- published: 07 Jul 2014
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The Territory of Indiana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1800, until November 7, 1816, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Indiana.
The Indiana Territory was created by an Act of Congress and signed into law by President John Adams on May 7, 1800, effective on July 4. It was the first new territory created from lands of the Northwest Territory, which had been organized in 1787 by the Northwest Ordinance. The territory originally contained approximately 259,824 square miles (672,940 km2) of land, but twice decreased in size as it was further subdivided into new territories.
The territory was first governed by William Henry Harrison who oversaw the negotiation with the native inhabitant to open up large parts of the territory to settlement. In 1810 a popularly elected government was established as the territory continued grow in population and develop a very basic road network, government, and education system. At the outbreak of Tecumseh's War, the territory was on the front line of battle and Harrison led a military force in the opening hostilities at the Battle of Tippecanoe, and then in the subsequent invasion of Canada during the War of 1812. Thomas Posey was appointed to the vacant governorship, but the opposition party, led by Congressman Jonathan Jennings, had dominance in the territorial affairs for its remaining years and began pressing for statehood. In June 1816, a constitutional convention was held and a state government was formed. The territory was dissolved on November 7, 1816, by an act of Congress granting statehood to Indiana.
Indiana (i/ɪndiˈænə/) is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the midwestern and Great Lakes regions of North America. Indiana is the 38th largest by area and the 15th most populous of the 50 United States. Indiana is the least extensive state in the continental US west of the Appalachian Mountains. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis, the second largest of any state capital and largest state capital east of the Mississippi River.
Before it became a territory, varying cultures of indigenous peoples and historic Native Americans inhabited Indiana for thousands of years. Angel Mounds State Historic Site, one of the best preserved ancient earthwork mound sites in the United States, can be found in Southwestern Indiana near Evansville. Residents of Indiana are known as Hoosiers. The etymology of the word is disputed, but the leading theory as advanced by the Indiana Historical Bureau and the Indiana Historical Society has "Hoosier" originating from the upland South region of the U.S. as a derogatory slang term for a rough countryman, a country bumpkin.