Indiana History » Indiana, the Nineteenth State (1816)
After Indian trouble and the War of 1812 the Indiana Territory was ready for statehood. A main figure in Indiana’s road to statehood was Jonathan Jennings. Jennings was born in New Jersey and raised in Pennsylvania. Like many other settlers to the Indiana Territory Jennings came to this area by floating down the Ohio River on a flatboat. Jennings, while in the Indiana Territory, practiced law, sold land and published a newspaper.
Jonathan Jennings wanted to represent the Indiana people in Congress. He traveled throughout the Indiana Territory campaigning. Most people liked him and elected him to Congress in 1809 and again in 1811.
While in Congress, Jennings petitioned the government for Indiana statehood in 1811. However, when the War of 1812 broke out, this issue was delayed. After the war, however, Congress ordered the officials in the Indiana Territory to take a census of those people living in the territory. The census reported that there were 63,000 adults living within Indiana. This was well above the population number a territory needed for statehood.
In 1816 Jonathan Jennings petitioned Congress for an enabling act. An enabling act was a legal procedure territories followed in order to become states. Congress soon passed the act that set the boundaries of the future state of Indiana. The act also required the new leaders to meet and write a state constitution.
After Indiana Enabling Act was passed, delegates from within the new state were chosen to attend the state constitutional convention.
Jonathan Jennings wanted to represent the Indiana people in Congress. He traveled throughout the Indiana Territory campaigning. Most people liked him and elected him to Congress in 1809 and again in 1811.
While in Congress, Jennings petitioned the government for Indiana statehood in 1811. However, when the War of 1812 broke out, this issue was delayed. After the war, however, Congress ordered the officials in the Indiana Territory to take a census of those people living in the territory. The census reported that there were 63,000 adults living within Indiana. This was well above the population number a territory needed for statehood.
In 1816 Jonathan Jennings petitioned Congress for an enabling act. An enabling act was a legal procedure territories followed in order to become states. Congress soon passed the act that set the boundaries of the future state of Indiana. The act also required the new leaders to meet and write a state constitution.
After Indiana Enabling Act was passed, delegates from within the new state were chosen to attend the state constitutional convention.
The Constitutional Convention
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Indiana was also the first state to start a state-funded public school system. The constitution also set aside one township for a public university. Indiana University in Bloomington was later built in one of these townships. After the constitution was written, an election was held to determine Indiana’s first governor and members of the General Assembly. Jonathan Jennings was appointed (appointed because someone could not be elected before a territory became a state) as the first governor of Indiana. Indiana now had a working constitution and state government. On December 11, 1816 Indiana was admitted to the United States as the nineteenth state in the union. To read the 1816 Indiana State Constitution visit http://www.in.gov/history/2460.htm The Indiana State Constitution was amended and edited in 1851. To read the 1851 Indiana State Constitution visit http://www.in.gov/history/2473.htm |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Jennings