This handbook was developed to encourage more effective state citizenship through the teaching of state history. Attention is given to geographical factors, politics, government, social and economic changes, and cultural development

Geib, George W.

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Butler University Digital Commons @ Butler University Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS College of Liberal Arts & Sciences 1987 "Indiana Territory and Early Statehood, 1800-1825" George W. Geib Butler University, ggeib@butler.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/facsch_papers  Part of the Education Commons, and the History Commons Recommended Citation Geib, George W., ""Indiana Territory and Early Statehood, 1800-1825"" Indiana: A Handbook for U. S. History Teachers / (1987): 67-74. Available at https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/facsch_papers/793 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at Digital Commons @ Butler University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Butler University. For more information, please contact digitalscholarship@butler.edu. Chapter 8: Indiana Territory and Early Statehood,1800-1825Dr. George W Geib, Chairman, De-Artment of History, PoliticalScience, and Geography, Butler University, IndianapolisTo the teacher: Rapid settlement and growth of the territory of the Old Northwestcauses problems for the new federal government.Corollary to U.S. History' The new federal government takes shape under George Washington's leadershipFederalists and Republicans (Hamilton and Jefferson)' The French Revolution, 1789 and increased problems with other foreign powersThomas Jefferson, the Louisiana Purchase and continued foreign troublesThe War of 1812 (Mr. Madison's War)GENERAL COMMENTSIndiana Territory was the second territory within the Old Nonthwest,and Indiana was the second state carved from the region. Althoughmost of the Old Northwest was included in the new Indiana Territoryin 1800, the territory did not reach its maximum size until the additionof eastern Michigan and the Gore in 1803, when Ohio became a state.When Indiana voters exp,:essed a preference for the second or represen-tative stage of terriwrial government late in 1804, residents of thesubsequent states of Michigan and Illinois sought separation and con-tinuation of the first stage for their areas. The establishment of theMichigan Territory in 1805 meant that Michigan never became a partof Indiana's second stage; but Illinois, against the wishes of someresidents, remained with second-stage Indiana until 1809.During both its first and second stages, Indiana territorial governmentwas based on the stages for statehood outlined in the Ordinance of1787. According to the Act of 1800, which established the territory,Indiana could enter the second stage whenever a majority of herqualified voters so desired. Moreover, once this stage was achieved1'1 , )' UIndiana Territorye-sated as secondterritory in theOld NorthwestIndiana growstoward statehoodChapter 8/67there was a considerable growth in political democracy. These changes,the decision against slavery, and land legislation which made it possi-ble for numerous settlers to buy land, made pioneer Indiana moredemocratic than Kentucky and Tennessee.During the period 1800-1825, Indiana was a part of the rapidlydeveloping Ohio Valley frontier. The settlement of Indiana was a con-tinuatiun of the settlement of the Ohio Valley which had been in pro-cess, though slowly at first, since about the 1750s. The Ohio River wasa superwaterway for travel and transportation up and down the valley.This increased contacts between settlements and promoted con-siderable unity of interests and views among settlers throughout thevalley. Viewing Indiana as a part of the expanding Ohio Valleyfrontier during the first quarter of the nineteenth century helps explainwhy the large majority of Indiana pioneers first lived in southernIndiana. Within Indians the frontier of settlement moved principallyfrom south to north, with the result tnat northwestern Indiana became"Indiana's last frontier."The revival of conflict with the Indians at the Battle of Tippecanoe in1811, and the ensuing War of 1812, at first threatened and then con-firmed American occupation of the Old Northwest. Despite somesevere military reverses during 1812 and 1813, the Old Northwest wasmore strongly under American control at the end of the war than ithad ever been. The British were aware of this increased American holdon the region. Moreover, the War of 1812 ended the long series ofIndian wars which had been fought intermittently in the Ohio Valleysince about 1750. In 3815, the Indians who had sided with the Englishgenerally realized that both they and the British had been successfullyrepulsed and that the American tide was waxing as the British tidewaned. In other words, by 1815 the United States had made good itstitle to the Old Northwest and was mw prepared to expand settle-ments throughout the Ohio Valley and even into portions of the OldNorthwest within the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence drainage basin.Indiana's admission as the nineteenth state of the United States in1816 was generally favored by its citizens. Although Indiana ceased tobe a territory, in various ways she remained dependent upon theUnited State: In 1816, the Indians still held about two-thirds of thestate land. The termination of these holdings, their survey and sale,and the removal of the Indians were functions performed by thefederal government. Because transportation was inadequate,Washington made grants of land as well as some money to build roadsand canals.Chapter 8/68Importance of theOhio Riverwaterway systemWar of 1812extends tothe Old NorthwestIndiana admittedas the 19th statein 1816IIIPOINTS TO EMPHASIZEIn 1800, Congress created the Indiana Territory by dividing the OldNorthwest into two territories. The area east of a line from the junc-tion of the Kentucky River with the Ohio, northeast to Fort Recovery,and due north to Canada remained as the Northwest Territory. It in-cluded almost all of Oh'o, a slice from eastern Indiana known as theGore, and approximately the eastern half of Michigan. The area westof this line became the Indiana Territory; it included nearly all ofpresent-day Indiana, approximately the western half of Michigan,Illinois, Wisconsin, and much of Minnesota. When Ohio became a statein 1803, the eastern half of Michigan and the Gore were added toIndiana Territory, making it of immense size; however, its extent wassoon decreased by the separation of Michigan Territory (1805) andIllinois Territory (1809). Except for minor changes, Indiana's presentboundaries were established in 1816 when statehood was achieved.William Henry Harrison was appointed governor of the new territory.John Gibson, Indian trader and veteran of the American Revolution,was appointed territorial secretary. Three judges were also appointed.They served as the highest court within the territory. These threejudges and the governor adopted laws for the territory from variousstates. During this stage there was no representative government. Thisnon-representative stage was recognized as a temporary expediency. In1804, a vote was taken and a majority of those who participated inthis referendum voted in favor of a change to the second or represen-tative stage of territorial government.During this stage the governor, secretary, and judges remained in of-fice; however, the judges and governor lost their power to adopt laws.Th& jeneral Assembly elected a territorial delegate to be a speakingbut non-voting member of Congress. In the General Assembly,members of the House were elected by voters who met certain prop-erty qualifications, while members of the Council (later called Senate)were appointed by the President from nominations made by the House.The Gene. ' Assembly levied taxes, created new counties, establishedcourts, and defined their functions. The territorial capital wasestablished at Vincennes in 1800. In 1813, a law became effectivewhich moved the territorial capital from Vincennes to Corydon, whereit remained until 1825. Indianapolis became the permanent statecapital in 1825.Three important changes increased political democracy during thesecond stage: (1) The election of the territorial delegate was taken fromthe General Assembly and given to the voters; (2) Membeis of theCouncil were made subject to popular election rather than appointmentby the President; (3) Suffrage was extended to include adult whiteIndianaTerritorycreatedThe "Gore"See mappage 196First stage1800-1805under GovernorWilliam HenryHarrisonSecond stage1805-1816PoliticaldemocracyincreasedChapter 8/69males who met a property qualification or paid territorial tax. Sincenearly every adult white male met this test, the substance of universalsuffrage was achieved for this group. Such democratic gains had notbeen achieved during the second stage in the Northwest Territory(1798-1803), and they were considered advanced for that day.The Ordinance of 1787 prohibited sla ery in the Old Northwest duringits territorial period, and required that states carved from the regionmust exclude slavery. Some of tin French in the area held slaves, andthe courts decided that such persons could continue to own them. in1802, a convention of citizens at Vincennes asked Congress to allowthe introduction of additional slaves into Indiana, but Congress re- Slavery in thejetted this request. The following year the governor and judges Indianaadopted a law from Virginia which authorized life contracts for inden- Territorytured servants. Under this law, a small number of Negroes werebrought into Indiana, but they were more appropriately called slavesthan indentured servants. Similar legislation was continued by theGeneral Assembly a 1805, but was repealed in 1810. Indiana's Con-stitution of 1816 definitely excluded slavery. Though slavery existed inearly Indiana, it never became a significant factor among Hoosiers.Indiana doubtless became a free state more because of local oppositionto slavery than because of the prohibition against it in the Ordinanceof 1787. Within Indiana, numarous Quakers, notably in theWhitewater Valley, opposed slavery during territorial days. Theabsence of slavery discouraged establishment of the plantationeconomy found in parts of Kentucky and Tennessee.1 . 1800, the year Indiana became a territory, Congress passed a landlaw known as the Harrison Land Law. According to this law, 320 acres(a half section) was the minimum amount which could be purchased ata minimum price of r,2 per acre. The purchaser was allowed to make asmall down payment to be followed by four yearly payments with aone year extension if needed. In 1804, Congress reduced the minimumamount to 160 acres (a quarter section). Although the minimum pricewas higher than in the Land Ordinance of 1785, the availability ofsmaller tracts and of credit made the new legislation attractive to set-tlers. Many settlers, however, were too optimistic about their ability tomake annual payments and a majority of them wer'3 unable to com-plete their payments on time. f arious laws allowed extensions of timefor payments. but delinquencies increased. They became such aproblemespecially with the beginning of the depression in 1819thatCongress passed a law in 1820 which reduced the minimum amountwhich ,:ould be purchased to 80 acres (one-eighth of a section) and setthe minimum price per acre at $1.25, but payment thereafter was to bestrictly cash. It took more than a decade, and various laws, to makeadjustments and settlements for persons who had bought land oncredit in the period 1800-1820. Millions of acres of land, located mainlyin southern Indiana, were sold under this credit plan.Chapter 8/70Land Laws11,00-1820William Henry Harrison and Jonathan Jennings were the two most im-portant political leaders in Indiana during 1800-1825. Harrison wasfrom a prominent Virginia family. His father had signed the Declara-tion of Independence and had served as governor of Virginia. Harrisonhad planned to be a doctor but entered military service, serving withWayne at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794. He soon becomesecretary of the Northwest Territory and then its first territorialdelegate to Congress. Harrison was the governor of Indiana Territoryfrom 1800 to 1812, though at various times, John Gibson served in hisplace. Harrison resigned because of his participation in the War of1812, following which he became a resident of Ohio. Elected presidentof the United States in 1840, he died after only one month in office.Jennings, a native of New Jersey, arrived at Vincennes in 1806. Hesoon mcved to Jeffersonville and almost immediately became a rival ofHarrison's. Jennings was eluted territorial delegate in 1809, when thisoffice was first filled by popular vote, and re-elected at each succeedingelection. In 1816, he was president of the Corydon Convent.un whichwrote Indiana's first Constitution. He was elected governor in 1815and again in 1819. Durirg the 1820s, he served several years inCongress.Both Harrison and Jennings claimed to be Jpffersonian Republicans.Harrison represented a southern style of Republicanism that was morerespectful of social status and more tolerant of slavery; Jenningsrepresented a western style that was more egalitarian in spirit andquite opposed to slavery. Harrison enjoyed support in the older settledareas of the Soudreast. Each faction exaggerated the views, and short-comings, of the other. Harrison's appointive powers as governor gavehim the ascendency in the early territorial days, while Jennings'greater appeal to small farmers had shifted power to hn by the timeof statehood.Between 1800 and 1809, Governor Harrison and his associates securedmillions of acres of land from various Indian tribes for the UnitedStates. Within Indiana these cessions were mainly located in southernIndiana, though they included considerable land in central Indiana onits eastern and western borders. An even larger area was secured fromthe Indians within what is now southern and central Illinois. Thesecessions disturbed many Indians. The visible and effective Indian op-ponents of Harrison's were two Shawneesthe Prophet and his half-brother, Tecumseh. The Prophet advocated abandoning the religionand material culture of white people and returning to Indiar beliefsand practices. In 1b;,sg, he established Prophet's Town on theTippecanoe River and, by persuasion and occasional force, sought torally a multi-tribal following. Tecumseh, an able diplomat and orator,joined in these afforts, gaining converts as Harrison gained cessions60Harrison andJennings,rival politicalleadersCession ofland obtainedfrom the IndiansChapter 8/71from other Indian leaders. Twice Tecumseh visited Harrison at Vin-cennes to indicate his opposition to further cessions of land. In 1811,Tecumseh went south, presumably to enlist support from southern In-dians. While he was away, Harrison led some 1,000 men up theWabash from Vincennes toward the Indian area. Fort Harrison wasbuilt near present-day Terre Haute, and from there the army proceededup the valley to a spot north of present Lafayette. Here it camped forthe night, perhaps expecting negotiations with the Indians the nextday. Near daybreak the Indians attacked and there were heavy losseson both sides. Harrison and his friends regarded this battle near theTippecanoe River as a victory. The growing Indian conflict soonmerged into the War of 1812.The War of 1812fought during 1812, 1813, and 1814came towardthe later part of Indiana's territorial era. Several factors pointedtoward war: (1) conflicting views between the United States andEngland over the rights of Americans as neutrals in the prolongedwarfare between France and England which involved various other War 01 812countries; (2) English impressment of American seamen into British producesnaval service, a question made thorny because both England and the Indian defeatUnited States often claimed the same p, 'sons as citizens; (3) Americaninterest in possible territorial changessome Americans thought warmight result in the addition of at least part of Canada or perhapsFlorida to the United States; and (4) American resentment at con-tinued English encouragement to the Indians to delay cessions andretard the advance of the American frontier in the Old Northwest.At first, the War of 1812 was disastrous to the Americans in the OldNorthwest. Detroit fell to the English, the garrison et Fort Dearborn(Chicago) was massacred as it attempted to withdraw, Forts Wayneand Harrison were attacked, and Indian raids extended even intoestablished settlements as is illustrated by the Pigeon Roost Massacrein Cl..rk County. In 1813, the Americans successfully counterattacked.Oliver Hazard Perry's naval victory at Put-in-Bay on Lake Erie, andHarrison's victory over the British and Indians at Moraviantown onthe River Thames iri Canada (where Tec'imseh was slain), ended anyserious threats to the Old Northwest. No territorial changes resultedfrom the War of 1812; however, the Indians were thcroughly defeated,and many made peace even before the British.American control over the West was much more solid and secure in1815 than it had been in the uncertain 1780s. No Indian warfarethereafter occurred in Indiana. This war promoted a spirit ofnationalism and encouraged the statehood movement which soon madeIndiana the 19th state.6Chapter 8/72Fiv ,:essive steps were involved as Indiana made the change froma territory to a state. First was the petition to Congress from theGeneral Assembly asking that Congress authorize Indiana to frame aconstitution and organize a state government. Following the Battle ofTippecanoe, the General Assembly in 1811 petitioned for statehood, Indianabut Congress regarded this as premature. Later, in 1815, a successful becomes ape ,tion was made. Second came an enabling act by Congress in 1816 state in 1816approving the calling of a convention to draft a constitution. The thirdstep was the convention at Cory ion which drafted a constitution forthe new state. The fourth step was the election of various state of-ficials and the actual organization of a state government. These stepswere completed December 11, 1816 and resulted in the fifth step,which was the formal admission by the federal Congress.Indiana's new constitution was concise. It provided universal suffragefor white males, excluded slavery, and set a very high goal for publiceducation. Under this constitution, the General Assembly had much Firstpower and met annually for. s long as members thought desirable. At Constitutionthe end of .816, when Indiana entered the Union, there were only 15 writtencounties in the state. By 1825, the total was near 50. County govern-ment was an extremely important unit of government in pioneer dayswhich had become far more important than the ci,711 township govern.ment. As a result, in many counties, rivalry over the site for a countyseat was at times long and vigorous.S 2 Chapter 8/73

Indiana Territory and Early Statehood, 1800-1825

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Indiana Territory and Early Statehood, 1800-1825

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