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Forts of Vincennes, Indiana

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85-735: During the 18th and early 19th centuries, the French, British and U.S. forces built and occupied a number of forts at Vincennes, Indiana . These outposts commanded a strategic position on the Wabash River . The names of the installations were changed by the various ruling parties, and the forts were considered strategic in the French and Indian War , the American Revolutionary War , the Northwest Indian War and

170-413: A census of the settlement, built up the fort, and renamed it Fort Sackville . The population grew quickly in the years that followed, resulting in a unique culture of interdependent Native Americans , Canadien settlers and British traders. Vincennes was far from centers of British power. In 1770 and 1772, Thomas Gage , the commander in chief of Britain's North American forces, received warnings that

255-684: A century, until the Acts of Union 1800 merged the separate British and Irish Parliaments into a single Parliament of the United Kingdom with effect from 1 January 1801. Following the Treaty of Union in 1706, Acts of Union ratifying the Treaty were passed in both the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland, which created a new Kingdom of Great Britain. The Acts paved the way for

340-537: A fort in 1731–1732. The outpost was designed to secure the lower Wabash Valley for France, mostly by strengthening ties through trading with the Miami , Wea , and Piankashaw nations. It was named Fort Vincennes in honor of Vincennes, who had been captured and burned at the stake in 1735 during a war with the Chickasaw nation based to the south. In 1736, Louis Groston de Saint-Ange de Bellerive assumed command of

425-583: A good view up the river. This fort was also called Fort Knox, and referred to locally as Fort Knox II. The sleepy little fort was known mostly as a site of duels (Captain Thorton Posey shot his second-in-command in 1811) and desertion. But by 1811 disagreements between Gov. Harrison and Indian leader Tecumseh were reaching a head. Captain Zachary Taylor was put in charge of the fort. Late in 1811 Fort Knox II had its most important period when it

510-432: A group of his ministers, the foremost of whom was Sir Robert Walpole , and by the end of his reign in 1727 the position of the ministers – who had to rely on Parliament for support – was cemented. George I's successor, his son George II , continued to follow through with his father's domestic policies and made little effort to re-establish monarchical control over the government which was now in firm control by Parliament. By

595-809: A large, armed party, whether over land or via the Wabash River. On September 30, 1790, Major Hamtramck led 350 men from Vincennes as far north as the Vermillion River , to engage some of the Indian villages which had been at war with Vincennes. The Kickapoo tracked the party, however, and evacuated every village along the way before the Americans arrived. Hamtramck destroyed some abandoned villages, but he did not engage any war parties. Faced with desertions from Kentucky militia, Hamtramck returned to Vincennes. The expedition had done no serious harm to

680-617: A mounted Kentucky militia across the Ohio River and destroyed a friendly Piankeshaw town near Vincennes. This led to a series of attacks and counter-attacks between Wabash Indians and American settlers. Finally, on July 15, 1786, the Wabash landed in forty-seven war canoes at Vincennes to drive the Americans back to Kentucky. The Indians warned the Canadians in advance of their attack and assured them that they would not be harmed, but

765-493: A new fort a few blocks north of the old one and named it Fort Knox (usually referred to by local historians as Fort Knox I), after the U.S. Secretary of War. It was located at the present-day intersection of First and Buntin streets. During the relative peace with the British and most Native American tribes from 1787 to 1803, Fort Knox was the westernmost American military outpost. But the garrison at Fort Knox did not get along with

850-600: A son of the great Tecumseh , were in the company." Those who were pro-slavery tried to perform an end run around the Indiana constitution by putting in place indentured servitude under which slaves, in theory, appeared to be able earn their freedom. However, the terms often placed on indentured servants were so excessive, many never actually never were able to achieve freedom. —Rebecca R. Bibbs, It took two Supreme Court cases to end slavery in Indiana Slavery

935-566: A victory a few years before. On February 10, 1816, the garrison was ordered to Fort Harrison, and Fort Knox was abandoned. Within weeks, Vincennes residents had stripped the fort of all usable materials. The "Muster on the Wabash" is the annual Fall gathering of U.S Army, U.S. Militia, British Mercenaries, and Native American reenactors dedicated to reliving the period's history at Fort Knox II. 38°43′30″N 87°30′23″W  /  38.7251202°N 87.5062652°W  / 38.7251202; -87.5062652 Vincennes, Indiana Vincennes

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1020-407: Is a city in, and the county seat of, Knox County, Indiana , United States. It is located on the lower Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state, nearly halfway between Evansville and Terre Haute . It was founded in 1732 by French fur traders , including the namesake François-Marie Bissot, Sieur de Vincennes . It is the oldest continually inhabited European settlement in Indiana and

1105-538: Is interpretive signage in a park setting. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. After the war, the threat of attacks again decreased, and friction between residents and soldiers again became an issue. Since the Native American territories decreased and moved farther north, it was decided to move the garrison to Fort Harrison, near Terre Haute , where the troops had won

1190-508: Is not known, but because the Buffalo Trace crosses the Wabash at Vincennes, many believe it was here. The post was a success; in the first two years, the traders collected over 13,000 buffalo hides. When Juchereau died, the post was abandoned. The French-Canadian settlers left what they considered hostile territory for Mobile (in present-day Alabama), then the capital of Louisiana . The oldest European town in Indiana, Vincennes

1275-840: The British Parliament passed the Quebec Act , which enlarged the boundaries of the Province of Quebec to include the Ohio Country and Illinois Country . It reached to the Appalachian Mountains on the east, south to the Ohio River , west to the Mississippi River and north to the southern boundary of the Hudson's Bay Company -owned region of Rupert's Land . Lieutenant Governor Edward Abbott

1360-482: The Buffalo Trace . The militia spent ten days in Vincennes before marching north along the Wabash, but men deserted by the hundreds. Clark was soon forced to return to Vincennes without any action taken. Clark left 150 men to help defend Vincennes, but this force soon turned into a lawless mob, and the citizens of Vincennes petitioned Congress for help. Secretary of War Henry Knox sent Colonel Josiah Harmar and

1445-487: The First American Regiment to restore order. The Kentucky militia fled Vincennes at the approach of U.S. Regulars . Colonel Harmar left 100 regulars under Major Jean François Hamtramck and directed them to build a fort, Fort Knox . Vincennes remained an isolated town, difficult to supply due to its position deep within Indian territory. Secure transport to and from Vincennes meant travelling with

1530-673: The French and Indian War (part of the Seven Years' War ), and as result ceded territory east of the Mississippi River , including Vincennes, to the victorious British . Once the area was under British control, it was associated with the Province of Quebec until after the Revolutionary War . It then became part of the Illinois County of the Colony and Dominion of Virginia . Next it became part of Knox County in

1615-468: The Miami tribe , persuaded the Piankeshaw to establish a village at his trading post. He also encouraged Canadien settlers to move there, and started his own family to increase the village population. Because the Wabash post was so remote, however, Vincennes had a hard time getting trade supplies from Louisiana for the native nations, who were also being courted by English traders. The boundary between

1700-747: The Middle Ages , so that in many "rotten" and "pocket" boroughs seats could be bought, while major cities remained unrepresented, except by the Knights of the Shire representing whole counties. Reformers and Radicals sought parliamentary reform, but as the French Revolutionary Wars developed the British government became repressive against dissent and progress towards reform was stalled. George II's successor, George III , sought to restore royal supremacy and absolute monarchy, but by

1785-703: The Northwest Territory , and it was later included in the Indiana Territory . Vincennes served as capital of the Indiana Territory from 1800 until 1813, when the government was moved to Corydon . The first trading post on the Wabash River was established by Sieur Juchereau, Lieutenant General of Montréal . With thirty-four Canadiens , he founded the company post on October 28, 1702, to trade for Buffalo hides with American Indians . The exact location of Juchereau's trading post

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1870-720: The War of 1812 . The last fort was abandoned in 1816. The settlement around the forts was best known as the territorial capital of the Northwest Territory (later, the Indiana Territory). The best known event was Gen. William Henry Harrison 's mustering of forces at Vincennes just prior to his campaign against the Indian capital at Prophetstown in Tippecanoe, culminating in the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811 during

1955-496: The census of 2010, there were 18,423 people, 7,407 households, and 4,108 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,486.2 inhabitants per square mile (959.9/km ). There were 8,259 housing units at an average density of 1,114.6 per square mile (430.3/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 91.9% White , 4.7% African American , 0.3% Native American , 0.7% Asian , 0.7% from other races , and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.9% of

2040-607: The "rotten boroughs" to London and the counties were defeated in the House of Commons by 248 votes to 174. In the wake of the French Revolution of 1789, Radical organisations such as the London Corresponding Society sprang up to press for parliamentary reform, but as the French Revolutionary Wars developed the government took extensive repressive measures against feared domestic unrest aping

2125-547: The American revolutionaries, as did the local Piankeshaw , led by Chief Young Tobacco . Lieutenant Colonel George R. Clark , Captain Leonard Helm, and others created a plan to capture the French forts that the British occupied after Louisiana was ceded. After Kaskaskia was captured by Clark, Lieutenant Governor Henry Hamilton sent British soldiers and reinforcements from Detroit to Fort Vincennes and helped to rebuild

2210-526: The Canadians warned the Americans. They quickly supplied Fort Patrick Henry and waited out the siege . One American was killed and four wounded, and the war party left after destroying the Americans' farms. In response, Virginia governor Patrick Henry authorized George Rogers Clark to raise the Kentucky militia and mount an expedition against the warring tribes. General Clark gathered a force of 1,000 militia and departed Clarksville September 9, 1786, along

2295-617: The Canadiens. This competition escalated in the Ohio Country until 1754 and the eruption of the French and Indian War (the North American theater of the Seven Years' War between Britain and France.) On February 10, 1763, when New France was ceded to the British at the conclusion of the French and Indian War , Vincennes fell under the authority of Great Britain. British officer John Ramsey came to Vincennes in 1766. He took

2380-490: The English nobility. Most candidates for the House of Commons were identified as Whigs or Tories , but once elected they formed shifting coalitions of interests rather than dividing along clear party lines. At general elections the vote was restricted in most places to property owners, in constituencies which were out of date and did not reflect the growing importance of manufacturing towns or shifts of population, so that in

2465-399: The French colonies of Louisiana and Canada, although inexact in the first years of the settlement, was decreed in 1745 to run between Fort Ouiatenon (below the site of modern-day Lafayette, Indiana ) and Vincennes. In 1736, during the French war with the Chickasaw nation, Vincennes was captured and burned at the stake near the present-day town of Fulton, Mississippi . His settlement on

2550-606: The Inhabitants and settlers at Vincennes and the Illinois country, in the territory northwest of the Ohio, and for confirming them in their possessions (1791) . By 1798, the population had reached 2,500. Vincennes was no longer considered a trading outpost, but a thriving city. Elihu Stout published the first newspaper in the Indiana Territory in 1804 at Vincennes. The Indiana Gazette debuted on July 31, 1804. Fire destroyed

2635-692: The King of France] granted us." The issue was resolved by Hillsborough's successor, Lord Dartmouth , who insisted to Gage that the residents were not lawless vagabonds, but British subjects whose rights were protected by the Crown. Gage took no action against the residents of Vincennes. In 1778, residents at Poste Vincennes received word of the French alliance with the American Second Continental Congress from Father Pierre Gibault and Dr. Jean Laffont. They mobilized in support of

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2720-602: The Mississippi River to the British. On May 18, 1764, St. Ange was directed by the British to leave Fort Vincennes and assume command of Fort Chartres in Illinois Country along the upper Mississippi. He transferred command to Drouet de Richerville, a local citizen. British Lt. John Ramsey came to Vincennes in 1766. He took a census of the settlement, built up the fort, and renamed it Fort Sackville in honor of Lord George Sackville . The population around

2805-779: The Ohio River to Kentucky, hoping to raise troops for an assault on British-held Fort Detroit , but he was unsuccessful. In spring 1780, the Virginia troops withdrew from the Vincennes fort, leaving it in the control of local militia. After the Revolution, several dozen Kentucky families settled in Vincennes. Friction between these Americans, the ethnic French-dominated local government, and the native peoples resulted in Virginia Governor Patrick Henry to dispatching George Rogers Clark to command militia to

2890-593: The Sugar Loaf Mound and the Pyramid Mound . In historic times, prominent local Indian groups who drove these people out were the Shawnee , Wabash , and the Miami tribe . The first European settlers were French, when Vincennes was founded as part of the French colony of Illinois Country , New France. Later on, it would be transferred to the colony of Louisiana . Several years later, France lost

2975-737: The United States Supreme Court invalidated the deeds. The claims based on French sovereignty or individual deeds issued under it were eventually rejected by congress, because if there were such grants, they passed to the United States by the Treaty of Paris 1783. By right of conquest, George Rogers Clark secured this land for the United States in 1779 and the Land Act of 1796 honored its boundaries. The Vincennes Donation Lands were embodied in An Act for granting lands to

3060-426: The Wabash was renamed Poste Vincennes in his honor. Louisiana governor Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville , next appointed Louis Groston de Saint-Ange de Bellerive to command Poste Vincennes. As the French colonists pushed north from Louisiana and south from Canada, however, the American colonists to the east continued to push west. In addition, British traders lured away many of Indians who had traded with

3145-590: The War of 1812. The former site of what is known as "Fort Knox II" has been marked and preserved as a state historic site. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The first trading post on the Wabash River was established by Sieur Charles Juchereau, the first Lieutenant-General of the Royal Jurisdiction of the Provostship of Montreal. Sieur Juchereau along with 34 Canadiens , founded

3230-404: The average family size was 2.85. In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.0% under the age of 18, 20.5% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males. The median income for a household in the city

3315-438: The capital of La Louisiane . The exact location of Juchereau's trading post has not been determined. Because the Buffalo Trace crossed the Wabash at Vincennes, some historians believe the post was at or near the site of the modern city of Vincennes. Some other historians place the post 50 miles to the south. François-Marie Bissot, Sieur de Vincennes , acting under the authority of the French colony of Louisiana , constructed

3400-468: The capital of the province, where Governor Thomas Jefferson held them as prisoners of war. Clark renamed the post as Fort Patrick Henry after the American patriot and Founding Father Patrick Henry . In his wilderness campaigns in this territory, Clark sought to remove the British as a threat to Virginia's western settlements, in what became Kentucky but was then still part of the original colony. After accomplishing that objective, he returned south of

3485-455: The city from north to south, and U.S. Route 50 passes just to the north of the city from east to west. According to the 2010 census, Vincennes has a total area of 7.478 square miles (19.37 km ), of which 7.41 square miles (19.19 km ) (or 99.09%) is land and 0.068 square miles (0.18 km ) (or 0.91%) is water. Vincennes has a humid subtropical climate with hot summers and cool winters with heavy rainfall at times throughout much of

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3570-415: The city. It features the signature V, four fleurs-de-lis , symbolizing the city's French heritage, its existence in four centuries: 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st, since the city's establishment in 1732. Similar in appearance to the flag of Indianapolis , Vincennes' flag is more squared in appearance and has a diamond center rather than a circle. It represents the layout of Vincennes. White stripes radiating from

3655-431: The city. The population density was 2,620.3 inhabitants per square mile (1,011.7/km ). There were 8,574 housing units at an average density of 1,201.4 per square mile (463.9/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 94.34% White , 3.28% African American , 0.25% Native American , 0.72% Asian , 0.06% Pacific Islander , 0.48% from other races , and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.02% of

3740-588: The company post on October 28, 1702 for the purpose of trading for buffalo hides to be supplied by Native Americans. In the first three years, the post collected more than 13,000 buffalo hides. When Juchereau died, the post was abandoned. The French colonial settlers left what they considered hostile territory in the Illinois Country , and relocated to Mobile (now in Alabama on the Gulf Coast), then

3825-485: The cost of maintaining frontier posts. They did not station troops in the Wabash Valley at all for a decade following the conflict. Fort Vincennes fell into disrepair, and the government ordered Vincennes to be evacuated due to ongoing lawlessness. The residents united and proved to the British authorities that they were permanent residents, not illegal squatters. British neglect came to an end on June 2, 1774, when

3910-616: The course of the Wabash River at Vincennes. The tract was ceded by France to Britain by treaty in 1763 after the French and Indian War. On October 18, 1775, an agent for the Wabash Company purchased two tracts of land along the Wabash River from the Piankeshaw tribe called the 'Plankashaw Deed'. In these deeds, the Vincennes Tract was excepted, and it was the first recognition of the tract in period documents. Eventually,

3995-694: The democratic and egalitarian ideals of the French Revolution and progress toward reform was stalled for decades. In 1801, the Parliament of the United Kingdom was created when the Kingdom of Great Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland under the Acts of Union 1800 . Monmouthshire (One County constituency with two members and one single member Borough constituency)

4080-431: The diamond represent Vincennes' part in the settlement of the frontier, as it was at the crossroads of several great pioneer trails. Vincennes is located on the banks of the Wabash River at the western edge of Knox County. This is also the western edge of the state of Indiana, and Illinois is across the river to the west. The city lies about 100 miles (160 km) southwest of Indianapolis . U.S. Route 41 passes through

4165-612: The electors of Westminster. This included calls for the six points later adopted by the Chartists . The American War of Independence ended in defeat for a foreign policy that sought to prevent the thirteen American colonies from breaking away and forming their own independent nation , something which George III had fervently advocated, and in March 1782 the king was forced to appoint an administration led by his opponents which sought to curb royal patronage. In November of 1783, he took

4250-404: The enactment of the treaty of Union which created a new parliament, referred to as the 'Parliament of Great Britain', based in the home of the former English parliament. All of the traditions, procedures, and standing orders of the English parliament were retained, although there is no provision for this within the treaty; furthermore, the incumbent officers and members representing England comprised

4335-540: The end of forced labor in Indiana. On November 4, 2007, Knox County joined Daviess , Martin , Pike , and Dubois counties in returning to the Eastern Time zone . Controversy concerning time in Indiana has caused a change in the time zone of Vincennes on three different occasions since the Standard Time Act of 1918 . This flag for the city of Vincennes, Indiana, albeit unofficial, is used around

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4420-403: The end of his reign the position of the king's ministers – who discovered that they needed the support of Parliament to enact any major changes – had become central to the role of British governance, and would remain so ever after. During the first half of George III's reign, the monarch still had considerable influence over Parliament, which itself was dominated by the patronage and influence of

4505-486: The end of the 18th century the monarch still had considerable influence over Parliament, which was dominated by the English aristocracy, by means of patronage , but had ceased to exert direct power: for instance, the last occasion on which royal assent was withheld was in 1708 by Queen Anne , even this being done only at the request of her ministers. At general elections the vote was restricted to freeholders and landowners, in constituencies that had changed little since

4590-428: The enemies of Vincennes, but it distracted some of the Wabash villages while Josiah Harmar, now a General, led a much larger expedition up through Ohio country towards Kekionga . The earliest land claims by inhabitants of Vincennes were based on a sale by the Indians to the French in 1742 of a tract of land containing 1.6 million acres, known as the Vincennes Tract. It was a rectangular block lying at right angles to

4675-437: The flood waters that were high during this time. The Patriots won the Battle of Vincennes on February 23–24, 1779. Hamilton thought of Vincennes as "a refuge for debtors and Vagabonds from Canada." George Rogers Clark recaptured Fort Sackville in the Battle of Vincennes without losing a single soldier. Although the Americans remained in control of Vincennes, it took years to establish peace. In 1786, Captain John Hardin led

4760-422: The fort grew quickly in the years that followed. A unique culture developed of regional Native Americans, ethnic French and British farmers, craftsmen, and traders. The site of Ft. Sackville was near the present-day intersection of First and Main Streets in Vincennes. Following the French and Indian War (as the North American front was known in that continent), the British and colonial governments could not afford

4845-470: The fort. The Italian merchant and Patriot Francis Vigo found Clark and informed the British presence at the fort. Vigo served with the Patriots, ordered war supplies from the Spanish to help, and acted as a secret agent for the Patriots. Clark rounded up enough men to outnumber the British and planned a surprise attack on Fort Vincennes in the heart of winter, a horrible time when no armies were expected to be able to attack due to illness, lack of food, and

4930-443: The local population. In 1796, the garrison was ordered not to venture beyond 100 yards of Fort Knox. Territorial Governor William Henry Harrison petitioned Secretary of War Henry Dearborn for money to build a new fort. In 1803, the federal government approved $ 200 to build a new fort, and the War Department bought land for the new fort about three miles north of Vincennes, at a Wabash River landing called Petit Rocher, which offered

5015-403: The new parliament was, and remains, a contentious issue. After the Hanoverian King George I ascended the British throne in 1714 through the Act of Settlement of 1701 , real power continued to shift away from the monarchy. George was a German ruler, spoke poor English, and remained interested in governing his dominions in continental Europe rather than in Britain. He thus entrusted power to

5100-423: The opportunity to use his influence in the House of Lords to defeat a bill to reform the Honourable East India Company , dismissed the government of the day, and appointed William Pitt the Younger to form a new government. Pitt had previously called for Parliament to begin to reform itself, but he did not press for long for reforms the king did not like. Proposals Pitt made in April 1785 to redistribute seats from

5185-419: The other two are elected at large. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote. The Revolutionary War battle at Vincennes was featured in the 1901 novel Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson . Four ships have also been named USS  Vincennes in honor of this battle; as well as for the city. The first Vincennes was an 18-gun sloop-of-war commissioned in 1826 and sold in 1867. The second Vincennes

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5270-404: The overwhelming majority of the new body. It was not even considered necessary to hold a new general election. While Scots law and Scottish legislation remained separate, new legislation was thereafter to be enacted by the new parliament, with the exception of that pertaining to private right which could only legislated on for the "evident utility" of the people. England's de facto prominence in

5355-442: The population. There were 7,407 households, of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.5% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

5440-409: The population. There were 7,614 households, out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.1% were non-families. 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and

5525-437: The post. He rebuilt the fort, also known as Fort Saint-Ange, and developed the post as a major trading center. He recruited Canadian traders to encourage regional Native American people to settle there in order to develop stronger relations. By 1750, the Piankashaw had moved a village near the post. After being defeated by the British in the Seven Years' War, in 1763 France ceded control of its territory in North America east of

5610-604: The post. In December, a British force consisting of men from the 8th Regiment of Foot and the Detroit Militia under Lieutenant-Governor Henry Hamilton , based at Fort Detroit, retook Fort Sackville, and made Captain Helm a prisoner. Lieutenant Colonel George Rogers Clark marched 130 men through 180 miles of wilderness to Vincennes in February 1779. As he entered town, the French settlers and native peoples joined his force to re-capture Fort Sackville. Clark let his native allies kill those of Hamilton as an example. He sent Hamilton and his British men to jail in Williamsburg, Virginia ,

5695-437: The printing presses in 1806, but Stout revived the newspaper as the Western Sun in 1807. Vincennes served as the first capital of Indiana Territory until it was moved to Corydon on May 1, 1813. In 1826, "A party of Shawnee Indians ... in men, women, and children, to 500, passed through this place [Vincennes] ... from their reservation at Wapaghkonetta , moving to the Mississippi . The celebrated Indian prophet , and

5780-424: The region. Clark reached Vincennes in 1786. His attempts to negotiate with the local native peoples were unsuccessful. He created an incident by seizing the goods of Spanish traders, which enraged the local population and risked war with Spain. Under orders from the new United States government, Clark and his men left Vincennes in the spring of 1787. In 1787, the US garrison under Major Jean François Hamtramck built

5865-441: The residents of Vincennes were agitating against the Crown , and were inciting native tribes along the river trade routes to attack British traders. The Colonial Secretary , the Earl of Hillsborough , ordered the residents to be removed from Vincennes in response. Gage demurred while the residents responded to the charges against them, claiming to be "peaceful settlers, cultivating the land which His Most Christian Majesty [meaning

5950-403: The rotten and pocket boroughs seats in parliament could be bought from the rich landowners who controlled them, while major cities remained unrepresented. Reformers like William Beckford and Radicals beginning with John Wilkes called for reform of the system. In 1780, a draft programme of reform was drawn up by Charles James Fox and Thomas Brand Hollis and put forward by a sub-committee of

6035-406: The state. In 1816, the Constitution of Indiana made forced labor illegal, stating that "there shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in this state." Polly Strong , an enslaved woman of Vincennes, was the plaintiff in a case that argued that she should be free. After losing in the Harrison County Circuit Court, she won the case at the Indiana Supreme Court on July 22, 1820, and she

6120-417: The year. There are an average of 53.1 days with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher and an average of 101.5 days with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower. Average January temperatures are a high of 36.3 °F (2.4 °C) and a low of 18.3 °F (−7.6 °C). Average July temperatures are a high of 87.7 °F (30.9 °C) and a low of 64.8 °F (18.2 °C). The record high temperature

6205-434: Was $ 26,289, and the median income for a family was $ 35,424. Males had a median income of $ 27,029 versus $ 20,254 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 14,993. About 15.0% of families and 20.7% of the population were below the poverty line , including 25.9% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over. The city government consists of a seven-member city council. Five of whom are elected from districts

6290-418: Was 104 °F (40 °C) on June 26, 1988. The record low temperature was −26 °F (−32 °C) on January 19, 1994. Average annual precipitation is 44.43 inches (112.9 cm). Measurable precipitation occurs on an average of 105.6 days each year. The wettest year was 1990 with 60.08 inches (152.6 cm) and the dryest year was 1988 with 36.02 inches (91.5 cm). The most precipitation in one month

6375-550: Was 11.18 inches (28.4 cm) in November 1985. The most precipitation in 24 hours was 5.07 inches (12.9 cm). Average annual snowfall is 5.8 inches (15 cm). Measurable snowfall occurs on only 2.6 days. The snowiest season was 1989–90 when 16.4 inches (42 cm) fell. The most snow in one month was 8.5 inches (22 cm) in December 1990. The most snow in 24 hours was 8.0 inches (20 cm) on March 24, 1990. As of

6460-436: Was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age in the city was 33 years. 19.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 20.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.4% were from 25 to 44; 23.6% were from 45 to 64; and 15% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.3% male and 49.7% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 18,701 people, 7,614 households, and 4,332 families residing in

6545-657: Was a New Orleans class heavy cruiser commissioned in 1937 and lost in the Battle of Savo Island in 1942. The third Vincennes was a Cleveland class light cruiser commissioned in 1944 and decommissioned in 1946. The fourth and most recent Vincennes was a Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser commissioned in 1985 which was decommissioned and scrapped in 2005. Parliament of Great Britain List of parliaments of Great Britain The Parliament of Great Britain

6630-562: Was formed in May 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland . The Acts ratified the treaty of Union which created a new unified Kingdom of Great Britain and created the parliament of Great Britain located in the former home of the English parliament in the Palace of Westminster , near the City of London . This lasted nearly

6715-506: Was freed. In the case of Clark's attorney appealed the decision with the Indiana Supreme Court in the case of Mary Clark v. G.W. Johnston was a former slave who was made an indentured servant and lived in Vincennes. She won her freedom on November 6, 1821, when the Indiana Supreme Court ruled that servitude violated the state's 1816 Constitution. This was a landmark contract law case for indentured servants and foretold

6800-533: Was its longest serving territorial capital. It is one of the oldest settlements west of the Appalachians . The population was 16,759 at the 2020 census . The vicinity of Vincennes was inhabited for thousands of years by different cultures of indigenous peoples . During the Late Woodland period , some of these peoples used local loess hills as burial sites; some of the more prominent examples are

6885-522: Was officially established in 1732 as a second French fur trading post in this area. The Compagnie des Indes commissioned a French officer, François-Marie Bissot, Sieur de Vincennes , to build a post along the Wabash River to discourage local nations from trading with the English. Vincennes founded the new trading post near the meeting points of the Wabash and White rivers, and the overland Buffalo Trace . Vincennes, who had lived with his father among

6970-497: Was practiced in the 16th century, when the present-day state of Indiana was part of New France (1534–1763), by the French and Native Americans. When the area became part of the Northwest Territory , slavery was banned by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, but slavery and indentured servitude continued. Slaveholders created a "loophole", that the provision did not apply to African Americans who were already enslaved in

7055-480: Was sent to Vincennes without troops. Making the best of it, he rebuilt Fort Sackville. Abbott soon resigned, citing lack of support from the Crown. In July 1778, Father Pierre Gibault arrived with news of the alliance between France and the newly declared United States. The Canadien residents took control of the unoccupied Fort Sackville, and Colonel George Rogers Clark sent Captain Leonard Helm to command

7140-406: Was too far away to protect the town. Fort Knox II was disassembled, floated down the Wabash, and reassembled just a few yards from where Fort Knox I had been. The former Fort Knox II site is now marked and preserved as a state and national historic site, close to present-day Ouabache State Park on the outskirts of Vincennes. The outline of the former fort has been marked with short posts, and there

7225-421: Was used as the muster point for Governor Harrison as he gathered his troops, both regular U.S. army and militia, prior to the march to Prophetstown and the Battle of Tippecanoe . After the battle, the troops returned to Fort Knox at Vincennes; several died there from their wounds. In 1813, as the War of 1812 increased the chances of attacks on Vincennes by Native Americans, the military determined that Fort Knox

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