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188-416: The Constitution of Indiana is the highest body of state law in the U.S. state of Indiana . It establishes the structure and function of the state and is based on the principles of federalism and Jacksonian democracy . Indiana's constitution is subordinate only to the U.S. Constitution and federal law . Prior to the enactment of Indiana's first state constitution and achievement of statehood in 1816,
376-475: A Convair B-58 carrying nuclear weapons slid off an icy runway on Bunker Hill Air Force Base in Bunker Hill, Indiana and caught fire during a training drill. The five nuclear weapons on board were burned, including one 9-megaton thermonuclear weapon , causing radioactive contamination of the crash area. Beginning in 1970, a series of amendments to the state constitution were proposed. With adoption,
564-583: A socialist party . Railroader Eugene Debs of Terre Haute , the Socialist candidate received 901,551 votes (6.0% of the national vote) in the 1912 presidential election. Suffrage movements also arose to enfranchise women. In its earlier years, Indiana was a leader in the automobile boom. Beginning its production in Kokomo in 1896, Haynes-Apperson was the nation's first commercially successful auto company. The importance of vehicle and parts manufacture to
752-483: A "citizen of Gibson" stated, "the best interests of humanity required the admission of slavery into the state." The eastern half of the state saw much debate over the slavery issue. While the state constitution did outlaw slavery and indentures, much of the population that had immigrated from the South were commoners and not landed slaveholders. Of the 43 men who wrote the constitution, 34 were either born or had once lived in
940-426: A "general system of education, ascending in regular gradation, from township schools to a state university, wherein tuition shall be gratis and equally open to all." This was a significant alteration and expansion of the education clauses of the template constitutions used during the convention. Because the opening phrase did not provide a specific timetable for implementation, a state-supported system of public education
1128-515: A North Carolina Quaker who was an outspoken abolitionist . The first recorded slaves in Indiana were owned by the French traders who entered the region and introduced the practice to the native tribes. Jesuit priests encouraged the tribes they lived among to adopt slavery as an alternative to executing their prisoners in war. According to some classical historians, the decline of cannibalism among
1316-471: A bill for an Enabling Act , which provided for the election of delegates to a convention to consider statehood for Indiana. The bill passed in the U.S. House on March 30, 1816, and in the U.S. Senate on April 13. President James Madison signed the Enabling Act into law on April 19, 1816. If a majority of the delegates to Indiana's constitutional convention agreed, the delegates would proceed to create
1504-494: A bloodless capture of the city; and the Battle of Corydon , which occurred during Morgan's Raid leaving 15 dead, 40 wounded, and 355 captured. After the war, Indiana remained a largely agricultural state. Post-war industries included mining, including limestone extraction; meatpacking; food processing, such as milling grain, distilling it into alcohol; and the building of wagons , buggies , farm machinery, and hardware. However,
1692-425: A cost-cutting measure. Although there had been previous attempts to initiate another constitutional convention, the state legislature was finally successful in calling for Indiana's second constitutional convention until 1849. Its delegates convened at Indianapolis in 1850. The state constitution of 1816 was replaced with a new state constitution in 1851. On January 15, 1849, the state legislature finally approved
1880-507: A federal act was approved to extend federal laws to Indiana. The 1816 constitution was never amended, although some of its provisions were criticized after its adoption. Demands for changes to constitution were made as early as 1820, but referendums in 1823, 1828, 1840, and 1846 on holding a constitutional convention were unsuccessful. In addition, fifteen more efforts to convene a state constitutional convention were made between 1820 and 1847, but they also failed. The most notable criticisms of
2068-556: A financial crisis in the 1840s in Indiana due to overspending, a result of the Indiana Mammoth Internal Improvement Act , caused the state government to become insolvent. The state's financial situation and ongoing calls for constitutional changes to prevent another crisis increased interest in a constitutional mandate that prohibited the state from incurring debt. Another popular idea was holding biennial, as opposed to annual, legislative sessions as
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#17327762361542256-549: A former slave holder who had freed his slaves when he moved to Indiana, was chief among the anti-slavery men. Jonathan Jennings, who also attended the meeting, would quickly grow into the party's leader. Other prominent anti-slavery men included Richard Rue, John Paul, and General William Johnson, all veterans of the Revolution . Later in 1807, at Lemen's urging, a mass meeting was held in Springville attended by many of
2444-558: A free household servant for the rest of her life. She was buried in the Pennington family cemetery in Corydon, Indiana. Others were not so fortunate as in the case of another black woman who also lived in Corydon. When she tried to escape from her masters she was run down in the street, beaten, and carried back home. The men threatened death to anyone in the town, which was strongly anti-slavery, who interfered. The slaves did not have
2632-401: A large impact on Indiana's economy as they never became a large percentage of the population and large scale plantation style farms, that were common in the southern states, never developed in Indiana. In 1820, the year all the state's slaves were freed, the census only counted 192 out of a population over 65,000. Many slaves had already been freed by that time and there over 1200 free blacks in
2820-503: A large part of the population of the first state capital in Corydon. In 1820 the State Supreme Court case of Polly v. Lasselle ordered all slaves, except those held before the 1787 Northwest Territory Ordinance, to be freed. The new ruling led to a sharp decline in the state's slave population. In 1820 the census recorded 190 slaves; by the 1830 census there were only three. In 1823, when Ohio passed resolutions asking
3008-537: A leading manufacturing state with heavy industry concentrating in the north. In 1906 the United States Steel Corporation created a new industrial city on Lake Michigan, Gary , named after Elbert Henry Gary , its founding chairman. With industrialization, workers developed labor unions (their strike activities induced governor James P. Goodrich to declare martial law in Gary in 1919) and
3196-493: A little less variation across the state, as average high/low temperatures range from around 84 °F/64 °F (29 °C/18 °C) in the far north to 90 °F/69 °F (32 °C/21 °C) in the far south. Indiana's record high temperature was 116 °F (47 °C) set on July 14, 1936, at Collegeville . The record low was −36 °F (−38 °C) on January 19, 1994 at New Whiteland . The growing season typically spans from 155 days in
3384-469: A master had children by a slave, the slave and her children were then to be freed. Their status under the French laws was similar to that of minors. As the territory developed, their tasks changed; slaves also served as household servants and farm workers, as in the case of William Henry Harrison 's slaves. George Rogers Clark 's two slaves assisted him in running a gristmill in Clarksville . While
3572-566: A new elected office, the state superintendent of public instruction, and gave the state some authority in setting curriculum. During the convention, delegates also considered abolishing the "State University" and county seminaries. Although efforts to abolish the university were unsuccessful, Article 8, Section 2, of the new constitution authorized the sale of county seminaries with the proceeds to be used to help fund Indiana's public elementary schools. Article 8 did not specifically identify Indiana University or guarantee its financial support; however,
3760-533: A portion of an estimated 24,000 total river miles within the state. The Wabash River , which is the longest free-flowing river east of the Mississippi River , is the official river of Indiana. At 475 miles (764 kilometers) in length, the river bisects the state from northeast to southwest, forming part of the state's border with Illinois, before converging with the Ohio River . The river has been
3948-611: A prohibition on public debt, as well as the extension of suffrage to African-Americans. During the American Civil War , Indiana became politically influential and played an important role in the affairs of the nation. Indiana was the first western state to mobilize for the United States in the war, and soldiers from Indiana participated in all the war's major engagements. The state provided 126 infantry regiments, 26 batteries of artillery and 13 regiments of cavalry to
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#17327762361544136-399: A referendum, after several previous unsuccessful attempts, to hold a constitutional convention in 1850, two years before the required twelve-year referendum mandated in the constitution of 1816, provided that a majority of voters favored the idea at the next regular election. In August 1849, a total of 81,500 voters favored and 57,418 opposed a constitutional convention. The clear majority cased
4324-540: A result, divorce proceedings, among other issues, were delegated to the courts and clerks. Despite the positive changes in state constitution, some articles continued racial and gender inequality by limiting full rights of state citizenship to white males. Fearing a negative impact on the state from a rising population of free people of color and emancipated slaves who had been expelled from slave states, convention delegates adopted Article 13, section 1, to ban further immigration of blacks and mulattos into Indiana. Revisions to
4512-506: A sergeant-at-arms and a doorkeeper. Judge Isaac Blackford of the Indiana Supreme Court administered the oath of office. Convention delegates were appointed to twenty-two standing committees to review proposed items and considered 333 resolutions. Prior to the convention, the state's political parties (Democrats and Whigs) adopted a set of proposals that they want to incorporate into the constitution. Whigs wanted offices in
4700-524: A state constitution. As outlined in the Enabling Act, election of delegates to Indiana's first constitutional convention took place on May 13, 1816. The convention at Corydon , the territorial capital in Harrison County , began on Monday, June 10, 1816. The convention's elected delegation of forty-three men were apportioned among the thirteen counties that were "in existence prior the 1815 General Assembly" and based on each county's population. In
4888-496: A state-funded welfare system to help overwhelmed private charities. During his administration, spending and taxes were both cut drastically in response to the Depression, and the state government was completely reorganized. McNutt ended Prohibition in the state and enacted the state's first income tax. On several occasions, he declared martial law to put an end to worker strikes. World War II helped lift Indiana's economy, as
5076-403: A strong commitment to public school education, especially elementary schools (common schools), by mandating a "uniform system of common schools, equally open to all and free of tuition." The constitution also required the state government to adequately fund local elementary schools, while providing for boards of local residents to manage the funds and the schools. Constitutional changes also created
5264-648: A town in the far southern part of Indiana, was named the second capital of the Indiana Territory in May 1813 in order to decrease the threat of Native American raids following the Battle of Tippecanoe. Two years later, a petition for statehood was approved by the territorial general assembly and sent to Congress. An Enabling Act was passed to provide an election of delegates to write a constitution for Indiana . On June 10, 1816, delegates assembled at Corydon to write
5452-475: A two-year term for representatives and four-year terms for the governor and state senators. The constitution of 1851 also called for the popular election of more state government positions such as the secretary of state, state treasurer, state auditor, prosecuting attorney, and judges, as well as other county and local officials such as clerk, auditor, treasurer, sheriff, and coroner. In most cases, these officeholders were limited to two consecutive terms. In addition,
5640-683: Is about 760 feet (230 m) above sea level. The highest point in the state is Hoosier Hill in Wayne County at 1,257 feet (383 m) above sea level. The lowest point at 320 feet (98 m) above sea level is in Posey County , where the Wabash River meets the Ohio River . The resulting elevation span , 937 feet (286 m), is the narrowest of any non-coastal U.S. state. Only 2,850 square miles (7,400 km ) have an altitude greater than 1,000 feet (300 m) and this area
5828-523: Is composed of a preamble, articles, and amendments. Among other provisions, it specifies a republican form of government (pursuant to Article IV, Section 4, of the U.S. Constitution) consisting of three branches: executive (including administration), legislative, and judicial. The state constitution also includes a bill of rights, grants suffrage and regulates elections, provides for a state militia, state educational institutions, and sets limits on government indebtedness. The Indiana General Assembly may amend
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6016-806: Is disputed, but the leading theory, advanced by the Indiana Historical Bureau and the Indiana Historical Society, has its origin in Virginia, Kentucky, the Carolinas, and Tennessee (the Upland South ) as a term for a backwoodsman, a rough countryman, or a country bumpkin. The first inhabitants in what is now Indiana were the Paleo-Indians , who arrived about 8000 BC after the melting of the glaciers at
6204-659: Is enclosed within 14 counties. About 4,700 square miles (12,000 km ) have an elevation of less than 500 feet (150 m), mostly concentrated along the Ohio and lower Wabash Valleys, from Tell City and Terre Haute to Evansville and Mount Vernon . The state includes two natural regions of the United States: the Central Lowlands and the Interior Low Plateaus . The till plains make up
6392-645: Is in Marion County . Located in the Midwestern United States , Indiana is one of eight states that make up the Great Lakes Region . Indiana is bordered on the north by Michigan , on the east by Ohio , and on the west by Illinois , partially separated by the Wabash River . Lake Michigan borders Indiana on the northwest and the Ohio River separates Indiana from Kentucky on the south. The average altitude of Indiana
6580-406: Is still preserved.) The delegates completed their work on the constitution in nineteen days, adjourning on June 29, 1816. The total cost of the convention was $ 3,076.21, which included compensating the delegates and their assistants for each day they attended the convention, as well as printing costs for the final version of the document and the acquisition of benches, tables, books, and stationery for
6768-629: The constitution , subject to ratification by vote of the people, as specified in Article 16 of Indiana's 1851 constitution. In 1811 the Indiana Territory 's House of Representatives adopted a memorial to the U.S. Congress asking permission for its citizens "to form a government and constitution and be admitted to the Union", but the War of 1812 delayed the process until 1815. Some members of
6956-620: The Adena people had elegant burial rituals, featuring log tombs beneath earth mounds. In the middle of the Woodland period, the Hopewell people began to develop long-range trade of goods . Nearing the end of the stage, the people developed highly productive cultivation and adaptation of agriculture, growing such crops as corn and squash . The Woodland period ended around 1000 AD. The Mississippian culture emerged, lasting from 1000 AD until
7144-568: The Indiana Court of Appeals was created and the procedure of appointing justices on the courts was adjusted. The 1973 oil crisis created a recession that hurt the automotive industry in Indiana. Companies such as Delco Electronics and Delphi began a long series of downsizing that contributed to high unemployment rates in manufacturing in Anderson , Muncie , and Kokomo . The restructuring and deindustrialization trend continued until
7332-430: The Indiana Territory was governed by territorial law. The state's first constitution was created in 1816, after the U.S. Congress had agreed to grant statehood to the former Indiana Territory. The present-day document, which went into effect on November 1, 1851, is the state's second constitution. It supersedes Indiana's 1816 constitution and has had numerous amendments since its initial adoption. Indiana's constitution
7520-613: The Iroquois . Later, ownership of the claim was transferred to the Indiana Land Company , the first recorded use of the word Indiana . But the Virginia colony argued that it was the rightful owner of the land because it fell within its geographic boundaries. The U.S. Supreme Court denied the land company's right to the claim in 1798. A native or resident of Indiana is known as a Hoosier . The etymology of this word
7708-618: The Michigan Territory in 1807 stated that preexisting slavery could still exist under the Northwest Ordinance, validating Hoosier slaveholding in the opinions of the slaveholders. Many of the territory's early settlers came from the South . Southern immigrants who were anti-slavery settled in Ohio, where a strong anti-slavery movement was underway. The immigrants in favor of slavery generally moved to Indiana, where
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7896-473: The Mid-Atlantic states and adjacent Ohio, and Southern Indiana by settlers from the Upland South , particularly Kentucky and Tennessee . Indiana has a diverse economy with a gross state product of $ 352.62 billion in 2021. It has several metropolitan areas with populations greater than 100,000 and a number of smaller cities and towns. Indiana is home to professional sports teams, including
8084-797: The NFL 's Indianapolis Colts and the NBA 's Indiana Pacers . The state also hosts several notable competitive events, such as the Indianapolis 500 , held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway . Indiana's name means "Land of the Indians ", or simply "Indian Land". It also stems from Indiana's territorial history. On May 7, 1800, the United States Congress passed legislation to divide the Northwest Territory into two areas and named
8272-589: The Northwest Ordinance of 1787, efforts to pass a request to consider statehood for Indiana were renewed. On December 11, 1815, the territory's House of Representatives voted seven to five in favor of the memorial to Congress stating its qualification to become a state. The request was presented in the U.S. House of Representatives on December 28, 1815, and introduced in the U.S. Senate on January 2, 1816. A House committee chaired by Jonathan Jennings , Indiana's territorial representative, reported out
8460-474: The South ; all but nine had lived below the Mason-Dixon line before their arrival in the Indiana Territory. The youngest delegate (Joseph Holman of Wayne County) was twenty-eight; the oldest was fifty-eight. Eleven delegates had served in the territorial legislature and more than half of the delegates had previous legal training. Daniel Grass, the sole delegate from Warrick County, was excused on June 19 for
8648-537: The Treaty of Greenville in 1795, Native American titles to Indiana lands were extinguished by usurpation, purchase, or war and treaty. About half the state was acquired in the Treaty of St. Mary's from the Miami in 1818. Purchases were not complete until the Treaty of Mississinewas in 1826 acquired the last of the reserved Native American lands in the northeast. A portrait of the Indiana frontier about 1810: The frontier
8836-581: The Union . In 1861, Indiana was assigned a quota of 7,500 soldiers to join the Union Army . So many volunteered in the first call that thousands had to be turned away. Before the war ended, Indiana had contributed 208,367 men. Casualties were over 35% among these men: 24,416 lost their lives and over 50,000 more were wounded. The only Civil War conflicts fought in Indiana were the Newburgh Raid ,
9024-522: The Wabash River , to try to control Native American trade routes from Lake Erie to the Mississippi River . In 1732, Sieur de Vincennes built a second fur trading post at Vincennes. French Canadian settlers, who had left the earlier post because of hostilities, returned in larger numbers. In a period of a few years, British colonists arrived from the East and contended against the Canadians for control of
9212-637: The colonies . The tribes in Indiana did not give up: they captured Fort Ouiatenon and Fort Miami during Pontiac's Rebellion . The British royal proclamation of 1763 designated the land west of the Appalachians for Native American use, and excluded British colonists from the area, which the Crown called "Indian Territory". In 1775, the American Revolutionary War began as the colonists sought self-government and independence from
9400-421: The discovery of natural gas in the 1880s in northern Indiana led to an economic boom: the abundant and cheap fuel attracted heavy industry ; the availability of jobs, in turn, attracted new settlers from other parts of the country as well as from Europe. This led to the rapid expansion of cities such as South Bend , Indianapolis, and Fort Wayne . The early decades of the 20th century saw Indiana develop into
9588-407: The "despised institution". Their resolution stated: ... a great number of citizens, in various parts of the United States, are preparing, and many have actually emigrated to this Territory, to get free from a Government which does tolerate slavery ... And although it is contended by some, that, at this day, there is a great majority in favor of slavery, whilst the opposite opinion is held by others,
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#17327762361549776-442: The "unlawful attempts to seize and carry into bondage persons of color legally entitled to their freedom: and at the same time, as far as practical, to prevent those who rightfully owe service to the citizen of any other State of Territory, from seeking, within the limits of this State (Indiana), a refuge from the possession of their lawful masters." He stated that such laws would help secure the freedom of many. This request resulted in
9964-560: The 15th century, shortly before the arrival of Europeans. During this stage, the people created large urban settlements designed according to their cosmology , with large mounds and plazas defining ceremonial and public spaces. The concentrated settlements depended on the agricultural surpluses. One such complex was the Angel Mounds . They had large public areas such as plazas and platform mounds, where leaders lived or conducted rituals. Mississippian civilization collapsed in Indiana during
10152-413: The 1816 constitution were Corydon's identification as the seat of state government for the next nine years, inadequate provisions for amending the constitution, prohibition of salary increases for state government officials until 1819, term limits for judges, and a failure to provide for selection of a state attorney general or prosecuting attorney. Some critics felt that decisions regarding these issues were
10340-576: The 1816 document, the new constitution retained other features such as the basic frame of a limited self-government for the state. The 1851 version, which was longer and more detailed than the 1816 constitution, combined "Jacksonian Democracy with a vigorous emphasis on economic laissez faire," reflecting the state's financial crisis in the late 1830s and early 1840s. The new constitution also continued to support strong local control of government, confirming Indiana voters' general distrust of state government. The constitution of 1851 placed several limitations on
10528-560: The 1849–50 session of the Indiana General Assembly to pass legislation calling for the election in August 1850 of 150 delegates apportioned among the Indiana General Assembly's senatorial and representative districts and based on the number of voters within each district. The Whigs, the minority party in the state at that time, and some state officials, including Governor Paris C. Dunning , urged bipartisan representation at
10716-547: The 1930s, Democrats were in power and "the Klan was political poison". During those years, Indiana, like the rest of the nation, was affected by the Great Depression . The economic downturn had a wide-ranging negative impact on Indiana, such as the decline of urbanization. The Dust Bowl to the west led many migrants to flee to the more industrialized Midwest. Governor Paul V. McNutt 's administration struggled to build
10904-403: The 1980s when the national and state economy began to diversify and recover. With a total area (land and water) of 36,418 square miles (94,320 km ), Indiana ranks as the 38th largest state in size. The state has a maximum dimension north to south of 250 miles (400 km) and a maximum east to west dimension of 145 miles (233 km). The state's geographic center (39° 53.7'N, 86° 16.0W)
11092-399: The 2016 update, about half the state is now classified as humid subtropical. Temperatures generally diverge from the north and south sections of the state. In midwinter, average high/low temperatures range from around 30 °F/15 °F (−1 °C/−10 °C) in the far north to 41 °F/24 °F (5 °C/−4 °C) in the far south. In midsummer there is generally
11280-568: The British. The majority of the fighting took place near the East Coast, but the Patriot military officer George Rogers Clark called for an army to help fight the British in the west. Clark's army won significant battles and took over Vincennes and Fort Sackville on February 25, 1779. During the war, Clark managed to cut off British troops, who were attacking the eastern colonists from
11468-528: The Federal government for a national ban on slavery, at the urging of Governor William Hendricks , the Indiana General Assembly issued a resolution which was forwarded the Federal government stating: Resolved, That it is expedient that such a system should be predicated upon the principle that the evil of slavery is a national one and that the people and the States of this Union ought mutually to participate in
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#173277623615411656-592: The General Assembly to meet for 61 consecutive days; special sessions were limited to 40 days.) Indiana Indiana ( / ˌ ɪ n d i ˈ æ n ə / IN -dee- AN -ə ) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States . It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to
11844-485: The Great Depression. With the conclusion of World War II, Indiana rebounded to pre-Depression levels of production. Industry became the primary employer, a trend that continued into the 1960s. Urbanization during the 1950s and 1960s led to substantial growth in the state's cities. The auto, steel and pharmaceutical industries topped Indiana's major businesses. Indiana's population continued to grow after
12032-655: The Hall of Representatives at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis on October 7, 1850. Charles H. Test called the meeting to order and George Whitfield Carr, the delegate from Lawrence County , was elected the convention's president. (Carr had been Speaker of the House in the two previous sessions of the Indiana General Assembly.) William Hayden English was elected to serve as the convention secretary, along with three assistant secretaries. Appointed officials included
12220-459: The Indiana General Assembly's activities. Biennial legislative sessions were limited to 61 consecutive days (40 consecutive days for special sessions). To prevent the state legislature from interfering in local affairs, the General Assembly was restricted to general legislation applicable to the entire state and limited local and special interest legislation. In addition, the state government was prohibited from going into debt. The new constitution gave
12408-567: The Indiana Territory to elect a bicameral legislature and made the Legislative Council the upper house It also ordered Harrison to dissolve the existing one and created the Illinois Territory. The effect of these actions, was to cut the pro-slavery faction remaining in the Indiana Territory in half. The election resulted in a sweeping victory for the anti-slavery party. The new assembly quickly passed legislation revoking
12596-447: The Indiana legislature passed a resolution that stated acts by Northerners to interfere with the capture of runaways was "unpatriotic and injurious to the stability of the Union." In 1851 Indiana adopted a new constitution, and among its new clauses was one that prohibited blacks from immigrating to Indiana. The prohibition was intended to be a punishment to the slavery states. Like several other northern states, Indiana lawmakers believed
12784-670: The Kentucky governor refused on constitutional grounds. These events led Jennings to eventually have to reverse his position and request that the legislature pass laws to discourage runaway slaves from seeking refuge in Indiana. Jennings said it was needed to "maintain harmony between the states". From 1810 to 1820, the number of free blacks in Indiana increased from 400 to 1200. The largest influx in occurred in 1814 when Paul and Susannah Mitchem immigrated to Indiana from Virginia with over 100 of their slaves. They subsequently emancipated all of their slaves later that year, most of whom formed
12972-530: The Klan sought exclude from public life " Bolsheviks , Catholics , Jews , Negroes , bootleggers , pacifists , evolutionists , foreigners, and all persons it considered immoral". By 1925 the Klan had 250,000 members, an estimated 30% of native-born white men. By 1925 over half the elected members of the Indiana General Assembly , the governor of Indiana , and many other high-ranking officials in local and state government were members of
13160-521: The Klan. Politicians had also learned they needed Klan endorsement to win office. That year, "Grand Dragon" D.C. Stephenson , who had begun to brag "I am the law in Indiana", was charged and convicted for the rape and murder of Madge Oberholtzer , a young schoolteacher. Denied pardon, in 1927 Stephenson gave the Indianapolis Times lists of people the Klan had paid. Partly as a result of compounded scandal, membership collapsed. Throughout
13348-657: The Northern Tier of New York and New England, as well as from the mid-Atlantic state of Pennsylvania. The arrival of steamboats on the Ohio River in 1811, and the National Road at Richmond in 1829, greatly facilitated settlement of northern and western Indiana. Following statehood, the new government worked to transform Indiana from a frontier into a developed, well-populated, and thriving state, beginning significant demographic and economic changes. In 1836,
13536-569: The Northwest Territory, designating the rest of the land as the Indiana Territory . President Thomas Jefferson chose William Henry Harrison as the governor of the territory, and Vincennes was established as the capital. After the Michigan Territory was separated and the Illinois Territory was formed, Indiana was reduced to its current size and geography. Starting with the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794 and
13724-486: The Northwest to organize an anti-slavery movement. Lemen succeeded in helping to establish an anti-slavery Baptist church that drew many members. Jefferson sent Lemen to the Indiana territory again in 1807 with the mission to seek out and organize the anti-slavery men of the state and encourage them to take action. Several prominent men had already been stirred by Harrison's moves to legalize slavery. Dennis Pennington ,
13912-594: The Ohio River, the Quaker Colony in Richmond on the eastern border, and Conner's Post (later Connersville) on the east central frontier. Indianapolis would not be populated for 15 more years, and central and northern Indiana Territory remained wilderness populated primarily by Indigenous communities. Only two counties in the extreme southeast, Clark and Dearborn, had been organized by European settlers. Land titles issued out of Cincinnati were sparse. Settler migration
14100-401: The South, and the constitution was a near copy of the Kentucky constitution, save for the anti-slavery clause. During the first gubernatorial election, Jonathan Jennings 's campaign motto was "No Slavery in Indiana". He easily defeated pro-slavery candidate Thomas Posey, and upon his victory he declared that Indiana was a "Free State". He also asked the legislature to pass laws that would stop
14288-502: The Supreme Court of Indiana was made an elective body. The number of Indiana Supreme Court judges was increased from three to five and their terms were extended to six years. The state's lower courts system was reorganized as well. For example, circuit court judges and local justices were made elective offices. The constitution of 1851 extended voting rights to foreign-born men who had immigrated to Indiana. To vote in Indiana under
14476-571: The Territory was granted representation in Congress. Pro-slavery Benjamin Parke was elected and supported Harrison's request to have Congress suspend the ban on slavery in the territory. Parke submitted legislation to outright legalize slavery, but no action was taken on it. The same year, Congress suspended Article Six of the Northwest Ordinance for ten years, and granted the territories covered by it
14664-404: The U.S. gained victory at the Battle of Tippecanoe on November 7, 1811. Tecumseh was killed in 1813 during the Battle of Thames . After his death, armed resistance to United States control ended in the region. Most Native American tribes in the state were later removed to west of the Mississippi River in the 1820s and 1830s after U.S. negotiations and the purchase of their lands. Corydon ,
14852-502: The U.S. government expelled between 1800 and 1836. Indiana received its name because the state was largely possessed by native tribes even after it was granted statehood. Since then, settlement patterns in Indiana have reflected regional cultural segmentation present in the Eastern United States ; the state's northernmost tier was settled primarily by people from New England and New York , Central Indiana by migrants from
15040-577: The United States had lived in Indiana for at least one year. Under Article VII all "able-bodied" white men between the ages of 18 and 45 were required to serve in the militia when called upon to do so. Non-whites (more specifically, blacks, mulattos, and Native Americans) were prohibited from serving in the militia. Conscientious objectors would be fined if they did not serve. The constitution's first mention of slavery appears in Article VIII, Section 1, which expressly prohibited alteration or amendment of
15228-591: The Vincennes populace as "chiefly from Kentucky and Virginia ... slavery is tolerated here." Most of the initial immigration was attributed to the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 . After the Revolutionary War, George Rogers Clark and his soldiers, all Virginians, were given land grants in southern Indiana. Many settled in Indiana, bringing Southern habits and ideas with them. After
15416-526: The War of 1812, many veterans of the Western theater were granted land in central Indiana. These soldiers were mostly from Kentucky and the South. They also moved into Indiana, bringing more Southern influence to the state. Southerners of all classes migrated to Indiana. William Henry Harrison, longtime Indiana Territory governor and future United States President, was from the long-established aristocratic class of
15604-452: The anti-slavery men within the state. The meeting was held largely in response to Harrison's attempt to legalize slavery and the fact that he almost succeeded, and likely would soon unless a large anti-slavery faction came to power. The meeting was chaired by John Beggs, with Davis Floyd acting as secretary. Dennis Pennington and others put forth speeches, and resolved to stop the attempt to legalize slavery. They declared their intentions to end
15792-466: The anti-territorial governor and anti-slavery faction, emerged in favor of statehood. The opposing consisted mostly of Harrison's friends and supporters of the territorial legislature who opposed statehood. The summer heat often caused the delegation to move outdoors and work beneath the shade of a giant elm tree that would later be memorialized as the Constitution Elm. (A portion of the trunk
15980-584: The constitution also discouraged African Americans from settling permanently in the state. Some convention delegates openly advocated for the colonization of free people of color in Indiana to Liberia , which led to the adoption of Article 13, section 3. This particular section outlined a source of funding for those who chose to emigrate. Although the Indiana Supreme Court's ruling in Smith v. Moody (1866), struck down Article 13, making it invalid, it
16168-449: The constitution as a whole with 113,230 votes in favor and 27,638 opposed, an 80.38 percent favorable approval among voters. Ohio County was the only one where the majority of voters rejected the new constitution (315 voted in favor and 438 opposed). On September 3, 1851, Governor Joseph A. Wright issued a proclamation certifying the favorable results for the new constitution, which went into effect on November 1, 1851. Elected officials in
16356-407: The constitution of 1851 was Indiana's lax election laws, which frequently led to election-day irregularities and accusations of voter fraud. Article 2, Section 2, outlined who was eligible to vote, but the constitution did not have specific provisions for voter regulations or include details to assure bipartisan election boards. Among the constitutional amendments passed in 1881 was one that extended
16544-531: The constitution was based on Jacksonian democracy , which significantly expanded the democratic principles of individual rights, private enterprise, and legislative restrictions. The constitution was submitted to the state's voters for their approval in the August 4, 1851, general election. Convention delegates mandated that voters consider Article 13 separately from the other sections of the constitution. Article 13 prohibited further immigration of African Americans into Indiana and encouraged their colonization outside
16732-598: The constitution, which was completed in 19 days. Jonathan Jennings was elected the fledgling state's first governor in August 1816. President James Madison approved Indiana's admission into the union as the nineteenth state on December 11, 1816. In 1825, the state capital was moved from Corydon to Indianapolis . Many European immigrants went west to settle in Indiana in the early 19th century. The largest immigrant group to settle in Indiana were Germans , as well as many immigrants from Ireland and England . Americans who were primarily ethnically English migrated from
16920-481: The constitutional convention, the anti-slavery party was able to take control, electing Jennings as the president of the convention. It was by their actions that slavery was banned by the first constitution . When Indiana sought statehood in 1816, there was talk of its entering as a slave state among the dwindling group of slavery supporters as illustrated in the March 2, 1816 edition of the (Vincennes) Western Sun, where
17108-415: The constitutions of these two states, along with others such as Pennsylvania , New Hampshire , and Tennessee , for ideas and concepts as well as specific text. Content from the other state constitutions was chosen based on the Indiana delegates' preferences for their new state. Occasionally, original text was composed for specific articles or sections when the appropriate wording in other state constitutions
17296-463: The convention and was later elected the first governor of Indiana, appointed the delegates to various committees; William Hendricks , although he was not an elected delegate, served as the convention's secretary and was later elected as the new state's first representative to Congress. In addition to Jennings, notable members of the delegation included Franklin County delegates James Noble (who became
17484-473: The convention. However, Indiana voters elected convention delegates along party lines. The result (95 Democrats and 55 Whigs) was roughly a two-thirds to one-third split between the two parties. A total of 74 delegates were born in southern states, 13 were native-born Hoosiers, and 57 were born in northern states other than Indiana. About 42 percent of the delegates were farmers and 25 percent were lawyers. The constitutional convention of 150 delegates convened in
17672-636: The creation of a Man Stealing Act aimed to prevent slave hunters from operating in the state. In 1818 Dennis Pennington , then a state senator, had three Kentuckians indicted for violating the Man Stealing Act when they forcibly took a black woman from a home in Harrison County and removed her to Kentucky. Governor Jennings requested the Kentucky Governor send the men to Indiana for trials; after several years of correspondence
17860-501: The creation of other state-funded banks. Among the other important changes was the abandonment of the short ballot , where voters cast their ballots for a party's entire state of candidates instead of voting for individual offices. The Whig minority supported adoption of these changes, hoping to break the Democratic hold on power. Several other changes to the constitution related to election concerns. Terms for elected office included
18048-514: The debate to legalize slavery. The bill was narrowly defeated because many of the slaveholders in the council wanted a concession from Harrison, namely to recommend creating the Illinois Territory , a concession which he refused to make. Harrison's move to legalize slavery was not taken lightly by President Thomas Jefferson . Although Jefferson was himself a slaveholder, he was opposed to the spread of slavery. Jefferson had been working with James Lemen since at least 1784 and used him as an agent in
18236-425: The delegates mandated that the new constitution, if adopted by a majority of voters in the state, would go into effect on November 1, 1851. The revised state constitution included components of the 1816 state constitution and adopted proposals from the convention delegates, as well as ideas drawn from the constitutions of other states such as Illinois and Wisconsin , which were used as references. The final version of
18424-416: The delegates. The delegates adopted the constitution with a simply majority vote (33 to 8). The new constitution became effective on June 29, 1816, the last day of the convention, when the delegates signed the document. It was not submitted to Indiana's voters for ratification. Indiana's 1816 constitution, considered the most important document in the state's history, represented the more democratic views of
18612-626: The duties and burdens of removing it Therefore, Resolved, By the General Assembly of the State of Indiana that we do approve of and cordially concur in the aforesaid resolutions of the State of Ohio and that His Excellency the Governor be requested to communicate the same to the Executives of each of the several States in the Union and each of our Senators and Representatives in Congress requesting their cooperation in all national measures to effect
18800-438: The early nineteenth century some of the Indiana Territory's citizens opposed statehood. The major concerns were the loss of financial support from the federal government if it became a state and the fear of a tax increase to pay for the new state government. The minority group preferred to wait until later, when the population was even larger and the state's economy and political structure was more firmly established. The majority of
18988-512: The election of other state officials. The judicial branch, as outlined in Article V, included the state's Supreme Court , circuit courts, and other inferior courts. The constitution allowed the state legislature to create and adjust state courts and judicial districts and the governor was given the authority to appoint judges to serve seven-year terms with input and confirmations from the state senate. Article VI granted voting rights to white males twenty-one years of age and older who were citizens of
19176-411: The election of state officials and representation in the Indiana General Assembly and the U.S. Congress. Elections of state officers were held under the laws of the Indiana Territory on August 5, 1816. Jonathan Jennings was elected governor, Christopher Harrison was elected lieutenant governor, and William Hendricks was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. The Indiana General Assembly met for
19364-541: The end of slavery in the state, Indiana became a border state with the southern slave states. Hoosiers like Levi Coffin came to play an important role in the Underground Railroad that helped many slaves escape from the South. Indiana remained anti-slavery and in the American Civil War remained with the Union and contributed men to the war. In 1783, at the end of the American Revolution ,
19552-738: The end of the Ice Age . Divided into small groups, the Paleo-Indians were nomads who hunted large game such as mastodons . They created stone tools made out of chert by chipping, knapping and flaking . The Archaic period , which began between 5000 and 4000 BC, covered the next phase of indigenous culture. The people developed new tools as well as techniques to cook food, an important step in civilization. These new tools included different types of spear points and knives, with various forms of notches . They made ground-stone tools such as stone axes, woodworking tools and grinding stones. During
19740-409: The executive, judicial, and legislative branches at all levels of government to be publicly elected offices; Article II expanded suffrage to all males over the age twenty-one, excluding blacks and foreign-born men; biannual sessions of the state legislature (as opposed to annual sessions); a ban on the state government from incurring public debt; minimum funding requirements for public schools; requiring
19928-470: The existing customs of slavery and indenture in the territory, Both men's slavery positions were resisted by the territory's population. In a gesture to the residents who lived in the territory before the Northwest Ordinance, Harrison organized a public meeting in 1802 which called for a 10-year moratorium on the slavery ban. Harrison and Posey were strongly opposed by Jonathan Jennings , Dennis Pennington , and other prominent men who would eventually take over
20116-410: The fact is certainly doubtful. But when we take into consideration the vast emigration into this Territory, and of citizens, too, decidedly opposed to the measure, we feel satisfied that, at all events, Congress will suspend any legislative act on this subject until we shall, by the constitution, be admitted into the Union, and have a right to adopt such a constitution, in this respect, as may comport with
20304-735: The federal census as being in Indiana: a girl in Putnam County and a man and girl in Rush County . A traveler from New York , Dr. Samuel Bernard Judah, described Vincennes in 1829 as having many blacks, making the observation of them being "generally poorly clad ... poor miserable race". Indiana Governor Noah Noble spoke with pride in December 1837 on how Indiana helped slaveholders recapture their escaped slaves. When Kentucky expressed displeasure at how some Hoosiers helped runaways,
20492-478: The first U.S. Senator from Indiana after it achieved statehood) and Robert Hanna (who became Indiana's second U.S. Senator after statehood); Harrison County delegates Dennis Pennington and Davis Floyd ; and among others, William Henry Harrison's friends and political allies: Benjamin Parke, John Johnson, John Badollet, and William Polke (delegates from Knox County), David Robb of Gibson County, and James Dill of Dearborn County. Most convention delegates had ties to
20680-457: The first day of the convention, forty-two delegates convened at Corydon to discuss statehood for Indiana. The convention's forty-third delegate, Benjamin Parke , did not arrive until June 14. Thirty-four of the elected delegates agreed on the issue of statehood. On June 11, the delegation passed a resolution (34 to 8) to proceed with task of writing the state's first constitution and forming a state government. Jonathan Jennings , who presided over
20868-415: The first time under the new constitution and state government on November 4, 1816. Jennings and Harrison were inaugurated on November 7. The state legislature elected James Noble and Waller Taylor to the U.S. Senate on the following day. Hendricks was sworn into office and seated as a member of the U.S. House on December 2, 1816. President James Madison signed the congressional resolution admitting Indiana as
21056-480: The first week of sessions organizing the convention. Because the House chamber in the statehouse was too small for the gathering, the state government rented the nearby Masonic Temple . The opening session in the Mason Temple convened on December 26, 1850. The convention, which cost $ 88,280.37 (~$ 2.57 million in 2023), included 127 days of sessions before adjourning on February 10, 1851. Prior to adjournment,
21244-542: The government was friendly to slaveholders. When they relocated to the Indiana Territory, they brought what few slaves they owned with them. An 1810 census recorded 393 free blacks and 237 slaves in the Indiana Territory. Knox County , where the territorial capital of Indiana, Vincennes , was located, was the center of Indiana slavery. A young Army officer named Charles Larrabee, who was serving in Governor William Henry Harrison 's army, summed
21432-451: The grand object therein embraced. Even with statehood, there was still slavery in Indiana. Despite slavery and indentures becoming illegal in 1816 due to the state constitution, the 1820 federal census listed 190 slaves in Indiana. Many Hoosier slaveholders felt that the 1816 constitution did not cover preexisting slavery; others just did not care if it was illegal. In eastern Indiana nearly all slaveholders immediately freed their slaves. But
21620-419: The indentured servitude laws of 1803, and introduced legislation to prevent its reintroduction. They also passed laws aimed at preventing slave hunters from removing escaped slaves from the state. The repeal of the laws was met with resentment and violence in Vincennes. An effigy of Jesse Bright was burnt in the street, and Rice Jones, an opponent of Harrison, was murdered. In 1809, Dennis Pennington, one of
21808-534: The late 1660s. He was accompanied by a Shawnee slave on several of his expeditions. In 1787, Congress organized the territory under the Northwest Ordinance , which prohibited slavery by stating "that there shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the said territory". It was later decided that anyone who purchased a slave outside of the territory could enter and reside there with their slaves. The Ordinance also allowed for preexisting French – Indian slave arrangements. Many Virginian natives living in
21996-426: The latter part of the period, they built earthwork mounds and middens , which showed settlements were becoming more permanent. The Archaic period ended at about 1500 BC, although some Archaic people lived until 700 BC. The Woodland period began around 1500 BC when new cultural attributes appeared. The people created ceramics and pottery and extended their cultivation of plants. An early Woodland period group named
22184-544: The lowland and coastal South. His class supported slavery. From the non-slaveholding class of the Upland South were migrants such as Abraham Lincoln, whose family is representative of the migration to Indiana from Kentucky and Tennessee. Some of his social class, while not owning slaves, typically condoned the institution. Lincoln's father worked as a slave catcher and the family of Lincoln's wife, Mary Todd, owned slaves. But others immigrated to Indiana such as Levi Coffin ,
22372-740: The lucrative fur trade. Fighting between the French and British colonists occurred throughout the 1750s as a result. The Native American tribes of Indiana sided with the French Canadians during the French and Indian War (also known as the Seven Years' War ). With British victory in 1763, the French were forced to cede to the British crown all their lands in North America east of the Mississippi River and north and west of
22560-521: The majority of free blacks were uneducated and ill-equipped to care for themselves. They believed since the South put them in that condition, they should be responsible for the "burden" of caring for them. This view, that the South should clean up its own mess, remained dominant even after the Civil War, and the clause in Indiana's constitution was not repealed until the 20th century. Abraham Lincoln lived in Indiana from 1816 until 1830, age 7 to 21. It
22748-657: The majority of slaveholders in western counties, especially in Knox, decided to keep their slaves. The Vincennes newspaper Western Sun had numerous times advertised "indentured Negroes and other slaves", a sign of the approval of slavery in the area. "In Knox County, virtually all of the (slave) suits were denied by the County Court in 1817 and 1818." A black woman known as Polly was held slave by French trader Hyacinthe Lasselle of Vincennes. Polly sued in 1820 for her freedom, but
22936-667: The mid-15th century for reasons that remain unclear. The historic Native American tribes in the area at the time of European encounter spoke different languages of the Algonquian family. They included the Shawnee , Miami , and Illini . Refugee tribes from eastern regions, including the Delaware who settled in the White and Whitewater River Valleys, later joined them. In 1679, French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle
23124-508: The militia until voters passed an amendment in 1936 to remove this restriction. Article 12 was further amended in 1974 to revise sections 1 through 4 and repeal sections 5 and 6. Changes from the initial constitution included removal of term limits for militia officers and the requirement for conscientious objectors to pay a fee for their exemption from military service. Article 13 openly banned African Americans settlement in Indiana and imposed fines on anyone employing or helping them to settle in
23312-521: The more famous events of the underground railroad, Eliza Harris , a slave from Kentucky , crossed the Ohio River one winter's night when it froze over. She was aided in her escape by Levi Coffin of Fountain City , and eventually escaped to Ontario after being guided by Hoosiers from safe house to safe house through Indiana. Her story was the inspiration for the book Uncle Tom's Cabin . Coffin and his wife would help as many as two thousand slaves escape
23500-413: The most outspoken anti-slavery men and a friend of Henry Clay , was elected to the legislature as the representative from Harrison County , and became speaker of the assembly. His prominence allowed him to dominate the legislature. Before the constitutional convention in 1816, Pennington was quoted as saying "Let us be on our guard when our convention men are chosen that they be men opposed to slavery." At
23688-567: The need for labor in a developing territory, or the desire to attract immigrants from southern colonies. They sought passage of a new law to override the Northwest Ordinance's ban on slavery. Harrison succeeded in getting permission from Congress for the territory to decide for itself whether slavery should be legalized. Harrison and his party sought to gradually legalize slavery three times (1803, 1807, and 1809) but all three efforts ultimately failed. Harrison succeeded, however, in passing laws that established forms of indentured servitude. Harrison
23876-516: The nineteenth state in the Union "on equal footing with the original states in all respects whatever" on December 11, 1816, which is considered the state's birthday. Noble and Taylor were sworn into office seated as members of the U.S. Senate on December 12, 1816. Jennings appointed three judges ( Jesse Lynch Holman , John Johnson, and James Scott) to serve seven-year terms on the Indiana Supreme Court, effective December 28, 1816. The final step to achieve statehood for Indiana occurred on March 3, 1817, when
24064-543: The north to 185 days in the south. Slavery in Indiana Slavery in Indiana occurred between the time of French rule during the late seventeenth century and 1826, with a few traces of slavery afterward. Opposition to slavery began to organize in Indiana around 1805, and in 1809 abolitionists took control of the territorial legislature and overturned many of the laws permitting retaining of slaves. By
24252-470: The northern and central regions of Indiana. Much of its appearance is a result of elements left behind by glaciers . Central Indiana is mainly flat with some low rolling hills (except where rivers cut deep valleys through the plain, like at the Wabash River and Sugar Creek) and soil composed of glacial sands, gravel and clay, which results in exceptional farmland. Northern Indiana is similar, except for
24440-523: The petition was signed and circulated, it gained six hundred more signatures than the petition circulated to request the legalization of slavery. The same year, the abolitionists won their first victory over the Harrison faction. In the election for territorial delegate, Jesse B. Thomas , the anti-slavery factions candidate, defeated Harrison's candidate. By 1809 the territory's population had climbed to over 20,000. Congress passed legislation that allowed
24628-571: The presence of higher and hillier terminal moraines and hundreds of kettle lakes . In northwest Indiana there are various sand ridges and dunes, some reaching nearly 200 feet in height; most of them are at Indiana Dunes National Park . These are along the Lake Michigan shoreline and also inland to the Kankakee Outwash Plain . Southern Indiana is characterized by valleys and rugged, hilly terrain, contrasting with much of
24816-408: The previous constitution, foreign-born men had to become naturalized U.S. citizens, which required a five-year residency requirement. Under the new constitution, aliens were granted suffrage if foreign-born men had reached the age of 21, stated their intention to become a naturalized citizen, and had lived in the United States for a year and in Indiana for at least six months. The new constitution made
25004-437: The pro-slavery faction was in power, laws were passed permitting anyone to seize and return slaves who were more than ten miles from their home, and a one hundred dollar fine was placed on anyone who helped a slave escape. Some slaves, like "Aunt Fannie", who belonged to Dennis Pennington, refused to be set free. Pennington had freed all his slaves when he left Virginia, but Fannie did not want to be left behind and continued on as
25192-444: The pro-slavery/less democratic group. Supporters of Indiana statehood (the pro-Jennings faction) favored democracy, election of state officials, and voting representation in Congress. Harrison's allies supported slavery within the territory and maintaining Indiana's territorial status with a federally-appointed governor. The anti-slavery faction preparing for statehood hoped to institute a constitutional ban on slavery. On June 10, 1816,
25380-419: The pro-statehood/anti-slavery faction. The document emerged from the constitutional convention as a statement of the "values and beliefs" of Indiana's pioneer era. The state's first constitution is similar to that of the other state constitutions written around the same time. Because Ohio and Kentucky were the newest states closest to Indiana, the delegates to the Indiana constitutional convention referred to
25568-409: The punishment of crimes, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted." Indiana's 1851 constitution contains similar content, but clarified the legal status of slaves and indentured servants when they came into the state. Article IX outlined plans for public education. Its central item, which was new to American constitutions, included a clause that established "As soon as circumstances will permit"
25756-482: The ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment , Indiana voters ratified a state constitution amendment to grant suffrage to women. The 1921 amendment also limited voting rights to U.S. citizens. Indiana voters passed an amendment to institute a state income tax in 1932, resulting in the addition of Article 10, Section 8, to the state constitution. Article 12, Section 1, allowed only white men to serve in
25944-409: The remainder of the convention due to ill health. The delegation's basic tasks included selection of presiding officers, adoption of a set of convention rules, meetings in committees and as a whole group to discuss proposed articles for the new constitution, and adoption of a final version of the document. Although the members of the delegation did not all agree, a majority group, mostly associated with
26132-412: The responsibility of the elected representatives to the state legislature. Others who opposed statehood at the time viewed the new state constitution as "premature." In the years following its adoption, rapid social change initiated the need to revise the state's constitution. Major concerns with the state's constitution related to the issue of slavery; limiting governmental powers and jurisdictions within
26320-421: The return to annual sessions of Indiana General Assembly; however, the governor was empowered to call special sessions of the state legislature if necessary. The long session, which occurred the year after an election, was left the same (61 days); however, the shorter legislative session in the following year was authorized to meet for a 30-day period. (The initial constitution of 1851 authorized biannual sessions of
26508-486: The right to choose for themselves to legalize slavery. By the same act, Congress removed the legislative power from the General Court of the territory and created a Legislative Council that would was to be popularly elected. When the election was complete Davis Floyd was the only anti-slavery member elected; slavery had not yet become a major issue in the state. That year Harrison persuaded the legislature to begin
26696-611: The same rights as the U.S. Bill of Rights , including civil liberties and such basic freedoms as the freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, and freedom of religion, among others. Article II called for the separation of powers between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of state government. Articles III, IV, and V outlined the powers of the state's legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. Its bicameral legislature divided powers between two chambers (the state's House of Representatives and its Senate), each one composed of elected members. The state legislature
26884-483: The south and southeast, and the Wabash River and Illinois to the west. Nicknamed "the Hoosier State", Indiana is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 states . Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis . Indiana was admitted to the Union as the 19th state on December 11, 1816. Various indigenous peoples inhabited what would become Indiana for thousands of years, some of whom
27072-628: The state constitution from ever permitting the introduction of slavery or involuntary servitude into the state. As one of the state constitution's most important provisions, this section allowed constitutional amendments for any reason other than the introduction of slavery or involuntary servitude. The anti-slavery clause in Article VIII stated: "But, as the holding any part of the human Creation in slavery, or involuntary servitude, can only originate in usurpation and tyranny, no alteration of this constitution shall ever take place so as to introduce slavery or involuntary servitude in this State, otherwise than for
27260-409: The state constitution in 1881. Another problem was the organization of the courts. The Supreme Court became overloaded with cases and an appellate court was created at the turn of the century. During the 1970s a series of amendments were enacted to make the court constitutional and to reform the method of electing Supreme Court Justices. Justices were again made appointed positions, a list of candidates
27448-475: The state during the same census. Slavery in the Indiana Territory was supported by Governors William Henry Harrison and his successor Thomas Posey , who both sought to legalize it in the territory. Both men were appointed by the President of the United States while the office was held by southern slaveholders. Although slavery was not legal under Article 6 of the Northwest Ordinance , Harrison recognized
27636-428: The state government to function as a loosely bound unit. "The People" were explicitly noted as being the sovereigns of the state. The preamble outlined Indiana's rights to join the Union "on equal footing with the original states" in accordance with the laws of the U.S. Constitution, the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, and the Enabling Act. Article I, which contained a bill of rights for Indiana's citizens, conferred many of
27824-480: The state government were permitted to retain their seats until elections were held in October 1852, but had to take an oath to uphold the new constitution. Since its ratification, the state constitution of 1851 has been amended several times, but it remains the highest state law in Indiana. The new constitution did not radically change the state's existing government. Although it expanded the bill of rights included in
28012-451: The state legislature continued to provide funding to IU, despite some funding controversies in the early 1850s. Because no divorce clause was included in the state constitution of 1816, the legislature assumed the authority to grant divorces, and continued to do so even after laws passed in 1818 granted the authority to circuit courts. Under the new constitution, the Indiana General Assembly was prohibited from making local and special laws. As
28200-473: The state legislature discretion on enacting banking laws in the state, but prohibited the state government "from becoming a stockholder in any bank or corporation, or loaning its credit to any individual or corporation." Because many Indiana voters objected to state-sponsored banks, the new constitution barred the charter of the Bank of Indiana from being extended with the state government as a stockholder and banned
28388-439: The state legislature from making local and special legislation; the impeachment process for local officials; property rights of married women; and public school reform, among other concerns. Notable Indiana statesmen who were members of the delegation and spoke at the convention included Thomas Hendricks , David Wallace , Schuyler Colfax , Horace P. Biddle , Robert Dale Owen , and Alvin P. Hovey , among others. Delegates spent
28576-746: The state legislature to only enact laws that had a statewide effect, ending private acts ; and a reduction in the number of public officials, among other proposals. The Democrats adopted their own list of items after the Whigs, which included many of the same suggestions, and accused the Whigs of stealing their ideas. Among the goals of the convention was to find ways to reduce the cost of state government and increase its efficiency. Topics of discussion included elections and appointment of local officials, sheriffs, commissioners, board members, judges, coroners, auditors, clerks, etc.; expansion of suffrage; biennial legislative sessions (as opposed to annual sessions); banning
28764-539: The state residency requirements from six months to one year and removed the word "white" from Section 2, which was already unenforceable due to the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment granting suffrage to African American men. The state legislator enacted a voters' rights law in 1917, but it was struck down by the Indiana Supreme Court in October of that year. Other amendments to Article 2, Section 2, occurred in 1921, 1976, and 1984. In September 1921, following
28952-644: The state was symbolized by the construction in 1909 of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway . In the 1920s, state politics was heavily influenced by the rise of the Indiana Klan . First organized in 1915 as a branch of the Ku Klux Klan , it appealed to white Protestants alarmed by social and economic trends, including changes induced by immigration from southern and central Europe. In the name of defending "hundred-per-cent Americanism",
29140-428: The state's founders initiated a program, the Indiana Mammoth Internal Improvement Act , that led to the construction of roads, canals , railroads and state-funded public schools. The plans bankrupted the state and were a financial disaster, but increased land and produce value more than fourfold. In response to the crisis and in order to avert another, in 1851, a second constitution was adopted. Among its provisions were
29328-437: The state's geographical boundaries. While Article VIII banned the future importation of slaves and indentured servants into Indiana, Article XI left open to interpretation the issue of whether it was acceptable to allow pre-existing slavery and involuntary servitude arrangements within the state. Article XII outlined the process for the transition from a territorial government to a state government. This included, among other tasks,
29516-497: The state, reaches depths at nearly 120 feet (37 m), while Lake Wawasee is the largest natural lake in Indiana. At 10,750 acres (summer pool level), Monroe Lake is the largest lake in Indiana. In the past, almost all of Indiana had a humid continental climate ( Dfb ), with cold winters and hot, wet summers; only the extreme southern portion of the state lay within the humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ), which receives more precipitation than other parts of Indiana. But as of
29704-559: The state. Here, bedrock is exposed at the surface. Because of the prevalent Indiana limestone , the area has many caves, caverns, and quarries. Major river systems in Indiana include the Whitewater, White, Blue, Wabash, St. Joseph, and Maumee rivers. According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, as of 2007, there were 65 rivers, streams, and creeks of environmental interest or scenic beauty, which included only
29892-436: The state. The Indiana Supreme Court ruling in Smith v. Moody (1866) invalidated Article 13, which contained several restrictions against Black Americans, including prohibiting their immigration to the state after the adoption of the state constitution in 1851. State laws to enforce Article 13 were repealed in 1867. The exclusionary and colonization provisions in Article 13 were repealed by amendment and removed from Section 13 of
30080-467: The state. Voters could either approve or reject the remaining provisions of the new constitution as a whole. In the final tally, voters approved Article 13 with 113,828 votes in favor and 21,873 opposed, an 83.88 percent favorable approval rate. Only in Elkhart, LaGrange, Steuben, and Randolph counties did a majority of voters oppose the adoption of the article. Voters also approved the remaining sections of
30268-423: The state; guaranteeing secrecy of ballots; continuing concerns over the amendment process for the constitution; reducing state legislation related to personal and local issues; granting more local power over school funding; suffrage for foreign-born residents; legislative terms and legislative sessions; the impeachment process for state officials; and governmental expenses and inefficiencies, among others. In addition,
30456-578: The subject of several songs, such as " On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away ", " Wabash Cannonball ", and " Back Home Again in Indiana ". There are about 900 lakes listed by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. To the northwest, Indiana borders Lake Michigan , one of five lakes comprising the Great Lakes , the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world. Tippecanoe Lake , the deepest lake in
30644-504: The territorial legislature. Indiana courts never ruled on the Ordinance/slavery issue during the territorial period. When the issue of slavery was in the courts, it "was always treated as an existing institution and its legality went unchallenged." Early Hoosiers, including William Henry Harrison, wanted to have slavery legalized in the new territory. Harrison may have been motivated by the need to appease existing slaveowners,
30832-541: The territory interpreted the Ordinance as allowing them to have slaves. The Ordinance stated that the Virginians "shall have their possessions and titles confirmed to them, and be protected in the enjoyment of their rights and liberties." Many decided to keep slaves. Fear of French rebellion kept the courts from acting against slavery, as did the violent actions of those who would kidnap escaped slaves. A court ruling in
31020-558: The territory that would become Indiana was annexed to the United States. Slavery was already a present institution: The French who had controlled the area only 20 years earlier, and their allies among the Native American population, had been practicing slavery in the region for at least one hundred and fifty years before the Americans took control. René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle , first began explorations in Indiana in
31208-477: The territory's citizens viewed statehood as an opportunity for more self-government and wanted to proceed. The territory's pro-statehood faction preferred to elect their own state officials instead of having the federal government appoint individuals on their behalf, formulate state laws, discontinue the appointed territorial governor's absolute veto power, and allow its citizens to have greater participation in national politics, including voting powers in Congress. At
31396-417: The territory's general assembly, as well as Thomas Posey , governor of the Indiana Territory, objected to statehood at that time. They believed that the territory's limited size and scattered population would make a state government too costly to operate. However, after a census authorized in 1814 proved that its population had reached 63,897, exceeding the minimum population requirement of 60,000 as outlined in
31584-471: The time Indiana was granted statehood in 1816, the abolitionists were in firm control and slavery was banned in the constitution . In 1820, an Indiana Supreme Court ruling in Polly v. Lasselle freed Polly Strong and provided a precedent for other enslaved people. An additional Supreme Court ruling in 1821 freed indentured servant Mary Bateman Clark , helping to bring an end to indentured servitude. With
31772-476: The time the delegates were gathering at Corydon in June 1816, slavery had become a major and divisive issue in the territory. The indenture law of 1805 had been repealed, but slavery continued to exist within Indiana. Two major factions emerged. An anti-slavery/pro-democracy group was led by Jonathan Jennings and his supporters. Former territorial governor and future U.S. president William Henry Harrison 's allies led
31960-552: The tribes was a direct result of the rise of slavery. Early slaves were often Native Americans who were sold to pay debts. The early slaves typically performed manual labor, helping the traders transport their goods and to build forts and trading posts. While part of new France, laws were enacted to give slaves some protection from their masters. Torture and mutilation of slaves was forbidden, and families were prevented from being forcibly broken up. Other laws allowed slaves to be seized by creditors as payment. Other laws required that if
32148-656: The underground railroad traveled through Indiana. Tell City , Evansville , and Jeffersonville were gateways to the underground railroad. An important stopover was Westfield , where food and hiding places were provided to slaves trying to reach Canada. Other safe houses dotted Indiana, including one in Town Clock Church (pictured). Escaping slaves who entered Indiana would be ferried from safe house to safe house northward, usually into Michigan, where they could cross safely to Windsor , in Ontario, Canada. In one of
32336-400: The war required steel, food and other goods the state produced. Roughly 10% of Indiana's population joined the armed forces, while hundreds of industries earned war production contracts and began making war material. Indiana manufactured 4.5% of total U.S. military armaments during World War II, ranking eighth among the 48 states. The expansion of industry to meet war demands helped end
32524-541: The war, exceeding five million by the 1970 census. In the 1960s the administration of Matthew E. Welsh adopted its first sales tax of 2%. Indiana schools were desegregated in 1949. In 1950, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Indiana's population as 95.5% white and 4.4% black. Governor Welsh also worked with the General Assembly to pass the Indiana Civil Rights Bill, granting equal protection to minorities in seeking employment. On December 8, 1964,
32712-577: The west. His success is often credited for changing the course of the American Revolutionary War. At the end of the war, through the Treaty of Paris , the British crown ceded their claims to the land south of the Great Lakes to the newly formed United States, including Native American lands. In 1787, the U.S. defined the Northwest Territory which included the area of present-day Indiana. In 1800, Congress separated Ohio from
32900-430: The western section the Indiana Territory . In 1816, when Congress passed an Enabling Act to begin the process of establishing statehood for Indiana, a part of this territorial land became the geographic area for the new state. Formal use of the word Indiana dates from 1768, when a Philadelphia -based trading company gave its land claim in present-day West Virginia the name "Indiana" in honor of its previous owners,
33088-445: The wishes of a majority of the citizens. ... The toleration of slavery is either right or wrong; and if Congress should think, with us, that it is wrong, that it is inconsistent with the principles upon which our future constitution is to be formed, your memorialists will rest satisfied that, at least, this subject will not be by them taken up until the constitutional number of the citizens of this Territory shall assume that right. When
33276-507: Was chiefly via flatboat on the Ohio River westerly, and by wagon trails up the Wabash/White River Valleys (west) and Whitewater River Valleys (east). In 1810, the Shawnee tribal chief Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa encouraged other indigenous tribes in the territory to resist European settlement. Tensions rose and the U.S. authorized Harrison to launch a preemptive expedition against Tecumseh's Confederacy ;
33464-624: Was created by the Indiana Judicial Nominating Commission , narrowed to three finalists and thus submitted to the governor who then chooses one. The Justice could then serve two years before being subjected to a retention election, if retained then the Justice could continue their term for up to ten years. All five of the justices must face a retention vote once every ten years on the ballot of that general election. A constitution amendment passed in 1974 authorized
33652-482: Was defined by the Treaty of Fort Wayne in 1809, adding much of the southwestern lands around Vincennes and southeastern lands adjacent to Cincinnati, to areas along the Ohio River as part of U.S. territory. Settlements were military outposts such as Fort Ouiatenon in the northwest and Fort Miami (later Fort Wayne) in the northeast, Fort Knox and Vincennes settlement on the lower Wabash. Other settlements included Clarksville (across from Louisville), Vevay, and Corydon along
33840-476: Was delayed until a new state constitution was adopted in 1851. Article IX also provided for a reform-based penal code, funding for libraries, and state institutions to care for the elderly and those in need. Indiana's delegates wrote their own content for Article X, which outlined the state's banking provisions. Article XI outlined general provisions that named Corydon the seat of state government until 1825, established salaries for judges and state officials, and set
34028-641: Was denied in the Knox County Court. She appealed to the Indiana Supreme Court , who ruled in her favor that she should be free. But even after this decision, there was slavery in Indiana. The federal census of 1830 still showed three slaves in Indiana: one each in Orange County , Decatur County , and Warrick County . A separate local census in Knox County in 1830 showed the presence of 32 slaves. Even in 1840 there were three slaves listed in
34216-503: Was during his late teen years that Lincoln first traveled by flatboat to New Orleans; during the trip and in New Orleans proper, he first encountered slavery and began to form his opinions. Growing up in a climate where the state politics were run by men like Jennings and Pennington would have much influence on the development of Lincoln's views. Many Indiana residents participated in the Underground Railroad . Two major arteries in
34404-422: Was necessary to increase the territory's population more quickly and attract new settlers. Congress wanted the territory to become economically viable so that the federal government would no longer have to financially support it. In 1803 the entire territory's population numbered less than 5,000. That year the legislature—which was appointed by Harrison—passed legislation reintroducing indentured servitude. In 1805
34592-436: Was not sufficient. The delegates' selections resulted in Indiana's legislative branch being dominant over the executive and judicial branches of state government. The Indiana delegates organized a republican form of government and created a state constitution that outlined a basic framework for governmental functions. Instead of providing specific details on individual issues, the constitution's broadly-defined principles enabled
34780-504: Was particularly interested in having slavery legalized. He maintained a plantation style home in Vincennes called Grouseland . Harrison was also in the process of constructing another plantation style farm called Harrison Valley near Corydon in 1807, the same year he was pushing for slavery to be legalized. In 1803 Harrison asked Congress to suspend the anti-slavery clause of the Northwest Ordinance for ten years. Harrison claimed it
34968-676: Was removed by amendment in 1881. Women's equal rights were also excluded from constitutional provisions. Convention delegate Robert Dale Owen introduced a proposal to include a clause in the new constitution granting married women the right to own private property and to jointly-own property with her husband, but the effort failed. However, in the July 1853 legislative session, Owen secured passage of laws granting property rights to married women. The Indiana General Assembly passed additional legislation in 1879 and in 1881 to further protect widowed and married women's property rights. The early criticism of
35156-441: Was set to meet annually. Elections would be held annually to elect representatives. State senators would serve three-year terms, with one-third of the senators being elected each year. The governor and lieutenant governor would be elected to serve a term of three years. Indiana's governor was limited to serving two consecutive terms. A simple majority vote in the legislature could override the governor's veto. Article IV also outlined
35344-667: Was the first European to cross into Indiana after reaching present-day South Bend at the St. Joseph River . He returned the following year to learn about the region. French-Canadian fur traders soon arrived, bringing blankets, jewelry, tools, whiskey and weapons to trade for skins with the Native Americans. By 1702, Sieur Juchereau established the first trading post near Vincennes . In 1715, Sieur de Vincennes built Fort Miami at Kekionga , now Fort Wayne . In 1717, another Canadian, Picote de Beletre , built Fort Ouiatenon on
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