List of U.S. states that were never U.S. territories

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Map of states that were never territories of the US

A state of the United States of America is one of the 50 administrative entities that shares its sovereignty with the federal government. The original 13 states had been British colonies before they declared (both individually and collectively) their independence from Great Britain in 1776.[1] Most of the states since admitted to the union have been formed within territories of the United States (that is, land under the sovereignty of the federal government but not part of any state) that were organized (given a measure of self-rule by the Congress subject to the Congress' plenary powers under Article IV, Section 3, clause 2 of the Constitution.[a]

Six states established by Congress were never organized territories of the federal government (or part of one) prior to being admitted to the Union. The following table is a list the original 13 states plus these states and their respective dates of statehood. The original states are presented here in the order that each ratified the 1787 Constitution. The date of admission listed for each subsequent state is the official date set by Act of Congress.

List of U.S. states that were never U.S. territories

State Date of admission Formed from
 Delaware December 7, 1787[3] Crown Colony of Delaware[b]
 Pennsylvania December 12, 1787[5] Crown Colony of Pennsylvania
 New Jersey December 18, 1787[6] Crown Colony of New Jersey
 Georgia January 2, 1788[3] Crown Colony of Georgia
 Connecticut January 9, 1788[7] Crown Colony of Connecticut
 Massachusetts February 6, 1788[3] Crown Colony of Massachusetts Bay
 Maryland April 28, 1788[3] Crown Colony of Maryland
 South Carolina May 23, 1788[3] Crown Colony of South Carolina
 New Hampshire June 21, 1788[3] Crown Colony of New Hampshire
 Virginia June 25, 1788[3] Crown Colony of Virginia
 New York July 26, 1788[8] Crown Colony of New York
 North Carolina November 21, 1789[9] Crown Colony of North Carolina
 Rhode Island May 29, 1790[3] Crown Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
 Vermont March 4, 1791[10] Vermont Republic (also known as the New Hampshire Grants[c])
 Kentucky June 1, 1792[11] Virginia (District of Kentucky: Fayette, Jefferson, and Lincoln counties[d])
 Maine March 15, 1820[13] Massachusetts (District of Maine[e])
 Texas December 29, 1845[14] Republic of Texas
 California September 9, 1850[15] unorganized territory[f] (part)
 West Virginia June 20, 1863[16] Virginia (Trans-Allegheny region counties[g])

See also

  • Texas annexation, the 1845 incorporation of the Republic of Texas into the United States as a state in the Union

Notes

  1. ^ The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United States, or of any particular State.[2]
  2. ^ Also known as the "Three Lower Counties Upon Delaware." Delaware became a state on June 15, 1776, when the Delaware Assembly formally adopted a resolution declaring an end to Delaware's status as a colony of Great Britain and establishing the three counties as an independent state under the authority of "the Government of the Counties of New Castle, Kent and Sussex Upon Delaware."[4]
  3. ^ Between 1749 and 1764 the provincial governor of New Hampshire, Benning Wentworth, issued approximately 135 grants for unoccupied land claimed by New Hampshire west of the Connecticut River (in what is today southern Vermont), territory that was also claimed by New York. The resulting dispute led to the rise of the Green Mountain Boys and the later establishment of the Vermont Republic. New Hampshire's claim upon the land was extinguished in 1764 by royal order of George III, and in 1790 the State of New York ceded its New Hampshire Grants claim to Vermont for 30,000 Dollars.
  4. ^ The Virginia General Assembly adopted legislation on December 18, 1789 separating its "District of Kentucky" from the rest of the State and approving its statehood.[12]
  5. ^ The Massachusetts General Court passed enabling legislation on June 19, 1819 separating the "District of Maine" from the rest of the State (an action approved by the voters in Maine on July 19, 1819 by 17,001 to 7,132); then, on February 25, 1820, passed a follow-up measure officially accepting the fact of Maine's imminent statehood.[12]
  6. ^ Area Mexico ceded to the United States in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, minus Texan claims. The cession consisted of present day states of California, Nevada, Utah, most of Arizona, about half of New Mexico, about a quarter of Colorado, and a small section of Wyoming.
  7. ^ On May 13, 1862, the General Assembly of the Restored Government of Virginia passed an act granting permission for creation of West Virginia.[17] Later, by its ruling in Virginia v. West Virginia (1871), the Supreme Court implicitly affirmed that the breakaway Virginia counties did have the proper consents required to become a separate state.[18]

References

  1. ^ Jensen, Merrill (1959). The Articles of Confederation: An Interpretation of the Social-Constitutional History of the American Revolution, 1774–1781. University of Wisconsin Press. pp. xi, 184. ISBN 978-0-299-00204-6.
  2. ^ "Property and Territory: Powers of Congress". Justia.com.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Vile, John R. (2005). The Constitutional Convention of 1787: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of America's Founding (Volume 1: A-M). ABC-CLIO. p. 658. ISBN 1-85109-669-8. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  4. ^ "Delaware Government". Delaware.gov. Government Information Center, Delaware Department of State.
  5. ^ "Overview of Pennsylvania History - 1776-1861: Independence to the Civil War". PA.gov. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.
  6. ^ "1787 Convention Minutes". NJ.gov. New Jersey Department of State.
  7. ^ "Today in History: January 9". loc.gov. Library of Congress.
  8. ^ "Today in History: July 26". loc.gov. Library of Congress.
  9. ^ "Today in History: November 21". loc.gov. Library of Congress.
  10. ^ "The 14th State". Vermont History Explorer. Vermont Historical Society.
  11. ^ "Constitution Square Historic Site". Danville/Boyle County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
  12. ^ a b "Official Name and Status History of the several States and U.S. Territories". TheGreenPapers.com.
  13. ^ "Today in History: March 15". loc.gov. Library of Congress.
  14. ^ Holt, Michael F. (200). The fate of their country: politicians, slavery extension, and the coming of the Civil War. New York: Hill and Wang. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-8090-4439-9.
  15. ^ "California Admission Day September 9, 1850". CA.gov. California Department of Parks and Recreation.
  16. ^ "Today in History: June 20". loc.gov. Library of Congress.
  17. ^ "A State of Convenience: The Creation of West Virginia, Chapter Twelve, Reorganized Government of Virginia Approves Separation". Wvculture.org. West Virginia Division of Culture and History.
  18. ^ "Virginia v. West Virginia 78 U.S. 39 (1870)". Justia.com.

External links

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