May 07, 1800 - Bill to Divide Northwest Territory - Creates Indiana Territory
Congress organized the Northwest Territory by passing the Ordinance of 1787. Six states eventually arose from this huge expanse of land, including Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and a portion of Minnesota. By 1800 the easternmost portion of the region had gained enough population to begin the statehood process. The Act split the western portion of the Northwest Territory off, forming the Indiana Territory in the process. Ohio contained the remnants of the Northwest Territory until it gained statehood on March 1, 1803.
The Indiana Territory
The capitol of the Indiana Territory would be located at Vincennes. President John Adams appointed William Henry Harrison as the governor over the vast, 259,824 square mile expanse. Other Territorial officials included: John Gibson, secretary, and judges William Clarke, Henry Vanderburgh, and John Griffin. Governor Harrison had the authority to appoint all local and territorial. The Act used the Greenville Treaty Line as the eastern boundary of the new territory. The total white population of the Indiana Territory at the time of its inception was about 5,641. The voting franchise included only white males twenty-one years old and over who owned at least 50 acres of land. It would take fifteen years for the population to reach the required 60,000 needed for Indiana to achieve statehood.
