Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide

Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide

Admission of States to the Union: A Historical Reference Guide

Updated January 6, 2026 (R47747)
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Contents

Introduction

Overview

About This Report

Sources, Compilations, and Additional Resources

Summary Tables

Statehood Timelines

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Tables

Table 1. Chronological List of State Admissions

Table 2. Territorial Acts

Table 3. Enabling Acts

Table 4. Admission Acts

Table 5. Referendum Votes

Summary

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.

Introduction

Overview

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

About This Report

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 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

Sources, Compilations, and Additional Resources

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 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.

Summary Tables

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

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. (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. (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. Territorial 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

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

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.

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

Mar. 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

Mar. 3, 1875

164-76

Feb. 24, 1875

43-13b

Mar. 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

Mar. 1, 1817

3 Stat. 348

Missouri

Mar. 2, 1820

90-87 and 134-42

Mar. 2, 1820

Mar. 6, 1820

3 Stat. 545

Montana

Feb. 20, 1889

Feb. 20, 1889

Feb. 22, 1889

25 Stat. 676c

50 S. 185c

Nebraska

Mar. 17, 1864

Apr. 14, 1864

Apr. 19, 1864

13 Stat. 47

38 H.R. 14½

Nevada

Mar. 17, 1864

Feb. 24, 1864

Mar. 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

Mar. 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 listed if the question was divided. No vote count is listed when 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

Mar. 3, 1875

164-76

Feb. 24, 1875

43-13a

Mar. 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

Feb. 13, 1845

144-48a

Mar. 1, 1845

36-9

Mar. 3, 1845

5 Stat. 742

28 H.R. 497

Georgia

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Hawaii

Mar. 12, 1959

323-89

Mar. 11, 1959

76-15

Mar. 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

Unanimousa

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

Mar. 3, 1820

Mar. 3, 1820

Mar. 3, 1820

3 Stat. 544

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

Mar. 2, 1821

3 Stat. 645

Montana

Feb. 20, 1889

Feb. 20, 1889

Feb. 22, 1889

25 Stat. 676c

50 S. 185c

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

Mar. 17, 1864

Feb. 24, 1864

Mar. 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

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. 676c

50 S. 185c

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. 267c

59 H.R. 12707c

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. 676c

50 S. 185c

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. 107c

53 H.R. 352c

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. 676c

50 S. 185c

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 "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 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

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

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

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

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.

Statehood Timelines

Alabama

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)

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

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

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

Alaska

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)

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

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

Arizona

Arizona: 48th State

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)

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

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

Arkansas

Arkansas: 25th State

Arkansas Territory created July 4, 1819 (3 Stat. 493)

Arkansas admitted June 15, 1836 (5 Stat. 50)

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 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

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

California

California: 31st State

California admitted September 9, 1850 (9 Stat. 452)

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

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

Colorado

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)

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 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

Connecticut

Connecticut: Fifth State

Connecticut ratified Constitution January 9, 1788

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

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

Delaware

Delaware: First State

Delaware ratified Constitution December 7, 1787

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

Florida

Florida: 27th State

Florida Territory created March 30, 1822 (3 Stat. 654)

Florida admitted March 3, 1845 (5 Stat. 742)

February 22, 1819: The United States acquires Florida from Spain in the Adams-Onís Treaty.¹²⁸

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

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

Georgia

Georgia: Fourth State

Georgia ratified Constitution January 2, 1788

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

Hawaii

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)

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

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

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

Idaho

Idaho: 43rd State

Idaho Territory created March 3, 1863 (12 Stat. 808)

Idaho admitted July 3, 1890 (26 Stat. 215)

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

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

Illinois

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)

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

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

Indiana

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)

September 3, 1783: The United States acquires the land that will become Indiana from Great Britain in the Treaty of Paris.¹⁹⁴

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

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

Iowa

Iowa: 29th State

Iowa Territory created July 3, 1838 (5 Stat. 235)

Iowa admitted December 28, 1846 (9 Stat. 117)

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

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

Kansas

Kansas: 34th State

Kansas Territory created May 30, 1854 (10 Stat. 277)

Kansas admitted January 29, 1861 (12 Stat. 126)

April 30, 1803: The United States acquires part of the land that will become Kansas from France in the Louisiana Purchase, with additional 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

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

Kentucky

Kentucky: 15th State

Kentucky admitted June 1, 1792 (1 Stat. 189)

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

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

Louisiana

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)

April 30, 1803: Robert Livingston and James Monroe sign the Louisiana 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

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.

Maine

Maine: 23rd State

Maine admitted March 15, 1820 (3 Stat. 544)

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

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

Maryland

Maryland: Seventh State

Maryland ratified Constitution April 28, 1788

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

Massachusetts

Massachusetts: Sixth State

Massachusetts ratified Constitution February 6, 1788

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

Michigan

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)

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 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

Minnesota

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)

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

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

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

Mississippi

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.)

September 3, 1783: The United States acquires 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

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

Missouri

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)

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

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

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

Montana

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)

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

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

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

Nebraska

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)

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

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

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

Nevada

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)

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

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

New Hampshire

New Hampshire: Ninth State

New Hampshire ratified Constitution June 21, 1788

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

New Jersey

New Jersey: Third State

New Jersey ratified Constitution December 18, 1787

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

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

New Mexico

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)

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

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

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

New York: 11th State

New York ratified Constitution July 26, 1788

New York

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 Britain.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

North Carolina

North Carolina: 12th State

North Carolina ratified Constitution November 21, 1789

March 24, 1663: King Charles II grants a charter to eight men, later known as the "Lords Proprietors," 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

North Dakota

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)

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

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

November 2, 1889: President Benjamin Harrison issues a proclamation admitting North Dakota.⁴⁸²

Ohio

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)

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

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

Oklahoma

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)

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

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

Oregon

Oregon: 33rd State

Oregon Territory created August 14, 1848 (9 Stat. 323)

Oregon admitted February 14, 1859 (11 Stat. 383)

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

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

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania: Second State

Pennsylvania ratified Constitution December 12, 1787

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

Rhode Island

Rhode Island: 13th State

Rhode Island ratified Constitution May 29, 1790

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

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

South Carolina

South Carolina: Eighth State

South Carolina ratified Constitution May 23, 1788

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

South Dakota

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)

April 30, 1803: The United States acquires part of the land that will become South Dakota from France in the Louisiana Purchase, with 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

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

Tennessee

Tennessee: 16th State

Southwest Territory created May 26, 1790 (1 Stat. 123)

Tennessee admitted June 1, 1796 (1 Stat. 491)

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

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

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

Texas

Texas: 28th State

Annexation law enacted March 1, 1845 (5 Stat. 797)

Texas admitted December 29, 1845 (9 Stat. 108)

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

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

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

Utah

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)

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

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

Vermont

Vermont: 14th State

Vermont admitted March 4, 1791 (1 Stat. 191)

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

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

Virginia

Virginia: 10th State

Virginia ratified Constitution June 25, 1788

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

Washington

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)

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

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

November 11, 1889: President Benjamin Harrison issues a proclamation declaring Washington's admission into the Union as the 42nd state.⁶⁵⁴

West Virginia

West Virginia: 35th State

Admission law enacted December 31, 1862 (12 Stat. 633)

West Virginia admitted June 20, 1863 (13 Stat. 731)

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

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 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

Wisconsin

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)

September 3, 1783: The United States acquires 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

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

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

Wyoming

Wyoming: 44th State

Wyoming Territory created July 25, 1868 (15 Stat. 178)

Wyoming admitted July 10, 1890 (26 Stat. 222)

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

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

Footnotes

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.

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.

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.

18.

Two volumes, edited by Michael Chiorazzi and Marguerite Most (The Haworth Information Press, 2005).

19.

Three volumes, edited by Benjamin F. Shearer (Greenwood Press, 2004).

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 (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.

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.

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 (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.

44.

37 Stat. 512.

45.

Ernest Gruening, Annual Report of the Governor of Alaska to the Secretary of the Interior (GPO, 1947), p. 1.

46.

Minutes of the Daily Proceedings, Alaska Constitutional Convention, vol. 1 (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 (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.

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 (Press of Phoenix Printing Co., 1910), p. 5.

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 (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 (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 (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.

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.

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 (GPO, 1909), p. 391.

95.

James McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (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.

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.

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 (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 (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 (GPO, 1906) (July 4, 1776), pp. 510-516.

119.

Journals of the Continental Congress, vol. 11 (July 9, 1778), p. 677.

120.

Max Farrand (ed.), The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787, vol. 3 (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 (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.

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 (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.

141.

5 Stat. 742. See the "Iowa" timeline for details 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.

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 (University of Hawai'i Press, 1984), pp. 71-78 and 353.

156.

Proceedings of the Constitutional Convention of Hawaii, 1950, vol. 1 (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.

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 (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.

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.

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 (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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Convention Which Framed the Constitution of Kansas at Wyandotte in July, 1859 (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.

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 (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.

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.

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.

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 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008), p. 158; Appendix V in Ronald F. Banks, Maine Becomes a State: The Movement to Separate Maine from Massachusetts, 1785-1820 (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.

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.

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/michiganconstitution1963asratified.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.

315.

Schwartz, "The State of Michigan," pp. 610-611.

316.

"First Convention of Assent of the Territory of Michigan," in Michigan Manual 2015-2016 (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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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 (State Publishing Co., 1921), p. 13.

387.

Proceedings and Debates of the Constitutional Convention Held in the City of Helena, p. 971.

388.

Ellis L. Waldron, Montana Politics Since 1864: An Atlas of Elections (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.

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 (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.

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.

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. (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.

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.

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 (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 (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 (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.

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/BQCwhgziBcwMYgK4DsDWsBGB7LqC2YATqgJIAm0YAGiVQJQA0yWALgKYQCKibhAntADkghhDZEE3XgOGjxhBAGUshFgCEBAJQCiAGW0A1AIIA5AMLaGLMBmgsscOnSA.

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 (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.

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.

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.

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 (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.

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.

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.

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 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 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 (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.

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.

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 years-long 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.

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.

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 (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 (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.

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://discover.llmc.com/00102t, 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Years, 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.

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 (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.

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://www2.sos.wa.gov/archives/timeline.

643.

House Journal, 32nd Cong., 2nd sess. (January 25, 1853), p. 185; Congressional Globe, 32nd Cong., 2nd sess. (January 25, 1853), p. 402.

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 (William S. Hein & Co., 1999); Washington State Archives, Washington State Constitution, at https://www.sos.wa.gov/archives/explore-our-collection/washington-state-constitution.

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.

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 (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/.

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.

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.

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 (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.

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.

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.