Lincoln, NE: Nebraska Legislative Reference Bureau and Nebraska State Historical Society, 1920), p. 2.
402 Senate Journal, 39th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 5, 1866), p. 19; Congressional Globe, 39th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 5, 1866), p. 13.
403 Senate Journal, 39th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 9, 1867), pp. 81-83; Congressional Globe, 39th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 9, 1867), p. 360.
404 House Journal, 39th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 15, 1867), pp. 172-174; Congressional Globe, 39th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 15, 1867), p. 481.
405 Senate Journal, 39th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 16, 1867), pp. 104-106; Congressional Globe, 39th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 16, 1867), pp. 484-487.
406 Poore, Veto Messages, p. 337-340.
407 Senate Journal, 39th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 8, 1867), p. 228; Congressional Globe, 39th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 8, 1867), p. 1096.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 52
• February 9, 1867: House overrides President Johnson’s veto of 39 S. 456 by a 120-44 vote, enacting it into law.408
• March 1, 1867: President Johnson issues a proclamation admitting Nebraska as the 37th state.409
• February 2, 1848: The United States acquires the land that will become Nevada from Mexico in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.410
• February 14, 1861: Senator James S. Green of Missouri reports 36 S. 563, a bill creating the Nevada Territory, from the Senate Committee on Territories.411
• February 26, 1861: Senate amends 36 S. 563 and passes it without a recorded vote.412
• March 1, 1861: House votes to pass 36 S. 563.413
• March 2, 1861: President James Buchanan signs 36 S. 563, creating the Nevada Territory.414
• February 8, 1864: Senator James R. Doolittle of Wisconsin introduces 38 S. 96, a bill that would enable Nevada residents to write a constitution and form a state government, followed by its admission as a state.415
• February 24, 1864: Senate amends and passes 38 S. 96 without a recorded vote.416
• March 17, 1864: House passes 38 S. 96 without a recorded vote.417
• March 21, 1864: President Abraham Lincoln signs 38 S. 96 into law.418
408 House Journal, 39th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 9, 1867), p. 354; Congressional Globe, 39th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 9, 1867), pp. 1120-1122; 14 Stat. 391.
409 14 Stat. 820.
410 Jeffrey M. Kintop, “The State of Nevada,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 2, pp. 753-788.
411 Senate Journal, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 14, 1861), p. 228; Congressional Globe, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 14, 1861), p. 897.
412 Senate Journal, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 26, 1861), pp. 314-316; Congressional Globe, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 26, 1861), pp. 1206-1207.
413 The House Journal reports the vote as 92-52, while the Congressional Globe reports the vote as 91-52. See House Journal, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 1, 1861), pp. 450-452, and Congressional Globe, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 1, 1861), p. 1334.
414 12 Stat. 209.
415 Senate Journal, 38th Cong., 1st sess. (February 8, 1864), p. 133; Congressional Globe, 38th Cong., 1st sess. (February 8, 1864), p. 521.
416 Senate Journal, 38th Cong., 1st sess. (February 24, 1864), p. 184; Congressional Globe, 38th Cong., 1st sess. (February 24, 1864), pp. 787-788.
417 House Journal, 38th Cong., 1st sess. (March 17, 1864), p. 398; Congressional Globe, 38th Cong., 1st sess. (March 17, 1864), p. 1166.
418 13 Stat. 30.
Nevada: 36th State
Nevada Territory created March 2, 1861 (12 Stat. 209) Enabling and admission law enacted March 21, 1864 (13 Stat. 30) Nevada admitted October 31, 1864 (13 Stat. 749)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 53
• July 4, 1864: Delegates gather in Carson City to write a state constitution for Nevada.419
• July 27, 1864: Delegates at the Carson City convention vote 19-2 to approve the state constitution.420
• September 7, 1864: Nevada voters ratify the state constitution, 10,375-1,284.421
• October 31, 1864: President Lincoln issues a proclamation admitting Nevada as the 36th state.422
• September 18, 1679: King Charles II appoints a government for the “Province of New-Hampshire.”423
• July 4, 1776: New Hampshire joins 12 other colonies in declaring independence from Great Britain.424
• July 9, 1778: New Hampshire signs the Articles of Confederation.425
• May 14-September 17, 1787: Two of New Hampshire’s four delegates participate in the Constitutional Convention.426
• June 21, 1788: New Hampshire’s convention ratifies the Constitution by a 57-47 vote, achieving Article VII’s nine-state threshold for implementation.427
• April 17, 1702: Queen Anne establishes British royal control over New Jersey.428
• July 4, 1776: New Jersey joins 12 other colonies in declaring independence from Great Britain.429
419 Andrew J. Marsh, Official Report of the Debates and Proceedings in the Constitutional Convention of the State of Nevada, Assembled at Carson City, July 4th 1864, to Form a Constitution and State Government (San Francisco: Frank Eastman, 1866), p. 1.
420 Marsh, Official Report, p. 827.
421 Russell R. Elliott with the assistance of William D. Rowley, History of Nevada, 2nd ed. (Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1987), p. 88.
422 13 Stat. 749.
423 “The Commission Constituting a President and Council for the Province of New-Hampshire, in New England,” in Provincial Papers. Documents and Records Relating to the Province of New-Hampshire, From the Earliest Period of Its Settlement: 1623-1686, vol. 1, ed. Nathaniel Bouton (Concord, NH: George E. Jenks, 1867), pp. 373-382.
424 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 5 (July 4, 1776), pp. 510-516.
425 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 11 (July 9, 1778), p. 677.
426 Farrand, Records, vol. 3, p. 557.
427 Elliot, Debates, vol. 1, pp. 325-327; Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, vol. 28, pp. 375- 376.
428 “The Queen’s Acceptance of the Surrender of Government” and “Surrender from the Proprietors of East and West New Jersey, of Their Pretended Right of Government to Her Majesty,” in Thorpe, Federal and State Constitutions, vol. 5, pp. 2584-2590.
429 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 5 (July 4, 1776), pp. 510-516.
New Hampshire: Ninth State
New Hampshire ratified Constitution June 21, 1788
New Jersey: Third State
New Jersey ratified Constitution December 18, 1787
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 54
• November 26, 1778: New Jersey signs the Articles of Confederation.430
• May 14-September 17, 1787: Five of New Jersey’s seven delegates participate in the Constitutional Convention.431
• December 18, 1787: New Jersey’s convention votes 38-0 to ratify the Constitution, making it the third state to join the new federal government.432
• December 29, 1845: The United States acquires part of the land that will become New Mexico through the annexation of Texas, with additional territory to come in the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the 1854 Gadsden Purchase.433
• January 29, 1850: Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky proposes what becomes the Compromise of 1850, a legislative package that includes organizing a territorial government for New Mexico and settling the Texas-New Mexico border.434
• August 5, 1850: Senator James A. Pearce of Maryland introduces 31 S. 307, a bill to settle the northern and western borders of Texas.435
• August 9, 1850: Senate amends and passes 31 S. 307 by a vote of 30 to 20.436
• September 6, 1850: House votes 108-97 to pass an amended version of 31 S. 307, adding language to create the New Mexico Territory.437
• September 9, 1850: Senate endorses the House’s amendment to 31 S. 307 on a 31-10 vote.438 President Millard Fillmore signs 31 S. 307 into law, creating the New Mexico Territory.439
430 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 12 (November 26, 1778), p. 1164.
431 Farrand, Records, vol. 3, p. 557.
432 Elliot, Debates, vol. 1, pp. 320-321; Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, vol. 3, pp. 177- 191.
433 Agnesa Reeve, “The State of New Mexico,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 2, pp. 842-869.
434 McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom, pp. 70-75.
435 Senate Journal, 31st Cong., 1st sess. (August 5, 1850), p. 522; Congressional Globe, 31st Cong., 1st sess. (August 5, 1850), pp. 1520-1521.
436 Senate Journal, 31st Cong., 1st sess. (August 9, 1850), pp. 538-543; Congressional Globe, 31st Cong., 1st sess. (August 9, 1850), pp. 1554-1556.
437 House Journal, 31st Cong., 1st sess. (September 6, 1850), pp. 1404-1413; Congressional Globe, 31st Cong., 1st sess. (September 6, 1850), pp. 1762-1765.
438 Senate Journal, 31st Cong., 1st sess. (September 9, 1850), pp. 606-613; Congressional Globe, 31st Cong., 1st sess. (September 9, 1850), p. 1784.
439 9 Stat. 446.
New Mexico: 47th State
New Mexico Territory created September 9, 1850 (9 Stat. 446) Enabling law enacted June 20, 1910 (36 Stat. 557) Admission law enacted August 21, 1911 (37 Stat. 39) New Mexico admitted January 6, 1912 (37 Stat. 1723)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 55
• January 14, 1910: Representative Edward L. Hamilton of Michigan introduces 61 H.R. 18166, which would enable Arizona and New Mexico to write constitutions in preparation for statehood.440
• January 17, 1910: House suspends the rules and passes 61 H.R. 18166 without a recorded vote.441
• June 16, 1910: Senate amends 61 H.R. 18166, then passes it on a 65-0 vote.442
• June 18, 1910: House passes Senate-amended version of 61 H.R. 18166 without a recorded vote.443
• June 20, 1910: President William Howard Taft signs 61 H.R. 18166 into law, enabling Arizona and New Mexico to form constitutions and state governments.444
• October 3, 1910: Delegates gather in Santa Fe to write a state constitution for New Mexico.445
• November 21, 1910: Delegates to the Santa Fe convention vote 79-18 to adopt a state constitution.446
• January 21, 1911: New Mexico voters ratify the state constitution by a vote of 31,742 to 13,399.447
• August 15, 1911: President Taft vetoes 62 H.J.Res. 14, a joint resolution to admit Arizona and New Mexico as states, objecting to the provision of Arizona’s constitution that allows voters to recall judges.448
• August 17, 1911: Senator William A. Smith of Michigan reports 62 S.J.Res. 57 from the Senate Committee on Territories. This joint resolution would admit Arizona and New Mexico as states but would first require Arizona to remove judicial recall from its state constitution.449
• August 18, 1911: Senate debates and passes 62 S.J.Res. 57 on a 53-9 vote.450
440 House Journal, 61st Cong., 2nd sess. (January 14, 1910), p. 168; Congressional Record, vol. 45, part 1 (January 14, 1910), p. 654.
441 House Journal, 61st Cong., 2nd sess. (January 17, 1910), pp. 175-176; Congressional Record, vol. 45, part 1 (January 17, 1910), pp. 702-714.
442 Senate Journal, 61st Cong., 2nd sess. (June 16, 1910), pp. 452-453; Congressional Record, vol. 45, part 8 (June 16, 1910), pp. 8225-8237.
443 House Journal, 61st Cong., 2nd sess. (June 18, 1910), p. 803; Congressional Record, vol. 45, part 8 (June 18, 1910), pp. 8485-8487.
444 36 Stat. 557.
445 Proceedings of the Constitutional Convention of the Proposed State of New Mexico Held at Santa Fe, New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM: Press of the Morning Journal, 1910), p. 3.
446 Proceedings of the Constitutional Convention of the Proposed State of New Mexico, p. 252.
447 William J. Mills, Report of the Governor of New Mexico to the Secretary of the Interior for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1911 (Washington: GPO, 1911), p. 9.
448 Taft, Special Message of the President of the United States Returning Without Approval House Joint Resolution No. 14, H. Doc. 62-106 (Washington: GPO, 1911).
449 Senate Journal, 62nd Cong., 1st sess. (August 17, 1911), p. 178; Congressional Record, vol. 47, part 4 (August 17, 1911), p. 4061.
450 Senate Journal, 62nd Cong., 1st sess. (August 18, 1911), p. 185; Congressional Record, vol. 47, part 4 (August 18, 1911), pp. 4118-4141.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 56
• August 19, 1911: House debates and passes 62 S.J.Res. 57 without a recorded vote.451
• August 21, 1911: President Taft signs 62 S.J.Res. 57 into law, admitting New Mexico and Arizona as states once certain conditions have been met, including a vote on a change to the New Mexico constitution’s amendment process.452
• November 7, 1911: New Mexico voters approve the congressionally-proposed constitutional amendment by a vote of 34,897 to 22,831.453
• January 6, 1912: President Taft issues a proclamation formally admitting New Mexico as the 47th state.454
• September 8, 1664: English forces capture New Amsterdam, renaming it New York, during the Second Anglo- Dutch War. The Treaty of Breda in 1667 confirms English control of the New Netherland colony.455
• July 15, 1776: New York, after earlier abstaining, informs the Continental Congress that it joins its 12 fellow colonies in declaring independence from Great Britian.456
• July 9, 1778: New York signs the Articles of Confederation.457
• May 14-September 17, 1787: New York’s three delegates participate in the Constitutional Convention.458
• July 26, 1788: New York’s convention ratifies the Constitution by a 30-27 vote, making it the 11th state to join the new federal government.459
• March 24, 1663: King Charles II grants a charter to eight men, later known as the “Lords Proprietors,”
451 House Journal, 62nd Cong., 1st sess. (August 19, 1911), p. 390; Congressional Record, vol. 47, part 5 (August 19, 1911), pp. 4217-4242.
452 37 Stat. 39.
453 Annotations for Article XIX (Amendments) in Constitution of the State of New Mexico, New Mexico Compilation Commission, at https://nmonesource.com/nmos/c/en/item/5916/index.do#!fragment/undefined/BQCwhgziBcwMYgK4DsDWsBGB7L qC2YATqgJIAm0YAGiVQJQA0yWALgKYQCKibhAntADkghhDZEE3XgOGjxhBAGUshFgCEBAJQCiAGW0A1 AIIA5AMLaGLMBmgsscOnSA.
454 37 Stat. 1723.
455 Charles T. Gehring, “New Netherland, Surrender of (1664),” in Colonial Wars of North America, 1512-1763: An Encyclopedia, ed. Alan Gallay (New York and London: Garland Publishing, 1996), pp. 489-491.
456 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 5 (July 4 and July 15, 1776), pp. 516 and 560.
457 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 11 (July 9, 1778), p. 677.
458 Farrand, Records, vol. 3, p. 557.
459 Elliot, Debates, vol. 1, pp. 327-331; Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, vol. 23, pp. 2321- 2326.
New Y ork: 11th State
New York ratified Constitution July 26, 1788
North Carolina: 12th State
North Carolina ratified Constitution November 21, 1789
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 57
to create the Carolina colony.460 In the early 18th century, the colony splits into North and South Carolina.461
• July 25, 1729: Seven of the Lords Proprietors sell North Carolina to King George II.462
• July 4, 1776: North Carolina joins 12 other colonies in declaring independence from Great Britain.463
• July 21, 1778: North Carolina signs and ratifies the Articles of Confederation.464
• May 14-September 17, 1787: Five delegates from North Carolina participate in the Constitutional Convention.465
• August 2, 1788: North Carolina’s ratification convention votes 184-83 to demand amendments to the Constitution, including a declaration of rights.466
• November 21, 1789: At a second convention, North Carolina delegates vote 194- 77 to ratify the Constitution and join the new government as the 12th state.467
• April 30, 1803: The United States acquires part of the land that will become North Dakota from France in the Louisiana Purchase, with additional territory acquired in 1818 from Great Britain.468
• February 14, 1861: Senator James S. Green of Missouri reports 36 S. 562, a bill to create the Territory of Dakota, from the Senate Committee on Territories.469
• February 26, 1861: Senate passes an amended version of 36 S. 562 without a recorded vote.470
• March 1, 1861: House passes 36 S. 562 without a recorded vote.471
460 “Charter of Carolina,” in Thorpe, Federal and State Constitutions, vol. 5, pp. 2743-2753.
461 Chad Morgan, “The State of North Carolina,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 2, pp. 898-920.
462 “Grant From King George the Second, to John Lord Carteret, Afterwards Earl Granville,” in The Revised Statutes of the State of North Carolina, vol. 2, eds. Frederick Nash, James Iredell, and William H. Battle (Raleigh, NC: Turner and Hughes, 1837), pp. 15-30.
463 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 5 (July 4, 1776), pp. 510-516.
464 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 11 (July 21, 1778), p. 709.
465 Farrand, Records, vol. 3, p. 559.
466 Elliot, Debates, vol. 1, pp. 331-332; Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, vol. 30, pp. 463- 471.
467 Elliot, Debates, vol. 1, p. 333; Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, vol. 31, pp. 762-773.
468 David B. Danbom, “The State of North Dakota,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 2, pp. 921-940.
469 Senate Journal, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 14, 1861), p. 228; Congressional Globe, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 14, 1861), p. 897.
470 Senate Journal, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 26, 1861), pp. 316-317; Congressional Globe, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 26, 1861), pp. 1207-1208.
471 House Journal, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 1, 1861), p. 452; Congressional Globe, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 1, 1861), pp. 1334-1335.
North Dakota: 39th State
Dakota Territory created March 2, 1861 (12 Stat. 239) Enabling and statehood law enacted February 22, 1889 (25 Stat. 676) North Dakota admitted November 2, 1889 (26 Stat. 1548)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 58
• March 2, 1861: President James Buchanan signs 36 S. 562, creating the Territory of Dakota.472
• November 8, 1887: Dakota Territory voters endorse splitting the territory into northern and southern entities, with 37,784 voting in favor of division and 32,913 voting against division.473
• December 12, 1887: Senator Charles F. Manderson of Nebraska introduces 50 S. 185, a bill to admit the southern Dakota Territory as the State of Dakota and create a new Territory of Lincoln in northern Dakota Territory.474
• April 19, 1888: Senate votes 26-23 to pass an amended version of 50 S. 185 that would create a State of South Dakota and a new Territory of North Dakota.475
• January 18, 1889: House votes 145-98 to pass an amended version of 50 S. 185. This new version would clear the way to admit Montana, New Mexico, Washington, and—depending on the results of a referendum on division—either a combined state of Dakota or separate states of North Dakota and South Dakota.476
• February 20, 1889: House and Senate agree to a compromise version of 50 S. 185 that allows the creation and admission of four new states: Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington. Both chambers pass the bill without recorded votes.477
• February 22, 1889: President Grover Cleveland signs 50 S. 185, enabling statehood for Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington.478
• July 4, 1889: Delegates gather in Bismarck to write a state constitution for North Dakota.479
• August 17, 1889: Delegates to the Bismarck convention vote 40-23 to adopt a state constitution for North Dakota.480
• October 1, 1889: North Dakota voters ratify the state constitution, 27,441 to 8,107.481
472 12 Stat. 239.
473 Louis K. Church, “A Proclamation. By the Governor of the Territory of Dakota” (January 12, 1888) in Bismarck Weekly Tribune, January 20, 1888, p. 6.
474 Senate Journal, 50th Cong., 1st sess. (December 12, 1887), p. 33; Congressional Record, vol. 19, part 1 (December 12, 1887), p. 22.
475 Senate Journal, 50th Cong., 1st sess. (April 19, 1888), pp. 695-696; Congressional Record, vol. 19, part 4 (April 19, 1888), pp. 3139-3140.
476 House Journal, 50th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 18, 1889), pp. 290-298; Congressional Record, vol. 20, part 1 (January 18, 1889), pp. 951-952.
477 House Journal, 50th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 20, 1889), pp. 561-570; Senate Journal, 50th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 20, 1889), pp. 357-366; Congressional Record, vol. 20, part 3 (February 20, 1889), pp. 2104 and 2116.
478 25 Stat. 676.
479 Journal of the Constitutional Convention for North Dakota, Held at Bismarck, Thursday, July 4 to Aug. 17, 1889, Together With the Enabling Act of Congress and the Proceedings of the Joint Commission Appointed for the Equitable Division of Territorial Property (Bismarck, ND: Tribune, 1889), p. 1.
480 Journal of the Constitutional Convention for North Dakota, pp. 399-400.
481 Laws Passed at the First Session of the Legislative Assembly of the State of North Dakota (Bismarck, ND: Tribune, 1890), p. 15.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 59
• November 2, 1889: President Benjamin Harrison issues a proclamation admitting North Dakota.482
• September 3, 1783: The United States acquires the land that will become Ohio from Great Britain in the Treaty of Paris.483
• July 13, 1787: Congress, operating under the Articles of Confederation, passes the Northwest Ordinance, establishing the Territory of the United States North West of the River Ohio (often shortened to “the Northwest Territory”).484
• July 21, 1789: With the Constitution in effect, the House passes a bill, without a recorded vote, to keep the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 in effect.485
• August 4, 1789: The Senate amends and passes the Northwest Ordinance bill without a recorded vote.486
• August 5, 1789: House agrees to the Senate’s amendments on the Northwest Ordinance bill without a recorded vote.487
• August 7, 1789: President George Washington signs the act to keep the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 in effect.488
• April 2, 1802: Representative William B. Giles of Virginia introduces a bill enabling residents in the eastern part of the Northwest Territory to write a constitution and form a state government.489
• April 9, 1802: House passes the Northwest Territory enabling bill on a 47-29 vote.490
• April 28, 1802: Senate passes an amended version of the Northwest Territory enabling bill on a 16-6 vote.491
482 26 Stat. 1548.
483 Michael Mangus and Susan Mangus, “The State of Ohio,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 2, pp. 941-966.
484 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 32 (July 13, 1787), pp. 334-343. For more information, see Peter S. Onuf, Statehood and Union: A History of the Northwest Ordinance (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1987).
485 House Journal, 1st Cong., 1st sess. (July 21, 1789), p. 63; Annals of Congress, vol. 1, 1st Cong., 1st sess. (July 21, 1789), p. 685.
486 Senate Journal, 1st Cong., 1st sess. (August 4, 1789), p. 52; Annals of Congress, vol. 1, 1st Cong., 1st sess. (August 4, 1789), p. 57.
487 House Journal, 1st Cong., 1st sess. (August 5, 1789), pp. 71-72; Annals of Congress, vol. 1, 1st Cong., 1st sess. (August 5, 1789), p. 702.
488 1 Stat. 50.
489 House Journal, 7th Cong., 1st sess. (April 2, 1802), p. 174; Annals of Congress, vol. 11, 7th Cong., 1st sess. (April 2, 1802), p. 1128.
490 House Journal, 7th Cong., 1st sess. (April 9, 1802), pp. 188-189; Annals of Congress, vol. 11, 7th Cong., 1st sess. (April 9, 1802), pp. 1161-1162.
491 Senate Journal, 7th Cong., 1st sess. (April 28, 1802), pp. 225-226; Annals of Congress, vol. 11, 7th Cong., 1st sess. (April 28, 1802), pp. 296-297.
Ohio: 17th State
Northwest Territory created July 13, 1787 (1 Stat. 50) Enabling law enacted April 30, 1802 (2 Stat. 173) Ohio admitted March 1, 1803 (67 Stat. 407)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 60
• April 29, 1802: House passes the Senate-amended version of the Northwest Territory enabling bill without a recorded vote.492
• April 30, 1802: President Thomas Jefferson signs the act, enabling residents in the eastern part of the Northwest Territory to write a constitution and form a state government.493
• November 1, 1802: Delegates gather in Chillicothe to write a state constitution.494
• November 29, 1802: Delegates at the Chillicothe convention approve a state constitution for Ohio.495
• February 19, 1803: President Jefferson signs an act to enforce federal law in the new state of Ohio. However, it does not explicitly enact Ohio’s admission as a state.496
• March 1, 1803: Ohio marks its admission as the 17th state.497 This statehood date is retroactively established 150 years later by P.L. 83-204.498
• January 13, 1953: Representative George H. Bender of Ohio introduces 83 H.J.Res 121, resolving that “the State of Ohio, shall be one, and is hereby declared to be one, of the United States of America, and is admitted into the Union on an equal footing with the original States, in all respects whatever”— with an effective date of March 1, 1803.499
• May 19, 1953: House adopts 83 H.J.Res. 121 without a recorded vote.500
• August 1, 1953: Senate adopts 83 H.J.Res. 121 without a recorded vote.501
• August 7, 1953: President Dwight Eisenhower signs 83 H.J.Res. 121 into law.502
492 House Journal, 7th Cong., 1st sess. (April 29, 1802), p. 226; Annals of Congress, vol. 11, 7th Cong., 1st sess. (April 29, 1802), p. 1252.
493 2 Stat. 173.
494 Journal of the Convention of the Territory of the United States North-west of the Ohio, Begun and Held at Chillicothe, on Monday the First Day of November, A.D. One Thousand Eight Hundred and Two, and of the Independence of the United States the Twenty-Seventh (Chillicothe, OH: N. Willis, 1802), p. 3.
495 Journal of the Convention of the Territory of the United States North-west of the Ohio, p. 45.
496 2 Stat. 201. For discussion, see Allan Walker Vestal, “Were the Tax Protesters Right About Ohio Statehood?,” University of Pittsburgh Law Review, vol. 83, no. 4 (Summer 2022), pp. 731-778.
497 “The date of March 1, 1803 was when the Ohio legislature met for the first time,” according to National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Center for Legislative Archives, 200th Anniversary of Ohio Statehood, at https://www.archives.gov/legislative/features/ohio-statehood.
498 67 Stat. 407.
499 House Journal, 83rd Cong., 1st sess. (January 13, 1953), p. 102; Congressional Record, vol. 99, part 1 (January 13, 1953), p. 380. The intention was “to end confusion as to the exact date on which Ohio entered the Union,” according to U.S. Congress, House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, Admitting the State of Ohio into the Union, report to accompany H.J.Res. 121, 83rd Cong., 1st sess., H.Rept. 83-343, May 5, 1953, p. 1.
500 House Journal, 83rd Cong., 1st sess. (May 19, 1953), p. 367; Congressional Record, vol. 99, part 4 (May 19, 1953), pp. 5119-5120.
501 Senate Journal, 83rd Cong., 1st sess. (August 1, 1953), p. 570; Congressional Record, vol. 99, part 8 (August 1, 1953), pp. 10799-10800.
502 67 Stat. 407.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 61
• April 30, 1803: The United States acquires territory from France that includes a portion of the land that will become the state of Oklahoma through the Louisiana Purchase.503
• 1820s: The U.S. government sets aside land in the current states of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska to form an “Indian Country” (or “Indian Territory”). Many American Indians are relocated to this territory through various actions, including the Indian Removal Act, passed by Congress in 1830 (4 Stat. 411).504
• December 29, 1845: Through the annexation of Texas, the United States obtains additional lands, known as the Oklahoma Panhandle, that will later comprise the seventh county of the Oklahoma Territory.505
• February 2, 1848: Representatives of the United States and Mexico sign the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, through which Mexico officially recognizes the annexation of Texas that occurred nearly three years prior.506
• December 9, 1889: Senator Orville Platt of Connecticut introduces 51 S. 895, a bill to create the Oklahoma Territory.507
• February 13, 1890: Senate amends and passes 51 S. 895 without a recorded vote.508
• April 21, 1890: House passes, without a recorded vote, a compromise version of the Oklahoma Organic Act (51 S. 895) to form the Territory of Oklahoma from the western portion of the Indian Territory.509
• April 23, 1890: Senate agrees to the conference report on 51 S. 895 by a vote of 50-5.510
503 Kerry Wynn, “The State of Oklahoma,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 3, p. 968; 8 Stat. 200.
504 Wynn, “The State of Oklahoma,” p. 971.
505 Wynn, “The State of Oklahoma,” p. 968; “The Annexation of Texas, the Mexican-American War, and the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, 1845-1848,” in U.S. State Department, Office of the Historian, Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations, at https://history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/texas-annexation.
506 9 Stat. 922; David Pletcher, “Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo,” in Texas State Historical Association, Handbook of Texas, at https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/treaty-of-guadalupe-hidalgo; Judith Morgan, “A Bibliographic Essay on Prestatehood Legal Research for the State of Oklahoma,” in Chiorazzi and Most, Prestatehood Legal Materials, vol. 2, pp. 897-956.
507 Senate Journal, 51st Cong., 1st sess. (December 9, 1889), p. 31; Congressional Record, vol. 21, part 1 (December 9, 1889), p. 123.
508 Senate Journal, 51st Cong., 1st sess. (February 13, 1890), p. 118; Congressional Record, vol. 21, part 2 (February 13, 1890), p. 1279.
509 House Journal, 51st Cong., 1st sess. (April 21, 1890), p. 503; Congressional Record, vol. 21, part 4 (April 21, 1890), p. 3628; Wynn, “The State of Oklahoma,” p. 970.
510 Senate Journal, 51st Cong., 1st sess. (April 23, 1890), p. 256; Congressional Record, vol. 21, part 4 (April 23, 1890), pp. 3708-3721.
Oklahoma: 46th State
Oklahoma Territory created May 2, 1890 (26 Stat. 81) Enabling and admission law enacted June 16, 1906 (34 Stat. 267) Oklahoma admitted November 16, 1907 (35 Stat. 2160)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 62
• May 2, 1890: President Benjamin Harrison signs the Oklahoma Organic Act into law, formally creating the Territory of Oklahoma.511
• November 7, 1905: The people of the remaining Indian Territory vote to approve a constitution written by delegates to create the state of Sequoyah—separate from the newly formed Oklahoma Territory—by a vote of 56,279 to 9,073.512
• December 1905-January 1906: Bills are introduced in the House (59 H.R. 79) and the Senate (59 S. 3680) “to provide for the admission of the State of Sequoyah into the Union,” but both bills are tabled.513
• January 22, 1906: Representative Edward Hamilton of Michigan introduces a bill (59 H.R. 12707) enabling the people of Oklahoma and the Indian Territory to form a constitution and state government and be admitted into the Union as one state.514
• June 13, 1906: Senate passes a compromise version of 59 H.R. 12707 without a recorded vote.515
• June 14, 1906: House passes the compromise version of 59 H.R. 12707 without a recorded vote.516
• June 16, 1906: President Theodore Roosevelt signs the enabling bill.517
• November 20, 1906-September 16, 1907: Elected delegates from the Oklahoma and Indian Territories convene the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention to draft a state constitution.518
• July 16, 1907: Eighty-six delegates to the convention sign an amended version of the Oklahoma state constitution.519
• September 17, 1907: The people of the Oklahoma and Indian Territories vote in favor of ratifying the state constitution, by a vote of 180,333 to 73,059.520
• November 16, 1907: President Roosevelt issues Presidential Proclamation 780, admitting Oklahoma as the 46th state.521
511 26 Stat. 81.
512 Morgan, “Prestatehood Legal Research,” pp. 926-927; Richard Mize, “Sequoyah Convention,” in The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, at https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=SE021; “Memorial from citizens of Indian Territory, praying for admission into Union as State of Sequoyah,” S. Doc. 59-143, January 16, 1906, p. 26.
513 Morgan, “Prestatehood Legal Research,” p. 927; Congressional Record, vol. 40, part 1 (December 4, 1905), p. 47 and vol. 40, part 2 (January 25, 1906), p. 1527.
514 House Journal, 59th Cong., 1st sess. (January 22, 1906), p. 314; Congressional Record, vol. 40, part 2 (January 22, 1906), p. 1407.
515 Senate Journal, 59th Cong., 1st sess. (June 13, 1906), p. 606; Congressional Record, vol. 40, part 9 (June 13, 1906), p. 8403.
516 House Journal, 59th Cong., 1st sess. (June 14, 1906), p. 1178; Congressional Record, vol. 40, part 9 (June 14, 1906), p. 8529.
517 34 Stat. 267.
518 Proceedings of the Constitutional Convention of the proposed state of Oklahoma: held at Guthrie, Oklahoma, November 20, 1906 to November 16, 1907 (Muskogee, OK.: Muskogee Ptg Co., 1907), pp. 5 and 467.
519 Albert H. Ellis, A History of the Constitutional Convention of the State of Oklahoma (Muskogee: Economy Printing Co., 1923), pp. 113-114.
520 Ellis, History of the Constitutional Convention, p. 127; Morgan, “Prestatehood Legal Research,” p. 939.
521 “Presidential Proclamation 780 of November 16, 1907,” by President Theodore Roosevelt, declaring the state of (continued...)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 63
• October 20, 1818: U.S. envoys Albert Gallatin and Richard Rush sign a convention with Great Britain agreeing to jointly occupy the Oregon Territory.522
• June 15, 1846: Secretary of State James Buchanan signs the Oregon Treaty with Great Britain, allowing the United States to acquire all land in the Oregon Territory south of the 49th parallel.523
• February 9, 1848: Representative Caleb B. Smith of Indiana reports 30 H.R. 201, a bill to create a territorial government in Oregon, from the House Committee on Territories.524
• August 2, 1848: House passes an amended version of the Oregon Territory Act (30 H.R. 201).525
• August 12, 1848: Senate agrees to the House version of the Oregon Territory Act, voting 31-23 and 29-25 after the question was divided.526
• August 14, 1848: President James Polk signs the Oregon Territory Act, creating the Oregon territory.527
• June 1857: The eligible voters of the Oregon Territory support statehood in a referendum by a vote of 7,617 to 1,679.528
• August 17-September 18, 1857: Elected territorial delegates convene at the courthouse in Salem to draft a state constitution.529
• September 18, 1857: The convention delegates approve the draft constitution by a vote of 35-10.530
• November 9, 1857: The Oregon Territory’s electorate approves the state constitution by a vote of 7,195 to 3,215.531
Oklahoma’s admission to the Union, NARA, Record Group 11, Presidential Proclamations, at https://catalog.archives.gov/id/299964; 35 Stat. 2160.
522 8 Stat. 248.
523 9 Stat. 869; William L. Lang, “Oregon Treaty, 1846,” in Oregon Historical Society, Oregon Encyclopedia, at https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/oregon-treaty.
524 House Journal, 30th Cong., 1st sess. (February 9, 1848), p. 382; Congressional Globe, 30th Cong., 1st sess. (February 9, 1848), p. 322.
525 The House Journal reported the vote as 128-71, while the Congressional Globe reported it as 129-71. See House Journal, 30th Cong., 1st sess. (August 2, 1848), p. 1155, and Congressional Globe, 30th Cong., 1st sess. (August 2, 1848), p. 1027.
526 Senate Journal, 30th Cong., 1st sess. (August 12, 1848), pp. 589-590; Congressional Globe, 30th Cong., 1st sess. (August 12, 1848), p. 1078.
527 9 Stat. 323.
528 Charles Henry Carey (ed.), The Oregon Constitution and Proceedings and Debates of the Constitutional Convention of 1857 (Salem, OR: Oregon Historical Society, 1926), pp. 21 and 26.
529 Carey, Oregon Constitution, p. 27.
530 Carey, Oregon Constitution, p. 397.
531 Carey, Oregon Constitution, p. 27.
Oregon: 33rd State
Oregon Territory created August 14, 1848 (9 Stat. 323) Oregon admitted February 14, 1859 (11 Stat. 383)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 64
• April 5, 1858: Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois reports 35 S. 239, a bill to admit Oregon into the Union, from the Senate Committee on Territories.532
• May 18, 1858: Senate passes 35 S. 239 by a vote of 35-17.533
• February 12, 1859: House passes 35 S. 239 by a vote of 114-103.534
• February 14, 1859: President James Buchanan signs 35 S. 239, admitting Oregon into the Union as the 33rd state.535
• 1681: King Charles II grants a charter to William Penn to create a colony in a portion of present-day Pennsylvania.536
• July 4, 1776: Pennsylvania joins 12 other colonies in declaring independence from Great Britain.537
• July 9, 1778: Pennsylvania’s delegates sign and ratify the Articles of Confederation.538
• May 14-September 17, 1787: Pennsylvania’s eight delegates participate in the Constitutional Convention.539
• December 12, 1787: Pennsylvania convention ratifies the Constitution by a vote of 46-23.540
• July 15, 1663: King Charles II grants a charter to create the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.541
• July 4, 1776: Rhode Island joins 12 other colonies in declaring independence from Great Britain.542
532 Senate Journal, 35th Cong., 1st sess. (April 5, 1858), pp. 318-319; Congressional Globe, 35th Cong., 1st sess. (April 5, 1858), p. 1474.
533 Senate Journal, 35th Cong., 1st sess. (May 18, 1858), p. 477; Congressional Globe, 35th Cong., 1st sess. (May 18, 1858), p. 2209.
534 House Journal, 35th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 12, 1859), pp. 398-399; Congressional Globe, 35th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 12, 1859), p. 1011.
535 11 Stat. 383.
536 “Charter for the Province of Pennsylvania—1681,” in Thorpe, Federal and State Constitutions, vol. 5, pp. 3035- 3044.
537 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 5 (July 4, 1776), pp. 510-516.
538 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 11 (July 9, 1778), p. 677.
539 Farrand, Records, vol. 3, pp. 557-558.
540 Elliot, Debates, vol. 1, pp. 319-320; Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, vol. 2, pp. 590- 591.
541 “Charter of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations—1663,” in Thorpe, Federal and State Constitutions, vol. 6, pp. 3211-3222.
542 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 5 (July 4, 1776), pp. 510-516.
Pennsylvania: Second State
Pennsylvania ratified Constitution December 12, 1787
Rhode Island: 13th State
Rhode Island ratified Constitution May 29, 1790
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 65
• July 9, 1778: Delegates of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations sign and ratify the Articles of Confederation.543
• May 14-September 17, 1787: Rhode Island does not send delegates to participate in the Constitutional Convention.544
• May 29, 1790: Rhode Island’s convention ratifies the Constitution by a vote of 34-32, after a number of failed attempts.545
• March 24, 1663: King Charles II grants a charter to eight men, later known as the “Lords Proprietors,” to create the Carolina colony.546 In the early 18th century, the colony would split into North and South Carolina.547
• July 25, 1729: Seven of the Lords Proprietors sell South Carolina to King George II.548
• July 4, 1776: South Carolina joins 12 other colonies in declaring independence from Great Britain.549
• July 9, 1778: South Carolina signs and ratifies the Articles of Confederation.550
• May 14-September 17, 1787: Four of South Carolina’s five delegates participate in the Constitutional Convention.551
• May 23, 1788: South Carolina convention ratifies the Constitution by a vote of 149-73.552
• April 30, 1803: The United States acquires part of the land that will become South Dakota from France in the Louisiana Purchase, with
543 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 11 (July 9, 1778), p. 677.
544 Farrand, Records, vol. 3, p. 557.
545 Elliot, Debates, vol. 1, pp. 334-337; Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, vol. 26, p. 989. For details on the yearslong debate over ratification in Rhode Island, see University of Wisconsin-Madison, Center for the Study of the American Constitution, Rhode Island Ratification, at https://csac.history.wisc.edu/states-and-ratification/ rhode-island.
546 “Charter of Carolina,” in Thorpe, Federal and State Constitutions, vol. 5, pp. 2743-2753.
547 Chad Morgan, “The State of North Carolina,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 2, pp. 898-920.
548 “Grant From King George the Second, to John Lord Carteret, Afterwards Earl Granville,” in The Revised Statutes of the State of North Carolina, vol. 2, eds. Frederick Nash, James Iredell, and William H. Battle (Raleigh, NC: Turner and Hughes, 1837), pp. 15-30.
549 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 5 (July 4, 1776), pp. 510-516.
550 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 11 (July 9, 1778), p. 677.
551 Farrand, Records, vol. 3, p. 559.
552 Elliot, Debates, vol. 1, p. 325; Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, vol. 27, pp. 393-397.
South Carolina: Eighth State
South Carolina ratified Constitution May 23, 1788
South Dakota: 40th State
Dakota Territory created March 2, 1861 (12 Stat. 239) Enabling and statehood law enacted February 22, 1889 (25 Stat. 676) South Dakota admitted November 2, 1889 (26 Stat. 1549)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 66
additional territory acquired in 1818 from Great Britain.553
• February 14, 1861: Senator James S. Green of Missouri reports 36 S. 562, a bill to create the Territory of Dakota, from the Senate Committee on Territories.554
• February 26, 1861: Senate passes an amended version of 36 S. 562 without a recorded vote.555
• March 1, 1861: House passes 36 S. 562 without a recorded vote.556
• March 2, 1861: President James Buchanan signs 36 S. 562, creating the Territory of Dakota.557
• November 8, 1887: Dakota Territory voters endorse splitting the territory into northern and southern entities, with 37,784 voting in favor of division and 32,913 voting against division.558
• December 12, 1887: Senator Charles F. Manderson of Nebraska introduces 50 S. 185, a bill to admit southern Dakota Territory as the State of Dakota and create a new Territory of Lincoln in northern Dakota Territory.559
• April 19, 1888: Senate votes 26-23 to pass an amended version of 50 S. 185 that would create a State of South Dakota and a new Territory of North Dakota.560
• January 18, 1889: Houses votes 145-98 to pass an amended version of 50 S. 185. This new version would clear the way to admit Montana, New Mexico, Washington, and—depending on the results of a referendum on division—either a combined state of Dakota or separate states of North Dakota and South Dakota.561
• February 20, 1889: House and Senate agree to a compromise version of 50 S. 185 that allows the creation and admission of four new states: Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington. Both chambers pass the bill without recorded votes.562
• February 22, 1889: President Grover Cleveland signs 50 S. 185, enabling statehood for Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington.563
553 John E. Miller, “The State of South Dakota,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 3, pp. 1103-1128.
554 Senate Journal, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 14, 1861), p. 228; Congressional Globe, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 14, 1861), p. 897.
555 Senate Journal, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 26, 1861), pp. 316-317; Congressional Globe, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 26, 1861), pp. 1207-1208.
556 House Journal, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 1, 1861), p. 452; Congressional Globe, 36th Cong., 2nd sess. (March 1, 1861), pp. 1334-1335.
557 12 Stat. 239.
558 Louis K. Church, “A Proclamation. By the Governor of the Territory of Dakota” (January 12, 1888), in Bismarck Weekly Tribune, January 20, 1888, p. 6.
559 Senate Journal, 50th Cong., 1st sess. (December 12, 1887), p. 33; Congressional Record, vol. 19, part 1 (December 12, 1887), p. 22.
560 Senate Journal, 50th Cong., 1st sess. (April 19, 1888), pp. 695-696; Congressional Record, vol. 19, part 4 (April 19, 1888), pp. 3139-3140.
561 House Journal, 50th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 18, 1889), pp. 290-298; Congressional Record, vol. 20, part 1 (January 18, 1889), pp. 951-952.
562 House Journal, 50th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 20, 1889), pp. 561-570; Senate Journal, 50th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 20, 1889), pp. 357-366; Congressional Record, vol. 20, part 3 (February 20, 1889), pp. 2104 and 2116.
563 25 Stat. 676.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 67
• July 4, 1889: Delegates gather in Sioux Falls to write a state constitution for South Dakota.564
• August 5, 1889: Delegates to the Sioux Falls convention vote 72-0 to adopt a state constitution for South Dakota.565
• October 1, 1889: South Dakota voters ratify the state constitution, 70,131 to 3,267.566
• November 2, 1889: President Benjamin Harrison issues a proclamation admitting South Dakota as the 40th state.567
• September 3, 1783: Great Britain cedes territory, including the land that will become the state of Tennessee, to the United States in the Treaty of Paris.568
• December 22, 1789: North Carolina General Assembly agrees to cede its western lands to the U.S. government.569
• April 2, 1790: Congress accepts the western lands ceded by North Carolina to the newly-formed federal government.570
• April 7, 1790: Senate forms a select committee to “bring in a bill for the government of the territory of the United States south of the river Ohio.”571
• April 9, 1790: Senate select committee reports “A bill for the government of the territory of the United States south of the river Ohio.”572
• April 27, 1790: Senate passes the bill without a recorded vote.573
• April 29, 1790: House passes an amended version of the bill without a recorded vote.574
564 Journal of the Constitutional Convention of South Dakota (Sioux Falls, SD: Brown & Saenger, 1889), p. 3.
565 Journal of the Constitutional Convention of South Dakota, pp. 161-162.
566 Official Vote of South Dakota by Counties From October, 1889, to November, 1914 (Sioux Falls, SD: Mark D. Scott Print, 1914), p. 5.
567 26 Stat. 1549.
568 “Treaty of Paris (1783),” Milestone Documents, National Archives and Records Administration, https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/treaty-of-paris.
569 “An Act for the Purpose of Ceding to the United States of America, Certain Western Lands Therein Described,” in Walter Clark (ed.), The State Records of North Carolina, vol. 25 (Goldsboro, NC: Nash Brothers, 1906), pp. 4-6; Lynn E. Murray, “Tennessee Prestatehood Legal Materials,” in Chiorazzi and Most, Prestatehood Legal Materials, vol. 2, pp. 1175-1196; Territorial Papers of the United States, vol. 4, p. 3.
570 1 Stat. 106.
571 Senate Journal, 1st Cong., 2nd sess. (April 7, 1790), p. 130; Annals of Congress, vol. 2, 1st Cong., 2nd sess. (April 7, 1790), p. 998.
572 Senate Journal, 1st Cong., 2nd sess. (April 9, 1790), p. 130; Annals of Congress, vol. 2, 1st Cong., 2nd sess. (April 9, 1790), vol. 2, p. 999.
573 Senate Journal, 1st Cong., 2nd sess. (April 27, 1790), p. 132. The vote does not appear in the Annals of Congress.
574 House Journal, 1st Cong., 2nd sess. (April 29, 1790), p. 204; Annals of Congress, vol. 2, 1st Cong., 2nd sess. (April 29, 1790), p. 1602.
T ennessee: 16th State
Southwest Territory created May 26, 1790 (1 Stat. 123) Tennessee admitted June 1, 1796 (1 Stat. 491)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 68
• May 4, 1790: Senate rejects the House-amended version of the territorial bill without a recorded vote.575
• May 5, 1790: House agrees to the Senate-passed version of the territorial bill without a recorded vote.576
• May 26, 1790: President George Washington signs the bill to organize the western lands ceded to the federal government by North Carolina into the “territory of the United States, south of the river Ohio” (often shortened to “the Southwest Territory”).577
• September 15-November 15, 1795: A census conducted in the Southwest Territory polls free adult males on the following question: “Is it your wish if, on taking the enumeration, there should prove to be less than sixty thousand inhabitants, that the Territory shall be admitted as a State in to the Federal Union with such less number or not?” Those polled affirmed the population’s desire to join the Union by a vote of 6,504 to 2,562. Voters also agree to hold a Constitutional Convention, should the census count a minimum of 60,000 inhabitants.578
• November 28, 1795: Governor William Blount calls for the election of delegates to a constitutional convention.579
• January 11, 1796: Elected delegates convene a constitutional convention in Knoxville.580
• February 6, 1796: The convention unanimously approves the state constitution drafted during the convention.581
• May 18, 1796: Senator Rufus King of New York reports a statehood bill from committee.582
• May 26, 1796: Senate passes an amended version of the statehood bill by a vote of 15-8.583
575 Senate Journal, 1st Cong., 2nd sess. (May 4, 1790), p. 137; Annals of Congress, vol. 2, 1st Cong., 2nd sess. (May 4, 1790), p. 1006.
576 House Journal, 1st Cong., 2nd sess. (May 5, 1790), p. 209. The vote does not appear in the Annals of Congress.
577 1 Stat. 123.
578 Results of the vote can be found in the “Census Schedule,” in Territorial Papers of the United States, vol. 4, pp. 404-405. For the language of the census question, see “An Act for the Enumeration of the Inhabitants of the Territory of the United States of America South of the River Ohio,” p. 8, in Tennessee Virtual Archive, Tennessee Founding and Landmark Documents, https://teva.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/tfd/id/548.
579 “Proclamation by William Blount, November 28, 1795,” in Territorial Papers of the United States, vol. 4, pp. 407- 408.
580 Journal of the Proceedings of a Convention, Began and Held at Knoxville, on The Eleventh Day of January, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety Six, for the Purpose of Forming a Constitution, or Form of Government, for the Permanent Government of the People, in LLMC Digital database, at https://llmc.com/docDisplay5.aspx?set=00102t& volume=0001&part=001, p. 3.
581 Journal of the Proceedings of a Convention, p. 37.
582 Senate Journal, 4th Cong., 1st sess. (May 18, 1796), p. 264; Annals of Congress, vol. 5, 4th Cong., 1st sess. (May 18, 1796), p. 97.
583 Senate Journal, 4th Cong., 1st sess. (May 26, 1796), p. 275; Annals of Congress, vol. 5, 4th Cong., 1st sess. (May 26, 1796), p. 109.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 69
• May 30, 1796: House passes an amended version of the bill without a recorded vote.584
• May 31, 1796: Senate agrees to the House version of the bill without a recorded vote.585
• June 1, 1796: President Washington signs the bill, bringing Tennessee into the Union as the 16th state.586
• April 30, 1803: The United States acquires northern portions of the land that will become the state of Texas from France via the Louisiana Purchase.587
• March 1-17, 1836: Fifty-nine delegates representing settlements in Texas meet in Washington-on-the-Brazos for a general convention to draft a declaration of independence from Mexico and form a government for the independent Republic of Texas.588
• March 2, 1836: The delegates to the general convention sign the Texas Declaration of Independence.589
• March 16, 1836: The delegates in Washington-on-the-Brazos finalize and adopt a constitution for the Republic of Texas.590
• April 21, 1836: The Republic of Texas wins independence from Mexico after defeating Mexican forces in a final battle along the San Jacinto River.591
• September 1836: Eligible voters ratify the Republic’s constitution and vote 3,277 to 91 in favor of Texas joining the United States.592
584 House Journal, 4th Cong., 1st sess. (May 30, 1796), p. 590; Annals of Congress, vol. 5, 4th Cong., 1st sess. (May 30, 1796), p. 1474.
585 Senate Journal, 4th Cong., 1st sess. (May 31, 1796), p. 284; Annals of Congress, vol. 5, 4th Cong., 1st sess. (May 31, 1796), p. 117.
586 1 Stat. 491.
587 “Louisiana Purchase Treaty (1803),” in NARA, Milestone Documents, at https://www.archives.gov/milestone- documents/louisiana-purchase-treaty.
588 Journals of the Convention of the Free, Sovereign, and Independent People of Texas, in General Convention, Assembled, 1836, in H.P.H. Gammel, The Laws of Texas, 1822-1897, vol. 1 (Austin, TX: Gammel Book Co., 1898), pp. 821-904; Texas State Library and Archives Commission, “Texas Declaration of Independence,” at https://www.tsl.texas.gov/treasures/republic/declare-01.html.
589 “Texas Declaration of Independence.”
590 “Constitution of Republic of Texas,” in Laws of the Republic of Texas, in Two Volumes, vol. 1 (Houston: Printed at the Office of the Telegraph, 1838), pp. 9-25.
591 Texas State Library and Archives Commission, “The Public Treaty of Velasco,” at https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ exhibits/texas175/velasco.html.
592 John Sayles, The Constitutions of the State of Texas, With The Reconstruction Acts of Congress, the Constitution of the Confederate States, and of the United States, Annotated, 4th ed. (St. Louis: Gilbert Book Co., 1893), p. 155; Eugene C. Barker, “The Annexation of Texas,” The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, vol. 50, no. 1 (July 1946), pp. 49-74.
T exas: 28th State
Annexation law enacted March 1, 1845 (5 Stat. 797) Texas admitted December 29, 1845 (9 Stat. 108)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 70
• March 3, 1837: The U.S. government officially recognizes the Republic of Texas when President Andrew Jackson appoints Alcée Louis La Branche as Chargé d’Affaires in Houston.593
• January 25, 1845: House passes a joint resolution (28 H.J.Res. 46) to annex Texas by a vote of 120-98.594
• February 27, 1845: Senate passes an amended version of the annexation resolution following a preliminary vote of 27-25.595
• February 28, 1845: House passes the Senate version of the resolution.596
• March 1, 1845: President John Tyler signs the joint resolution to annex Texas to the United States.597
• July 4, 1845: A special convention of delegates elected by the people of the Republic of Texas meet to consider the joint resolution offered by the U.S. Congress to annex the Republic. The delegates vote to accept the U.S. government’s offer of annexation and membership into the Union.598
• July 4-August 28, 1845: Delegates meet in Austin to draft a state constitution.599
• August 28, 1845: Delegates sign the new Texas state constitution.600
• October 13, 1845: In a popular referendum, Texas voters approve annexation by a vote of 7,664 to 430 and approve the state constitution by a vote of 7,527 to 536.601
• December 10, 1845: House Committee on Territories reports a joint resolution, 29 H.J.Res. 2, “for the admission of the State of Texas to the Union.”602
• December 16, 1845: House approves the joint resolution to admit Texas to the Union.603
593 U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian, “A Guide to the United States’ History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations, by Country, since 1776: Texas,” at https://history.state.gov/countries/texas.
594 House Journal, 28th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 25, 1845), p. 264; Congressional Globe, 28th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 25, 1845), p. 194.
595 Senate Journal, 28th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 27, 1845), pp. 220-221; Congressional Globe, 28th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 27, 1845), p. 362.
596 The vote was reported as 134-77 in the House Journal and 132-76 in the Congressional Globe. See House Journal, 28th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 28, 1845), p. 527, and Congressional Globe, 28th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 28, 1845), p. 372.
597 Texas State Library and Archives Commission, “Joint Resolution for Annexing Texas to the United States Approved March 1, 1845,” at https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ref/abouttx/annexation/march1845.html; 5 Stat. 797.
598 “Ordinance of the Convention of Texas, July 4, 1845,” Yale Law School, Avalon Project, at https://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/texan03.asp; Ralph W. Steen, “Convention of 1845,” in Handbook of Texas, at https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/convention-of-1845.
599 Journals of the Convention, assembled at the city of Austin on the Fourth of July, 1845, for the purpose of framing a constitution for the State of Texas (Austin, TX: Miner & Cruger, 1845).
600 Journals of the Convention, pp. 366-367.
601 Texas State Library and Archives Commission, “Ratification of Texas Annexation, 1845 Vote Totals,” at https://www.tsl.texas.gov/treasures/earlystate/annex-doc.html.
602 House Journal, 29th Cong., 1st sess. (December 10, 1845), p. 71; Congressional Globe, 29th Cong., 1st sess. (December 10, 1845), pp. 39-40.
603 The vote was reported as 141-57 in the House Journal and 141-56 in the Congressional Globe. See House Journal, 29th Cong., 1st sess. (December 16, 1845), p. 110, and Congressional Globe, 29th Cong., 1st sess. (December 16, 1845), p. 65.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 71
• December 22, 1845: Senate passes the joint resolution to admit Texas.604
• December 29, 1845: President James K. Polk signs the resolution admitting Texas into the Union as the 28th state.605
• February 2, 1848: The United States, through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, acquires from Mexico the land that will become Utah.606
• January 29, 1850: Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky proposes what will later become the Compromise of 1850. While not part of his original proposal, the eventual legislative package includes organizing a territorial government for Utah.607
• May 8, 1850: The “Senate Select Committee of Thirteen” reports 31 S. 225, a bill that would admit California to statehood, create territorial governments for New Mexico and Utah, and revise the borders of Texas.608
• August 1, 1850: Senate passes an amended version of the bill with no recorded vote on final passage. It is now a narrower piece of legislation that would create the Territory of Utah.609
• September 7, 1850: The House passes the Utah Territory bill by a vote of 97- 85.610
• September 9, 1850: President Millard Fillmore signs the Utah Territory bill into law. It is one of five bills that make up the Compromise of 1850.611
• September 6, 1893: Delegate Joseph L. Rawlins of Utah introduces a bill for Utah’s admission to the Union (53 H.R. 352).612 It is the latest in decades of attempts by Utah to secure statehood.613
604 The Congressional Globe records the vote to adopt the resolution as 31-14, but the Senate Journal does not record a vote. Instead, the Senate Journal records a vote of 31-13 to read the bill for a third time. Senate Journal, 29th Cong., 1st sess. (December 22, 1845), p. 64; Congressional Globe, 29th Cong., 1st sess. (December 22, 1845), p. 92.
605 9 Stat. 108.
606 “Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848),” in NARA, Milestone Documents, at https://www.archives.gov/milestone- documents/treaty-of-guadalupe-hidalgo; 9 Stat. 922.
607 McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom, pp. 70-75.
608 U.S. Congress, Senate Committee of Thirteen, report to accompany S. 225 and S. 226, 31st Cong., 1st sess., S. Rept. 31-123, May 8, 1850; Congressional Globe, 31st Cong., 1st sess. (May 8, 1850), pp. 944-948.
609 Senate Journal, 31st Cong., 1st sess. (August 1, 1850), p. 518; Congressional Globe, 31st Cong., 1st sess. (August 1, 1850), p. 1504.
610 House Journal, 31st Cong., 1st sess. (September 7, 1850), p. 1425; Congressional Globe, 31st Cong. 1st sess. (September 7, 1850), p. 1776.
611 “Introduction,” in Library of Congress, Compromise of 1850: Primary Documents in American History, at https://guides.loc.gov/compromise-1850; 9 Stat. 453.
612 House Journal, 53rd Cong., 1st sess. (September 6, 1893), p. 37; Congressional Record, vol. 25, part 1 (September 6, 1893), p. 1276.
613 Robert Lee Warthen, “Legal Research in the State of Deseret and the Utah Territory, 1847-1896,” in Chiorazzi and Most, Prestatehood Legal Materials, vol. 2, pp. 1217-1270.
Utah: 45th State
Utah Territory created September 9, 1850 (9 Stat. 453) Enabling and statehood law enacted July 16, 1894 (28 Stat. 107) Utah admitted January 4, 1896 (29 Stat. 876)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 72
• December 13, 1893: House Committee on Territories reports the bill favorably with amendments. The House agrees to the amendments and passes the bill without a recorded vote.614
• July 10, 1894: The Senate passes the Utah bill without a recorded vote.615
• July 16, 1894: President Grover Cleveland signs the Utah Enabling Act into law.616
• November 1894: Eligible voters in Utah select 107 delegates to a constitutional convention.617
• March 4-May 8, 1895: The delegates meet in Salt Lake City to write the state constitution.618
• May 8, 1895: The delegates approve the constitution by a vote of 99 to 0.619
• November 5, 1895: Utah’s eligible voters approve the constitution 31,305 to 7,607.620
• January 4, 1896: President Cleveland issues a proclamation of statehood, and Utah is admitted to the Union as the 45th state.621
• July 20, 1764: King George III, in a King-in-Council order, declares the Connecticut River is the border between New York and New Hampshire, leaving the disputed territory known as the New Hampshire Grants inside the borders of New York.622
• January 15, 1777: Delegates meeting in Westminster declare the New Hampshire Grants are a “free and independent state.”623
614 House Journal, 53rd Cong., 2nd sess. (December 13, 1893), p. 29; Congressional Record, vol. 26, part 1 (December 13, 1893), p. 220.
615 Senate Journal, 53rd Cong., 2nd sess. (July 10, 1894), p. 283; Congressional Record, vol. 26, part 7 (July 10, 1894), p. 7251.
616 28 Stat. 107.
617 Official Report of the Proceedings and Debates of the Convention Assembled at Salt Lake City on the Fourth Date of March, 1895, to Adopt A Constitution for the State of Utah, vol. 1 (Salt Lake City, UT: Star Printing Company, 1898), pp. 3-4.
618 Official Report of the Proceedings and Debates, vols. 1-2.
619 Official Report of the Proceedings and Debates, vol. 2, pp. 1850-1851.
620 “Utah State Constitution,” in Utah Division of Archives and Records Service, Utah’s Road to Statehood: 125 Yerars, https://archives.utah.gov/2021/01/04/utahs-road-to-statehood-125-years; Stanley S. Ivans, “A Constitution for Utah,” Utah Historical Quarterly, vol. 25 (1957), pp. 94-116.
621 29 Stat. 876.
622 Vermont v. New Hampshire, 289 U.S. 593 (1933), pp. 596 and 598-600.
623 “New-Hampshire Grants. Westminster Court-House, January 15th, 1777,” and “The Declaration and Petition of the Inhabitants of the New-Hampshire Grants, to Congress, announcing the District to be a Free and Independent State,” in Vermont State Papers; Being a Collection of Records and Documents, Connected with the Assumption and Establishment of Government by the People of Vermont, ed. William Slade Jr. (Middlebury, VT: J.W. Copeland, 1823), pp. 68-73.
Vermont: 14th State
Vermont admitted March 4, 1791 (1 Stat. 191)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 73
• July 2-8, 1777: Delegates meet in Windsor and write a constitution for the “Commonwealth or State of Vermont.”624
• August 20-21, 1781: Congress, operating under the Articles of Confederation, says it will consider admitting Vermont as a state only after settlement of its borders.625 During this period, Vermont “existed in something of a political netherworld, not really a state, and not really an independent country.”626
• October 28, 1790: Vermont agrees to settle land claims and its border dispute with New York.627
• January 10, 1791: Delegates in Bennington vote 105-4 to ratify the U.S. Constitution.628
• February 9, 1791: President George Washington sends to Congress copies of “authentic documents, expressing the consent of the Legislatures of New York and of the territory of Vermont, that the said territory shall be admitted to be a distinct member of our Union.” Senate and House each refer the papers to a select committee for consideration.629
• February 10, 1791: Senator Rufus King of New York reports from the Senate select committee a bill admitting Vermont “as a new and entire member of the United States of America.”630
• February 12, 1791: Senate passes the Vermont bill without a recorded vote.631
• February 14, 1791: House passes the Vermont bill without a recorded vote.632
• February 18, 1791: President Washington signs the Vermont bill, making its admission effective on March 4.633
• March 4, 1791: Vermont becomes the 14th state.634
624 “Constitution of Vermont” (1777) in Thorpe, Federal and State Constitutions, vol. 6, pp. 3737-3749.
625 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 21 (August 20-21, 1781), pp. 887-888 and 892-893.
626 Peverill Squire, The Evolution of American Legislatures: Colonies, Territories, and States, 1619-2009 (Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press, 2012), p. 159.
627 “An Act directing the payment of thirty thousand Dollars to the State of Newyork, and declaring what shall be the Boundary line between the State of Vermont and State of Newyork—and declaring certain grants therein mentioned, extinguished,” in Acts and Laws, Passed by the Legislature of the State of Vermont, at their session at Castleton, the second Thursday of October, 1790 (Windsor, VT: Alden Spooner, 1790), pp. 9-10.
628 Elliot, Debates, vol. 1, pp. 337-338; “State of Vermont. In Convention of the Delegates of the people of the State of Vermont,” in Slade, Vermont State Papers, pp. 194-195.
629 There are slight differences in punctuation and capitalization of the presidential message in the various sources. See House Journal, 1st Cong., 3rd sess. (February 9, 1791), p. 373; Senate Journal, 1st Cong., 3rd sess. (February 9, 1791), pp. 241-246; and Annals of Congress, vol. 2, 1st Cong., 3rd sess. (February 9, 1791), pp. 1798 and 2013.
630 Senate Journal, 1st Cong., 3rd sess. (February 10, 1791), p. 247; Annals of Congress, vol. 2, 1st Cong., 3rd sess. (February 10, 1791), p. 1798.
631 Senate Journal, 1st Cong., 3rd sess. (February 12, 1791), p. 262; Annals of Congress, vol. 2, 1st Cong., 3rd sess. (February 12, 1791), p. 1800.
632 House Journal, 1st Cong., 3rd sess. (February 14, 1791), p. 378. The Annals of Congress does not report House passage of the bill.
633 1 Stat. 191.
634 Samuel B. Hand and H. Nicholas Muller III, “The State of Vermont,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 3, pp. 1215- 1245.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 74
• April 10, 1606: King James I grants a charter to the Virginia Company to create a colony in “that part of America commonly called Virginia.”635
• July 4, 1776: Virginia joins 12 other colonies in declaring independence from Great Britain.636
• July 9, 1778: Virginia signs the Articles of Confederation.637
• May 14-September 17, 1787: Seven of Virginia’s 10 delegates participate in the Constitutional Convention.638
• June 25, 1788: Virginia’s convention ratifies the Constitution by a vote of 89-79.639
• October 20, 1818: U.S. envoys Albert Gallatin and Richard Rush sign a convention with Great Britain agreeing to jointly occupy the Oregon Territory. This area includes land that will become the state of Washington.640
• June 15, 1846: Secretary of State James Buchanan signs the Oregon Treaty with Great Britain, allowing the United States to acquire all land in the Oregon Territory south of the 49th parallel.641
• November 25-28, 1852: Forty-four delegates meet in Monticello, at the mouth of the Cowlitz River in the Oregon Territory, to draft and sign a memorial petitioning Congress to divide the Oregon Territory and create the separate territory of Columbia.642
• January 25, 1853: Representative Charles Stuart of Michigan reports, from the House Committee on Territories, a bill (32 H.R. 348) to establish a new Columbia Territory.643
635 “The First Charter of Virginia—1606,” in Thorpe, Federal and State Constitutions, vol. 7, pp. 3783-3789.
636 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 5 (July 4, 1776), pp. 510-516.
637 Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 11 (July 9, 1778), p. 677.
638 Farrand, Records, p. 558.
639 Elliot, Debates, vol 1., p. 327; Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, vol. 10, pp. 1540-1545.
640 8 Stat. 248.
641 9 Stat. 869; Lang, “Oregon Treaty, 1846.”
642 Dennis P. Weber, “The Creation of Washington: Securing Democracy North of the Columbia,” Columbia: The Magazine of Northwest History, vol. 17, no. 3 (Fall 2003), pp. 27-34; Washington State Archives, Territorial Timeline, at https://www.sos.wa.gov/archives/timeline/detail.aspx?id=214.
643 House Journal, 32nd Cong., 2nd sess. (January 25, 1853), p. 185; Congressional Globe, 32nd Cong., 2nd sess. (January 25, 1853), p. 402.
Virginia: 10th State
Virginia ratified Constitution June 25, 1788
Washington: 42nd State
Washington Territory created March 2, 1853 (10 Stat. 172) Enabling and statehood law enacted February 22, 1889 (25 Stat. 676) Washington admitted November 11, 1889 (26 Stat. 1552)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 75
• February 10, 1853: House passes 32 H.R. 348, amended to change the new territory’s name to Washington.644
• March 2, 1853: Senate passes 32 H.R. 348 without a recorded vote.645 President Millard Fillmore signs it into law.646
• December 12, 1887: Senator Charles F. Manderson of Nebraska introduces 50 S. 185, a bill to “provide for the division of Dakota into two States and to enable the people of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington to form constitutions and State governments and to be admitted into the Union.”647
• April 19, 1888: Senate votes 26-23 to pass an amended version of 50 S. 185 that would enable the Washington Territory to create a constitution, form a state government, and join the Union.648
• January 18, 1889: The House votes 145-98 to pass an amended version of 50 S. 185. This new version would clear the way to admit Montana, New Mexico, Washington, and—depending on the results of a referendum on division—either a combined state of Dakota or separate states of North Dakota and South Dakota.649
• February 20, 1889: The House and Senate agree to a compromise version of 50 S. 185 that allows the creation and admission of four new states: Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington. Both chambers pass the bill without recorded votes.650
• February 22, 1889: President Grover Cleveland signs 50 S. 185, enabling statehood for Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington.651
• July 4-August 22, 1889: Seventy-five delegates convene a Constitutional Convention in the Territorial Capitol Building in Olympia to draft a state’s constitution for Washington.652
• October 1, 1889: Eligible voters approve the state constitution, by a vote of 40,152 in favor and 11,879 opposed.653
644 The House Journal reported the vote as 129-29, while the Congressional Globe reported the vote as 128-29. See House Journal, 32nd Cong., 2nd sess. (February 10, 1853), pp. 268-270, and Congressional Globe, 32nd Cong., 2nd sess. (February 10, 1853), p. 555.
645 Senate Journal, 32nd Cong., 2nd sess. (March 2, 1853), p. 274; Congressional Globe, 32nd Cong., 2nd sess. (March 2, 1853), p. 1020.
646 10 Stat. 172.
647 Senate Journal, 50th Cong., 1st sess. (December 12, 1887), p. 33; Congressional Record, vol. 19, part 1 (December 12, 1887), p. 22.
648 Senate Journal, 50th Cong., 1st sess. (April 19, 1888), pp. 695-696; Congressional Record, vol. 19, part 4 (April 19, 1888), pp. 3139-3140.
649 House Journal, 50th Cong., 2nd sess. (January 18, 1889), pp. 290-298; Congressional Record, vol. 20, part 1 (January 18, 1889), pp. 951-952.
650 House Journal, 50th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 20, 1889), pp. 561-570; Senate Journal, 50th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 20, 1889), pp. 357-366; Congressional Record, vol. 20, part 3 (February 20, 1889), pp. 2104 and 2116.
651 25 Stat. 676.
652 Beverly Paulik Rosenow (ed.), The Journal of the Washington State Constitutional Convention, 1889 (Buffalo, NY: William S. Hein & Co., 1999); Washington State Archives, Washington State Constitution, at https://www.sos.wa.gov/ archives/state-constitution.aspx.
653 Washington State Constitution; James Leonard Fitts, “The Washington Constitutional Convention of 1889” (master’s thesis, University of Washington, 1951), at https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/267983137.pdf, pp. 194-195.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 76
• November 11, 1889: President Benjamin Harrison issues a proclamation declaring Washington’s admission into the Union as the 42nd state.654
• April 17, 1861: Delegates to a Virginia state convention adopt an Ordinance of Secession to repeal Virginia’s 1788 ratification of the Constitution and secede from the Union.655
• May 13-15, 1861: Delegates from a number of counties in western Virginia assemble for the First Wheeling Convention to consider action on the Ordinance of Secession, and resolve to work to defeat passage of the ordinance. The delegates agree that if voters approve the ordinance, delegates from the western counties will elect delegates to a Second Wheeling Convention, to be convened on June 11, 1861.656
• May 23, 1861: Virginia’s eligible voters ratify the Ordinance of Secession by a vote of 125,950 to 20,373.657
• June 11-25, 1861: Delegates from Virginia’s western region meet in the Second Wheeling Convention to form Virginia’s “Restored Government” and officially declare allegiance to the Union.658
• July 1861: The U.S. government recognizes the Restored Government as Virginia’s legitimate governing body and allows representatives from the region to fill seats in Congress vacated when Virginia adopted its secession ordinance.659
• August 6-21, 1861: The Second Wheeling Convention reconvenes. On August 20, the convention approves a proposal to create a new state of “Kanawha.”660
654 26 Stat. 1552.
655 “Ordinance of Secession of the Commonwealth of Virginia,” April 17, 1861, NARA, Record Group 59, Series: Records Relating to the Virginia Ordinance of Secession, at https://catalog.archives.gov/id/598395.
656 “Proceedings of the First Wheeling Convention,” in West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, A State of Convenience: The Creation of West Virginia, at https://archive.wvculture.org/history/statehood/ wheelingconvention1toc.html. See also “First Wheeling Convention,” in State of Convenience, at https://archive.wvculture.org/history/statehood/statehood05.html, and Kevin Fredette, “West Virginia—‘One of a Kind,’” in Chiorazzi and Most, Prestatehood Legal Materials, vol. 2, pp. 1369-1386.
657 “Ratification of the Ordinance of Secession,” in State of Convenience, at https://archive.wvculture.org/history/ statehood/statehood06.html; Richard H. Owens, Rogue State: The Unconstitutional Process of Establishing West Virginia Statehood (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2013), p. 19.
658 “First Session of the Second Wheeling Convention,” in State of Convenience, at https://archive.wvculture.org/ history/statehood/statehood07.html.
659 Fredette, “West Virginia—‘One of a Kind,’” p. 1380; “Memorial of the Commissioners Appointed by the Convention of West Virginia, Praying for the admission of that State into the Union,” Senate Misc. Doc. No. 99, 37th Cong., 2nd sess., May 31, 1862, p. 9.
660 “Proceedings of the Second Session of the Second Wheeling Convention,” in State of Convenience, at https://archive.wvculture.org/history/statehood/wheelingconvention20820.html; Fredette, “West Virginia—‘One of a Kind,’” p. 1380; “Ordinance to Provide for the Formation of a New State out of a Portion of the Territory of this State,” in Virginia Compacts, Virginia General Assembly LIS, at https://law.lis.virginia.gov/compacts/virginia-west-virginia- debt-agreement-of-1861/.
West Virginia: 35th State
Enabling and admission law enacted December 31, 1862 (12 Stat. 633) West Virginia admitted June 20, 1863 (13 Stat. 731)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 77
• October 24, 1861: Eligible voters approve the “Ordinance to Provide for the Formation of a New State out of a Portion of the Territory of this State,” by a vote of 18,408 to 781.661
• November 26, 1861-February 20, 1862: Delegates meet in Wheeling to write the constitution for the new state of Kanawha. They change the name of the new state to West Virginia.662
• February 18, 1862: Delegates to the Constitutional Convention unanimously approve the state constitution.663
• May 13, 1862: The General Assembly of the Restored Government of Virginia passes an “Act of the Reorganized Government of Virginia Granting Permission for Creation of New State.”664
• May 29, 1862: Senator Waitman T. Willey of Virginia665 presents a petition to the U.S. Senate for the admission of West Virginia to the Union.666
• June 23, 1862: The Senate Committee on Territories reports a bill (37 S. 365) providing for the admission of West Virginia into the Union.667
• July 14, 1862: Senate passes an amended version of the bill that includes an amendment to provide for gradual emancipation of slaves in West Virginia. The Senate approves, by a vote of 23 to 17, West Virginia’s statehood on the condition that it makes the necessary amendment to the state constitution.668
• December 10, 1862: House passes the West Virginia statehood bill.669
• December 31, 1862: President Abraham Lincoln signs the West Virginia statehood bill.670
• February 12-20, 1863: West Virginia’s Constitutional Convention reconvenes and approves the emancipation amendment on February 17, by a vote of 54 to
661 Fredette, “West Virginia—‘One of a Kind,’” p. 1381; “Statehood Referendum,” in State of Convenience, at https://archive.wvculture.org/history/statehood/statehood10.html; “Proceedings of the Second Session of the Second Wheeling Convention,” in State of Convenience, at https://archive.wvculture.org/history/statehood/ wheelingconvention20820.html; Richard Orr Curry, A House Divided, Appendix III, pp. 149-150.
662 Debates and Proceedings of the First Constitutional Convention of West Virginia, 1861-1863, 3 vols. (Huntington, WV: Gentry Brothers, [1939]).
663 First Constitutional Convention Proceedings, vol. 3, p. 449; Fredette, “West Virginia—‘One of a Kind,’” p. 1381.
664 “Act of the Reorganized Government of Virginia Granting Permission for Creation of New State,” in State of Convenience, at https://archive.wvculture.org/history/statehood/rgov051362.html; Fredette, “West Virginia—‘One of a Kind,’” p. 1381.
665 Initially elected from the Restored Government of Virginia, he would represent West Virginia in the Senate starting in 1863. See “Willey, Waitman Thomas” in Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, at https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/W000484.
666 Congressional Globe, 37th Cong., 2nd sess. (May 29, 1862), p. 2415.
667 Congressional Globe, 37th Cong., 2nd sess. (June 23, 1862), p. 2864.
668 Senate Journal, 37th Cong., 2nd sess. (July 14, 1862), p. 835; Congressional Globe, 37th Cong., 2nd sess. (July 14, 1862), p. 3320.
669 The Congressional Globe reports the vote as 96-55, while the House Journal reports the vote as 96-57. See Congressional Globe, 37th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 10, 1862), p. 59, and House Journal, 37th Cong., 2nd sess. (December 10, 1862), pp. 58-59.
670 12 Stat. 633.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 78
zero. The convention approves the amended constitution the next day, 52 to zero.671
• March 26, 1863: Eligible voters ratify the revised state constitution by a vote of 28,321 to 572.672
• April 20, 1863: President Lincoln issues a proclamation admitting West Virginia into the Union.673
• June 20, 1863: West Virginia is admitted into the Union as the 35th state, 60 days after the presidential proclamation.674
• September 3, 1783: The United States acquires the the land that will become Wisconsin in the Treaty of Paris.675
• January 21, 1836: Senator John M. Clayton of Delaware introduces 24 S. 92, a bill to create the Wisconsin Territory.676
• March 29, 1836: Senate passes 24 S. 92 without a recorded vote.677
• April 8, 1836: House passes an amended version of 24 S. 92 without a recorded vote.678
• April 11, 1836: Senate concurs in two of the House’s three amendments and sends 24 S. 92 back to the House without a recorded vote.679
• April 14, 1836: House insists on its remaining amendment, sending 24 S. 92 back to the Senate without a recorded vote.680
671 “West Virginians Approve the Willey Amendment,” in State of Convenience, at https://archive.wvculture.org/ history/statehood/statehood15.html; “Votes of the Delegates on Revised Constitution,” in State of Convenience, at https://archive.wvculture.org/history/statehood/ccvote.html; First Constitutional Convention Proceedings, vol. 3, pp. 728 and 731.
672 “West Virginians Approve the Willey Amendment,” in State of Convenience, at https://archive.wvculture.org/ history/statehood/statehood15.html; A House Divided, pp. 150-151.
673 13 Stat. 731.
674 13 Stat. 731.
675 Jonathan Kasparek, “The State of Wisconsin,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 3, pp. 1325-1350.
676 Senate Journal, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (January 21, 1836), p. 112; Congressional Globe, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (January 21, 1836), p. 127.
677 Senate Journal, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (March 29, 1836), pp. 249-250; Congressional Globe, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (March 29, 1836), p. 301.
678 House Journal, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (April 8, 1836), pp. 649-651; Congressional Globe, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (April 8, 1836), pp. 339-341.
679 Senate Journal, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (April 11, 1836), p. 282; Congressional Globe, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (April 11, 1836), p. 343.
680 House Journal, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (April 14, 1836), pp. 700-701; Congressional Globe, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (April 14, 1836), p. 359.
Wisconsin: 30th State
Wisconsin Territory created July 3, 1836 (5 Stat. 10) Enabling law enacted August 6, 1846 (9 Stat. 56) Wisconsin admitted May 29, 1848 (9 Stat. 233)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 79
• April 18, 1836: Senate accepts the House version of 24 S. 92 without a recorded vote.681
• April 20, 1836: President Andrew Jackson signs 24 S. 92, creating the Wisconsin Territory as of July 3, 1836.682
• January 13, 1846: Delegate Morgan L. Martin of Wisconsin introduces 29 H.R. 105, a bill that would enable Wisconsin residents to write a constitution and form a government ahead of statehood.683
• June 9, 1846: House amends and passes 29 H.R. 105 without a recorded vote.684
• June 10, 1846: House votes to reconsider its vote to pass 29 H.R. 105, then amends and passes it without a recorded vote.685
• August 5, 1846: Senate passes 29 H.R. 105 without a recorded vote.686
• August 6, 1846: President James K. Polk signs 29 H.R. 105, enabling Wisconsin residents to write a constitution and form a state government.687
• October 5, 1846: Delegates gather in Madison to write a state constitution.688
• December 16, 1846: The Madison convention adjourns after completing work on a state constitution.689
• April 6, 1847: Wisconsin voters reject ratification of the state constitution, 20,233 to 14,119.690
• December 15, 1847: Delegates gather in Madison for a second constitutional convention.691
• February 1, 1848: Delegates at the second Madison convention approve a new state constitution by a vote of 60 to 1.692
• March 13, 1848: Wisconsin voters ratify the new state constitution, 16,759 to 6,384.693
681 Senate Journal, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (April 18, 1836), p. 294; Congressional Globe, 24th Cong., 1st sess. (April 18, 1836), p. 370.
682 5 Stat. 10.
683 House Journal, 29th Cong., 1st sess. (January 13, 1846), p. 253; Congressional Globe, 29th Cong., 1st sess. (January 13, 1846), p. 196.
684 House Journal, 29th Cong., 1st sess. (June 9, 1846), pp. 931-932; Congressional Globe, 29th Cong., 1st sess. (June 9, 1846), pp. 949-950.
685 The House’s initial vote on reconsideration was recorded in the House Journal as 127-45 and in the Congressional Globe as 125-45. See House Journal, 29th Cong., 1st sess. (June 10, 1846), pp. 936-938, and Congressional Globe, 29th Cong., 1st sess. (June 10, 1846), pp. 952-953.
686 Senate Journal, 29th Cong., 1st sess. (August 5, 1846), p. 482; Congressional Globe, 29th Cong., 1st sess. (August 5, 1846), p. 1194.
687 9 Stat. 56.
688 Journal of the Convention to Form a Constitution for the State of Wisconsin: Begun and Held at Madison, on the Fifth Day of October, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Forty-Six (Madison, WI: Beriah Brown, 1847), p. 3.
689 Journal of the Convention to Form a Constitution for the State of Wisconsin (1847), p. 477.
690 Jack Stark, The Wisconsin State Constitution: A Reference Guide (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997), p. 4.
691 Journal of the Convention to Form a Constitution for the State of Wisconsin, With a Sketch of the Debates, Begun and Held at Madison, on the Fifteenth Day of December, Eighteen Hundred and Forty-Seven (Madison, WI: Tenney, Smith & Holt, 1848), p. 3.
692 Journal of the Convention to Form a Constitution for the State of Wisconsin (1848), p. 599.
693 Stark, Wisconsin State Constitution, p. 8.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 80
• April 13, 1848: Representative Caleb B. Smith of Indiana reports 30 H.R. 397, a bill to admit Wisconsin as a state, from the House Committee on Territories.694
• May 11, 1848: House amends 30 H.R. 397 and passes it without a recorded vote.695
• May 19, 1848: Senate passes 30 H.R. 397 without a recorded vote.696
• May 29, 1848: President Polk signs 30 H.R. 397, admitting Wisconsin into the Union as the 30th state.697
• February 2, 1848: The United States, in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, acquires from Mexico part of the land that will become Wyoming , adding to territory acquired earlier in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, the annexation of Texas in 1845, and the Oregon Treaty of 1846.698
• February 13, 1868: Senator Richard Yates of Illinois introduces 40 S. 357, a bill to create the Wyoming Territory.699
• June 3, 1868: Senate amends 40 S. 357 and passes it without a recorded vote.700
• July 22, 1868: House passes 40 S. 357 by a 106-50 vote.701
• July 25, 1868: President Andrew Johnson signs 40 S. 357, creating the Wyoming Territory.702
• June 3, 1889: Territorial Governor Francis E. Warren sets a July election for delegates to a constitutional convention that will meet in Cheyenne.703
• September 2, 1889: Delegates gather in Cheyenne to write a state constitution.704
694 House Journal, 30th Cong., 1st sess. (April 13, 1848), p. 677; Congressional Globe, 30th Cong., 1st sess. (April 13, 1848), p. 623.
695 House Journal, 30th Cong., 1st sess. (May 11, 1848), pp. 787-789; Congressional Globe, 30th Cong., 1st sess. (May 11, 1848), pp. 754-755.
696 Senate Journal, 30th Cong., 1st sess. (May 19, 1848), p. 351; Congressional Globe, 30th Cong., 1st sess. (May 19, 1848), p. 785.
697 9 Stat. 233.
698 Phil Roberts, “The State of Wyoming,” in Shearer, Uniting States, vol. 3, pp. 1351-1378.
699 Senate Journal, 40th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 13, 1868), p. 185; Congressional Globe, 40th Cong., 2nd sess. (February 13, 1868), p. 1143.
700 Senate Journal, 40th Cong., 2nd sess. (June 3, 1868), p. 450; Congressional Globe, 40th Cong., 2nd sess. (June 3, 1868), p. 2802.
701 House Journal, 40th Cong., 2nd sess. (July 22, 1868), pp. 1150-1151; Congressional Globe, 40th Cong., 2nd sess. (July 22, 1868), p. 4345.
702 15 Stat. 178.
703 “Proclamation by the Governor,” in Report of the Governor of Wyoming to the Secretary of the Interior, 1889, by Francis E. Warren (Washington: GPO, 1889), pp. 123-124.
704 Journal and Debates of the Constitutional Convention of the State of Wyoming (Cheyenne, WY: The Daily Sun, Book and Job Printing, 1893), p. 3.
Wyoming: 44th State
Wyoming Territory created July 25, 1868 (15 Stat. 178) Wyoming admitted July 10, 1890 (26 Stat. 222)
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service 81
• September 30, 1889: Delegates at the Cheyenne convention vote 37-0 to adopt a state constitution for Wyoming.705
• November 5, 1889: Wyoming voters ratify the new state constitution, 6,272 to 1,923.706
• December 18, 1889: Delegate Joseph M. Carey of Wyoming introduces 51 H.R. 982, a bill to admit Wyoming as a state.707
• March 26, 1890: House amends and passes 51 H.R. 982 by a 139-127 vote.708
• June 27, 1890: Senate amends and passes 51 H.R. 982 by a 29-18 vote.709
• July 8, 1890: House passes the Senate-amended version of 51 H.R. 982 without a recorded vote.710
• July 10, 1890: President Benjamin Harrison signs 51 H.R. 982, admitting Wyoming into the Union as the 44th state.711
Ben Leubsdorf Senior Research Librarian
Carol Wilson
Senior Research Librarian
Kathleen E. Marchsteiner Senior Research Librarian
705 Journal and Debates of the Constitutional Convention of the State of Wyoming, p. 863.
706 Warren, Report of the Governor of Wyoming to the Secretary of the Interior, 1890 (Washington: GPO, 1890), p. 14.
707 House Journal, 51st Cong., 1st sess. (December 18, 1889), p. 41; Congressional Record, vol. 21, part 1 (December 18, 1889), pp. 261-262.
708 House Journal, 51st Cong., 1st sess. (March 26, 1890), pp. 391-392; Congressional Record, vol. 21, part 3 (March 26, 1890), pp. 2711-2712.
709 Senate Journal, 51st Cong., 1st sess. (June 27, 1890), p. 400; Congressional Record, vol. 21, part 7 (June 27, 1890), p. 6589.
710 House Journal, 51st Cong., 1st sess. (July 8, 1890), p. 833; Congressional Record, vol. 21, part 7 (July 8, 1890), p. 7034.
711 26 Stat. 222.
Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide
Congressional Research Service R47747 · VERSION 14 · UPDATED 82
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.