Indiana Territory

Indiana TerritoryThe Indiana Historian A Magazine Exploring Indiana History

2 The Indiana Historian, March 1999 © Copyright Indiana Historical Bureau 1999

Focus

The Indiana HistorianMarch 1999

ISSN 1071-3301Order Number 7047

EditorPamela J. Bennett

Lead ResearcherPaula A. Bongen

DesignerDani B. Pfaff

Contributing EditorsCarole M. Allen, Janine Beckley,

Alan Conant, Dani B. Pfaff,Virginia Terpening

The Indiana Historian provides re-sources and models for the study of localhistory to encourage Indiana’s citizens ofall ages to become engaged with the his-tory of their communities and the state ofIndiana.

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Front cover illustration: Two entriesfrom the original Journal of theProceedings of the Executive Governmentof the Indiana Territory located in theIndiana State Archives, Commission onPublic Records. The upper illustration isthe first page, written by Secretary JohnGibson. It is dated July 4, 1800, theofficial beginning of the Indiana Territory.It was not written, however, until July 22when Gibson arrived in Vincennes. Thelower illustration from January 10, 1801records the arrival of Governor WilliamHenry Harrison (Woollen, 91, 95).

Back cover illustration: A plat map ofVincennes in 1792 located in the IndianaDivision, Indiana State Library. Thedocument by Samuel Baird is labeled“Plat of the Village of Vincennes on theOuabache in the County of Knox &Territory North West of Ohio June 10th1782.” It is 26.5 x 19.25 inches in size.

Indiana was admitted to the Unionas the nineteenth state on Decem-ber 11, 1816. Leading up to thatevent were many years of prepara-tion as the United States tried todefine itself as a nation after theAmerican Revolution.

When the U.S. won theAmerican Revolution, it also wonhundreds of thousands of squaremiles of land east of the Missis-sippi River. The Treaty of Paris in1783 with Great Britain definedthe borders of the U.S. (Patrick, 8).

An important first step was tosurvey the land so that it could besold to settlers. On pages 3-4,there is an introduction to howCongress accomplished that need.

The Ordinance of 1784 andthe Ordinance of 1787 werepassed by Congress to provide anorderly process of government toform new states. These ordinancesare discussed on page 5. Specificsteps for the formation of Indianaare charted on page 6.

A brief introduction to theNorthwest Territory is on page 7.An introduction to Indiana Terri-tory is on pages 8-9.

Territorial Governor WilliamHenry Harrison spent much timemaking treaties with Indian tribesto buy their lands. Relations withIndian tribes are briefly discussedon page 10.

A major issue was financinggovernment. A summary is pre-sented on page 11.

On pages 12-13, the ques-tion of slavery in the territory isintroduced.

On page 14, a journal ex-cerpt and other material providesome insight into life during thisperiod.

The bibliography and addi-tional resources are provided onpage 15.

The timeline throughoutprovides many details for abroader historical context. Will-iam Henry Harrison’s life andcareer are highlighted in thetimeline.

A plat map of Vincennes in1792 is reproduced on the backcover. Part of the official record ofthe beginnings of Indiana Terri-tory is reproduced on the frontcover.

You be the historian

• Sites related to the state’s territo-rial and early statehood periods havebeen preserved. Find out more aboutthose sites.• Investigate what your town,county, or region was like in theterritorial period before Indiana be-came a state.• Identify the names and dates ofstatehood of the thirty-one statesthat entered the Union under theterms of the Northwest Ordinance.Six more states have subsequentlyentered the Union. When—and un-der what laws—did they becomestates?• How is land bought and sold to-

day? How important is land surveyinformation today? Compare survey-ing today with surveying in 1785.• Discuss the question of the dis-placement of Native Americans sothat Americans could settle the lands.How has this issue continued into thepresent day?• Identify and discuss some modernissues of land use and displacementof citizens.• Discuss how eighteenth-centurycommunication technology affectedthe early governance of the North-west Territory. How have advances intechnology changed communicationover the decades?

© Copyright Indiana Historical Bureau 1999 3The Indiana Historian, March 1999

1773 1773 1774 1775 1776 1777

Colonel Henry Hamilton,lieutenant-governor of Detroit,recruits pro-British Indians tofight American frontiersettlements. Indian attacks onKy. settlers increase(English, 81-85, 215-23).

December 16Boston TeaParty (Carruth,80).

SpringIn Ohio River Valley, atrocitiesby Indians and whites againsteach other escalate. Results inDunmore‘s War with troops under Gov.Dunmore of Va. Movement to the westincreases after this campaign againstthe Indians (English, 64-65).

September 5-October 26First ContinentalCongress meetsin Philadelphia toresist Britishtyranny (Carruth,78).

June 17Battle ofBunker Hill,Mass.(Carruth,86).

July 4ContinentalCongress approvesDeclaration ofIndependence;signed by membersAugust 2(Carruth, 88).

February 9William HenryHarrison bornat Berkeley, Va.(Carruth, 80).

1774

Surveying and selling the land

NewHampshire

Massachusetts

Massachusetts

Rhode IslandConnecticut

New York

NewJersey

Pennsylvania

Delaware

Maryland

Virginia

North Carolina

SouthCarolina

Georgia

Florida

claimed by Va.ceded 1784

claimed by Va.ceded 1784

claimed byMass. and Va.

ceded 1784-85

claimed byConn. and Va.

ceded 1784-86

claimed by Va.Ky. admitted as state 1792

claimed by N. C.ceded 1790

claimed by S. C.ceded 1787

claimed by Ga.ceded 1802

claimed by Ga.,U. S., and Spain

claimed byN. Y. and Mass.

claimed by N. Y.,N. H., and Mass.

Mainewas a part

of Mass.until 1820.

United Statesafter the Treatyof Paris, 1783

showing claims of western lands by various states

Source: Richard B. Morris and Jeffrey B. Morris, eds., Encyclopedia ofAmerican History, 7th ed. (New York:, 1996), 43, 45, 122.

included in NorthwestTerritory, 1787

thirteen original states

territory belongingto Spain

Gaining control of the westernland was one of the first goals ofCongress. Many of the states hadclaimed land west of their bordersand east of the Mississippi River.States eventually gave up theirindividual claims to the U.S.government. More difficult werethe Indian claims to much of thearea designated as the NorthwestTerritory.

Ordinance of 1785

On May 20, 1785, Congresspassed the Ordinance of 1785. Itcontained a procedure for survey-ing and selling this western land.The money from sales was neededto pay U.S. government debts fromthe American Revolution.

This ordinance “laid thefoundations of American landpolicy until the passage of theHomestead Act in 1862.”

Under the terms of theordinance “before any of thepublicly owned land could beoffered for sale the Indian claimshad to be purchased by the gov-ernment and the land surveyed bythe system set forth in the ordi-nance.”

The ordinance was to becarried out under the direction ofGeographer of the United StatesThomas Hutchins. He was incharge of the surveyors; one fromeach state was to be appointed byCongress or a Committee of theStates.

According to the ordinance,surveyors would be paid $2.00 for

every mile run, “including thewages of chain carriers, markers,and every other expense.” Lineswere to be measured with achain, plainly marked on “treesand exactly described on a plat;whereon shall be noted by thesurveyor, at their proper dis-tances, all mines, salt springs,salt licks and mill seats . . . andall water courses, mountains andother remarkable and permanentthings . . . and also the quality ofthe lands.”

In each township, Section 16was to be set aside for publicschools. Sections 8, 11, 26, and 29were to be reserved for use by theU.S. government. The rest of theland was to be sold for not lessthan $1.00 an acre in units of asection or more.

Most settlers had little cashand could not buy that much land.In 1796, the price was doubled. Asa result, many settlers farmedpublic lands as squatters with nolegal title to the land. Much of the


1777 1778 1778 1779 circa 1780s1780

October 19British GeneralCharlesCornwallis andmen defeatedat Yorktown,Va. (Carruth,98).

December 10George RogersClark presents planto Va. GovernorPatrick Henry tocapture Britishposts in IllinoisCountry (En-glish, 87-88).

January 2Clark receives permis-sion and support forexpedition againstBritish; result, Clarkcaptures British-con-trolled posts, includingVincennes (English,92-94, 168-77, 192-201).

October 7Hamilton leavesDetroit to retakeVincennes;succeeds onDecember 17(English, 226-34).

February 25Clark retakespost atVincennes;Britishsurrender(English, 349).

October 10 Continental Congresspasses “Resolution onPublic Lands,” whichresolves to settle landswest of AppalachianMountains and createfuture states(Patrick, 49).

William HenryHarrisonattends Hampden-Sydney College,Prince EdwardCo., Va.(Goebel, 16-18).

1781

March 1Last of 13states approveArticles ofConfederation,1st U.S.constitution(Carruth, 98).

1781

land was bought by speculators,individuals or companies whichhoped to make large profits byreselling the land later at a higherprice.

Harrison Land Act, 1800

William Henry Harrison,territorial delegate to Congressfrom the Northwest Territory, wasconcerned that more land beavailable to individual settlers. Hewas instrumental in the passageof a law in 1800—called theHarrison Land Act—to help set-tlers get land.

The act reduced the mini-mum purchase of land from 640acres to 320 acres. There was also

a credit provision. One-fourth ofthe purchase price was requiredimmediately. The balance was tobe paid in installments over fouryears. A fifth year was available ifnecessary. “This brought landwithin the reach of at least a largeportion of those desiring to settlein the Northwest.”

The minimum amount ofland was reduced to 160 acres in1804. The credit provision wasrepealed in 1820.Sources: Patrick, 10; Hawkins, 9, 10,12, 27; Barnhart and Riker, 251, 252.

Public Land Surveys in Indiana T erritoryAfter Governor Harrison acquired the first treaty lands from the Indians, the U.S. began to survey the land to prepare for its sale togrowing numbers of settlers. In 1804 Ebenezer Buckingham, Jr. began the base line survey.

Sections were often divided intohalf-sections (320 acres), quarter-sections (160 acres), half-quartersections (80 acres), and quarter-quarter sections (40 acres).

[

A B

Sources: George R. Wilson, Early Indiana Trails and Surveys (Indianapolis, 1919), 363, 382, 403-4,414, 417; J. O. Henderson, Indiana. The Public Domain and Its Survey (Indianapolis,1892), 8, 9.

CCongressional township

Starting at the intersection of the base line andthe second principal meridian (located south ofPaoli in Orange County), land was measured intoCongressional townships measuring 6 miles by6 miles.

Congressional townships were dividedfurther into 36 sections measuring 1mile square. Each section containedapproximately 640 acres of land.

Base line

Secondprincipalmeridian86˚28' westlongitude

38˚ 28' 20"north latitude

Firstprincipalmeridian84˚51' west

longitude

Congressionaltownship 6 miles

Secondprincipalmeridian

Base line

1234561211109871314151617182423222120192526272830363534333231

29

6 miles

Section 29

QuarterSection

The rectangular survey in the Ordinance of 1785 “provided for the establishment of meridian and base lines starting at the pointon the Ohio River where the western boundary of Pennsylvania touched . . . . The surveyors were first to mark a north-south linewhich was called a meridian and at right angles to it an east-west line which was called the geographer’s or base line. Other north-south lines would be marked at intervals of six miles, the strip of land between these lines being called a range. East-west lineswere also laid off at intervals of six miles from the base line to the Ohio River dividing the ranges into six-mile squares calledtownships” (Barnhart and Riker, 251).

William Henry HarrisonFrom a painting attributed toRembrandt Peale. The originalis in the Harrison home,Grouseland, at Vincennes.(Barnhart and Carmony, facing336).

Cou

rtes

y F

ran

cis

Vig

o C

hapte

r, D

au

ghte

rsof

th

e A

mer

ican

Rev

olu

tion

.


1783 1784 1785 1787 1787 1789 1790 1790

September 3Treaty of Parissigned, officiallyends war;recognizesAmericanindependencefrom Great Britain(Carruth, 100).

March 1In VirginiaDeed ofCession, stateof Va. cedesclaims towestern lands(Hawkins, 5-8).

May 20Land Ordinanceof 1785 allowssurveying andselling of land inWesternReserve (now in Ohio)(Carruth, 102).

July 13The NorthwestOrdinance of 1787establishes andprovides system ofgovernment forNorthwest Territory(Carruth, 102).

October 5Arthur St. Clairappointedgovernor ofNorthwestTerritory(Barnhart andRiker, 272n).

March 4First sessionof Congressconvenes(Carruth,104).

April 6George Washingtonelected 1st presidentof U.S.; John Adamselected vice-president. Washing-ton inaugurated April30 (Degregorio, 7-8).

Harrisonat Richmond, Va.studying medicinewith physician.Then attendsUniversity ofPennsylvania’sCollege of Physi-cians (Goebel, 18).

June 20Knox County,NorthwestTerritoryformed,Vincennes iscounty seat(Barnhart andRiker, 274).

1789

Governing the new landFollowing the American Revolu-tion, the new United States had todecide how to govern the westernland it had won from Great Brit-ain.

Ordinance of 1784

Under the leadership ofThomas Jefferson, congressionalrepresentative from Virginia, theOrdinance of 1784 was passed onApril 23. This ordinance providedthe means for this western land tobecome states through a three-stage process.

This ordinance applied to“territory ceded . . . by individualstates to the United States as isalready purchased or shall bepurchased of the Indian inhabit-ants and offered for sale by Con-gress.” It, therefore, applied to allof the land indicated on the mapon page 3 showing the U.S. afterthe Treaty of Paris, 1783.Jefferson’s provision to outlawslavery and involuntary servitudewas defeated and not included inthe ordinance.

Ordinance of 1787

On July 13, 1787, Congresspassed an ordinance—now calledthe Northwest Ordinance—togovern approximately 265,000square miles of the western land.The land was located north of theOhio River, east of the MississippiRiver, and south of the Canadianborder. It nullified the Ordinanceof 1784, which was never imple-mented, but included some of itsideas.

The Northwest Ordinance hasbeen ranked as one of the threemost important documents inAmerican history. Only the Decla-ration of Independence of 1776and the Constitution of 1787 areplaced ahead of it. Eventuallythirty-one states entered theUnion under the Northwest Ordi-nance.

The Northwest Ordinancespecified a three-stage territorialsystem providing for orderlysettlement and growth. Ultimately,three to five states were to beformed from the area and admit-ted as states “on an equal footingwith the original States.”

The territorial governmenthad a very powerful governor andother officials appointed by Con-

gress. In the second stage ofterritorial government, the peoplegained some power with theability to vote for limited represen-tation in their government. Onlywith statehood, the third stage,could the people attain the rightto govern themselves.

A unique part of the ordi-nance were the six “Articles ofcompact between the OriginalStates and the people and Statesin the said territory.” Includedwere religious freedom, “utmostgood faith” toward the Indians,free navigation of the westernwaters, and a prohibition againstslavery and involuntary servitude.Other civil rights and responsibili-ties were detailed.Sources: Patrick, 3, 13, 21, 22, 59;Hawkins, 21-23.

United Statesafter Treatyof Paris, 1783

British territory

Spanish territory

areasin dispute

Adapted from: David S.Muzzey, A History of OurCountry (Boston: 1950), 119.


Indiana–from territory to statehood

1790 1792 1794 17951791 1791 17961795

August 3Americansand Indianssign Treatyof Greenville;Harrison inattendance(Goebel, 35).

AugustHarrison placedin charge of FortWashington(Goebel, 37).

September 30General JosiahHarmar leadsexpedition againstMiami Indians; battlesOctober 19 and 22;Harmar retreats; endsNovember 3 (Barnhartand Riker, 283-84).

August 16Quitting medicalstudies, Harrisonenters army,obtaining commis-sion of ensignin First Regimentof U.S. Infantry(Goebel, 19-25).

FallHarrison’sregiment leavesfor Pittsburgh,then to FortWashington(now Cincinnati)(Goebel, 25-26).

AugustHarrison sent to Pitts-burgh to join GeneralAnthony Wayne’stroops. They return toFort Washington May1793; Harrison be-comes aide-de-camp toWayne (Goebel, 31-32).

August 20General AnthonyWayne’s troops,including Harrison,defeat Indians at Battleof Fallen Timbers,temporarily endingIndian hostilities(Goebel, 34).

Harrisonsent back to FortWashington, servesat blockhouse inNorth Bend; marriesAnna Symmes inNovember(Goebel, 35-36).

White males age 21 andover owning at least 50acres of land are eligibleto vote.

In 1809, Congresspasses legislation forIndiana Territory whichallows qualified voters toelect directly theterritorial delegate to theCongress, and theIndiana LegislativeCouncil.In 1811, U.S. Congresspasses legislation forIndiana Territory whichextends voting rights toall free white males 21years or older who paycounty or territorialtaxes.

First stageMay 7, 1800U.S. Congress passesbill to divide NorthwestTerritory and to createIndiana Territory. July 4,1800 is official date ofseparation.

President Adamsappoints and Congressapproves William HenryHarrison, governor ofIndiana Territory, JohnGibson, secretary, andjudges William Clarke,Henry Vanderburgh, andJohn Griffin. GovernorHarrison appoints alllocal and territorialofficials.

Indiana’s territorialgovernor and judgesmake all laws.

Federal governmentpays $5,500 yearly forsalaries and expensesof government inIndiana Territory;additional territoryexpenditure is approxi-mately $200.

In 1800 the total whitepopulation in IndianaTerritory is approxi-mately 5,641.

Second stageDecember 5, 1804Governor Harrisonissues a proclamationannouncing Indiana’smove to second stage ofgovernment. Congres-sional legislationcreating IndianaTerritory allowsmovement to the secondstage of governmentwhenever GovernorHarrison has evidencethat a majority of thelandowners desire thechange.

Congress continues toappoint governor,secretary, and judges.January 3, 1805, voterselect first IndianaTerritory House ofRepresentatives.Governor Harrisonselects 5 men from listof 10 nominated byHouse to serve onLegislative Council(upper house).Representatives andCouncil together electIndiana Territory’s firstdelegate to theCongress–BenjaminParke.

July 29 throughAugust 26, 1805, firstlegislative session of theIndiana TerritorialAssembly meets atVincennes. GovernorHarrison retains hispowers to appoint localand territorial officials.He has the authority toconvene or dissolve theLegislative Assembly atany time and he canveto any legislativemeasure.

Territorial expendituresaverage about $10,000annually.Federal governmentcontinues to paysalaries of the topappointed officials–approximately $6,687.50annually. Territorialcosts grow to about$3,500.

In 1810 IndianaTerritory’s population is24,520.

Third stageDecember 11, 1811,Indiana TerritorialAssembly petitionsCongress for permissionto form a stateconstitution and to beadmitted to the Union.Indiana's financialproblems delaystatehood.December 11, 1815,Indiana TerritorialAssembly againpetitions Congress forstatehood.April 19, 1816,Congress passes anEnabling Act, permittingvoters in IndianaTerritory to electdelegates to a Junemeeting to determineIndiana statehood.On December 11, 1816,the Congress adoptsand President JamesMonroe signs aresolution admittingIndiana to the Union.

May 13, 1816, voterselect representatives toa convention to form aconstitution.August 5, 1816, Indianavoters elect the state’sfirst: Governor,Lieutenant Governor,and Congressionalrepresentative. Votersalso elect representa-tives to the first stateGeneral Assembly,county sheriffs, andcoronors.November 8, 1816, theIndiana GeneralAssembly elects JamesNoble and Waller Tayloras the state’s first U.S.senators.

June 29, 1816,delegates to Indiana’sConstitutional Conven-tion at Corydoncomplete Indiana’sConstitution.November 4, 1816, thestate’s first GeneralAssembly begins.

Ordinary expenditures ofIndiana state govern-ment from 1816-1822average $23,396.40; taxmonies paid into thestate treasury averageonly $12,808.92.

Indiana’s 1816Constitution allows thevote to every white malecitizen of the U.S. 21years or older who hasresided in the state forone year.

Census taken in 1814-1815 reports 12,081white males 21 yearsand older; 63,897 totalinhabitants.

Stages of government Elected & appointedofficials

Lawmaking body Expenses of government Population Suffrage

Note: theunshadedareas were leftout of the boundariesof any state orterritory, 1816-1818(Buley, 64).Sources: Barnhart and Riker, 311-12, 314, 317, 320,

345-47, 361, 413-14, 415, 427, 430, 460-61, 462;Carmony, Pioneer, 10-13; Carmony, “Territorial,” 243,245, 255, 257, 261; Kettleborough, 1:xcii, 42, 56, 58, 69,78, 107, 124-25, 128; Philbrick, Laws, preceding [90]. seat of government

Corydon

IllinoisTerritory

1816

Columbus

Detroit

MichiganTerritory

OhioIndiana

Kaskaskia


1796 1797 1798 1799 1800 1800 1800

DecemberJohn Adamselectedpresident;ThomasJeffersonelected vicepresident(Carruth, 116).

MayHarrisonadvancesto rank ofcaptain(Goebel,37).

June 1Harrisonresignsfrom army(Goebel,37).

July 6Harrisonappointedsecretary ofNorthwestTerritory(Goebel, 40).

October 29NorthwestTerritoryadvances to2nd stage ofgovernment(BarnhartandRiker, 308).

October 3Harrison electeddelegate torepresentNorthwest Territoryin Congress;Harrison writesLand Act of 1800(Goebel, 42-45).

May 7Congress splitsNorthwest Territoryinto 2 territories:Indiana Territory andNorthwest Territory(now Ohio, tip of south-east Ind., and part ofMich.) (Hawkins, 24-26).

1798 1798

May 13Harrison appointedgovernor of IndianaTerritory; John Gibson,secretary; Henry Van derBurgh, William Clark, andJohn Griffin appointedjudges (Goebel, 56-59).

July 4John Gibson,secretary of IndianaTerritory, serves asacting governor untilHarrison arrives 6months later(Goebel, 56).

The Northwest Territory

Cahokia

Kaskaskia

Vincennes

Ft. Ouiatenon

Ft. Miamis

Ft. Detroit

Northwest T erritory 1787

Marietta(1788)

The government of the NorthwestTerritory was begun in Marietta(now in Ohio) on July 15, 1788.Arthur St. Clair was the appointedgovernor. Formation of countygovernments was begun. KnoxCounty was formed June 20, 1790with Vincennes as the county seat.The county was much bigger thanthe present state of Indiana.

A major problem for thegovernment of the NorthwestTerritory was relations with theIndian tribes. There was continu-ing unrest and hostility betweenthe Indians and the settlers.

American General AnthonyWayne led a major defeat of Indiantribes at the Battle of FallenTimbers, August 20, 1794. Theresulting Treaty of Greenville wassigned on August 3, 1795. “Abouttwo thirds of the future state ofOhio and a small portion of south-eastern Indiana was thus freed ofIndian claims plus sixteen smalltracts at the portages and alongthe river routes. In Indiana theseincluded the Wabash-Maumeeportage, Ouiatanon, Clark’s Grant,and the Vincennes Tract aroundthe village on the Wabash.” TheIndian tribes received $20,000 ingoods and were promised annualgoods valued at $9,500. Theannual goods were split into$1,000 or $500 portions for eachindividual tribe.

The territory moved to thesecond stage of government onOctober 29, 1798. William HenryHarrison was elected the first

delegate to Congress from theterritory in 1799. There was muchpolitical agitation about the newfinancial burdens of governmentand about civil rights by residentsin the western part of the territory.An example of the agitation, ex-cerpted from a Knox County peti-tion, is provided on this page.Harrison helped in the passage oflegislation to divide the territoryinto two governments.Sources: Barnhart and Riker, 272-74,280-94, 301-5, 308-12.

“The Petition of the Inhabitants of the County of Knox in theTerritory of the United States, North-West of the River Ohio . . .

“. . . your Petitioners experience all the hardships resultingfrom an enormous territorial tax, to the discharge of which, theyare perfectly inadequate, and all the inconveniences to whichthe inhabitants of a county are liable, where there is not landgranted sufficient to admit a population adequate to the supportof an ordinary county establishment . . . without the timely andbeneficent interposition of the sovereign power of the UnitedStates, your petitioners must continue to endure all thosedisadvantages . . . . in conformity to the ordinance of Congressfor the government of the Territory, make such division of thesame as may to you appear most judicious; which . . . will notonly relieve your petitioners from the heavy territorial taxes . . .but bring justice almost to each man’s door. . . . the presentfurnishes a favourable opportunity to extinguish the Indian claimto a Tract of country . . . .”

Editorial note : When the Northwest Territory went to the second stage, taxes increased.Settlers wanted to remain in the first stage by the creation of a new territory. Settlers alsowanted more land for settlement thus increasing the population and the number oftaxpayers.

Petition to Congress, January 1, 1800

Source : Carter, 3-4.


1801 1801 1803 1804180318021801

January 10Harrisonarrives atVincennes,assumesduties asgovernor(Goebel, 57).

January 12Harrison callsjudges for 1stlegislativesession; meetfor 2 weeks, pass6 laws, 1 act, and3 resolutions(Goebel, 59).

March 4ThomasJefferson 1stpresidentinaugurated inWashington,D.C.(Carruth, 124).

August 12 Harrison meets withWabash tribes atVincennes; bitterlydisputing amount of landto be ceded, Indianseventually sign prelim-inary treaty September17 (Goebel, 100-1).

February 8Harrisonreappointedgovernor ofIndianaTerritory(Goebel, 56).

February 19Ohiobecomes17th state(Carruth,126).

SpringHarrison, unsuccessful in gettingWabash Indians to acceptVincennes Treaty, invites chiefsto Fort Wayne in June; threaten-ing to withhold annuities, Harrisonobtains 1,152,000 acres of land;treaty signed June 7 (Goebel,103-4; Kappler, 47-48).

1803

August 4Harrison issuesproclamation, callsfor election todetermine if voterswant generalassembly(Hawkins, 37-38).

Evolution of Indiana TerritoryOn May 7, 1800, Congresssplit the Northwest Territoryinto two sections. The firstIndiana Territory includedeverything west of approxi-mately the western border ofpresent-day Ohio. The largearea of present-day Indiana inthe southeast—called thegore—remained part of theNorthwest Territory.

Indiana Territory wasback in the first stage ofterritorial government.Vincennes was made thecapital. William HenryHarrison was named governorby President John Adams;Adams named John Gibsonsecretary of the territory.

One of Harrison’s firstand most important tasks asgovernor was to negotiate with

Vincennes was the oldest settlement inIndiana Territory. It was established as aFrench fort in the early 1730s by Sieur deVincennes. In 1800, the population in andaround the town was 1,533—excludingIndians. Vincennes was the capital ofIndiana Territory 1800-1813. According tohistorian Richard Day, “The legislature metin four places. . . . but where they met isuncertain.” The legislature met probably inthe home of Francis Vigo, in the house ofAntoine Marchal, and in Mark Barnett’stavern. It met in the fourth location November22-December 19, 1811; that building,pictured here, is now preserved at theIndiana Territory State Historic Site,Vincennes.

Source: Barnhart and Riker, 377.

Clark’s Grant

The GoreA

Harrison's Treaties withNative Americans for

Land Cessions, 1803-1809

B

C

D

EF

GH

Lands still belonging toNative American tribesafter 1809

Lake Michigan

A. June 7, 1803 at FortWayne, with Delaware,Shawnee, Potawatomi,Miami, Eel River, Wea,Kickapoo, Piankashaw,and Kaskaskia.

B. August 13, 1803, atVincennes, withKaskaskia.

C. August 18 and 27, 1804,at Vincennes, withDelaware andPiankashaw.

D. November 3, 1804, atSt. Louis, with Sauk andFox.

E. August 21, 1805, atGrouseland withDelaware, Potawatomi,Miami, Eel River, andWea.

F. December 30, 1805, atVincennes, withPiankashaw.

G. September 30, 1809, atFort Wayne, withDelaware, Potawatomi,Miami, Eel River; and,October 26, 1809, atVincennes, with Wea.

H. December 9, 1809, atVincennes, withKickapoo.

G

[

the Indian tribes for title to theirland. The land could then besurveyed, sold, and legally settledunder the Ordinance of 1785 andsubsequent legislation.

Harrison was a hard negotia-tor with the Indians and provedvery successful from the Americanpoint of view. In 1800, the areathat is now Indiana was primarilyIndian land. From 1803 to 1809,Harrison concluded ten treatieswith the Indians, bringing millionsof acres of land under U.S. con-trol—including much of the south-ern part of present-day Indiana.Sources: Barnhart and Riker, 311-17,377; Hawkins, 24-26.

Indiana TerritorialCapital at Vincennes

India

na T

erri

tory

Sta

te H

isto

ric

Sit

e.

Sources: Barnhart and Riker, 80, 318;Day, 2-3.


1804 1805 1805 1805 18061804 1806

November 3Harrison treatswith Sauk andFox Indians,obtaining over50 millionacres of land(Kappler, 54).

December 5Harrison pro-claims IndianaTerritory advance-ment to 2nd stageof government,allowing generalassembly(Hawkins, 39).

December 6Petition toCongress byWayne Co.(now Mich.) forseparate ter-ritorial govern-ment (Hawkins,40-41).

January 11Act by Congressdivides IndianaTerritory,creatingMichiganTerritory(Hawkins,42-43).

July 29First GeneralAssembly ofIndianaTerritory meetsthrough August26 (Barnhartand Riker,347).

AugustAmid growingIndian unrest,Harrison holdscouncil atGrouseland,his estate inVincennes(Goebel, 106).

1804

Indian crisis grows;Harrison demandsThe Prophet and hisfollowers moveaway fromGreenville, Ohio(Goebel, 112).

Harrisonbecomes increas-ingly aware ofinfluential Shawneebrothers, Tecumsehand The Prophet, andtheir growing hostilityagainst whites(Goebel, 109-11).

December 17Harrisonreappointedgovernor ofIndianaTerritory(Goebel, 56).

1807

Changes in territorial boundaries

When Ohio became a state in 1803, the landnot included in the state became part of Indi-ana Territory. This included the land now insoutheastern Indiana called the gore. In 1804,Indiana Territory voted to enter the secondstage of government. Residents in the farnorthern and western counties sent petitions toCongress asking for relief.

On January 11, 1805, Congress createdMichigan Territory.

Congress again divided Indiana Territoryon February 3, 1809, creating Illinois Territory.

After Illinois Territory was split off,Vincennes was no longer central. Towns in thesoutheastern part of the territory lobbied for achange. On March 11, 1813, the territorialassembly selected Corydon, Harrison County,as the new territorial capital, effective May 1,1813.Sources: Barnhart and Riker, 331-32; Hawkins, 37-39, 42-43, 48-50, 57-59.

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From Detroit and Wayne CountyMarch 20, 1803“The immense distance from the settlements upon the waters ofthe Lakes, to the established Seat of that Government, united withthe extreme difficulty of carrying on a regular intercourse, thro’ anIndian Country of such extent, places us in a situation truly Criticaland alarming . . . . Detroit which is the nearest to Post Vincennes. . . lies at least, Seven Hundred computed Miles from that place.”

October 24, 1804“in the month of September A. D. 1803, the legislature of theIndiana territory adopted Several laws . . . yet those laws . . . havenever yet been seen in this place, of course have not come intooperation in this district.”

Referred December 6, 1804“During the last eight years, we have had but two Circuit Courts.. . . Our intercourse with Vincennes, always dilatory, circuitousand difficult, is now almost at an end . . . . The people of Vincennesand of Detroit, governors and governed, as well as correspondingtraders, can no longer rely on the mail conveyance.”

1805“A ruinous inconvenience . . . arises from the great

distance between the said counties of the Territory andVincennes, the seat of government, which is about one hundredand eighty miles, through a dreary and inhospitable wilderness,uninhabited, and which during one part of the year, can scarcelyafford water sufficient to sustain nature . . . while in another it isin part under water, and in places to the extent of some miles,by which the road is rendered almost impassable, and thetraveller is not only subjected to the greatest difficulties, but hislife placed in the most imminent danger.”Sources: Carter, 99-100, 128, 228, 241; Dunn, 485.

From Knox, Randolph, and St. Clair countiesOctober 22, 1803“authorize and direct a Road to be marked and opened at theexpence of the Government, from the Mississippi, by Vincennesand Jeffersonville . . . to Cincinnati . . . which will greatly promotethe sales of the Public lands in the Territory, and facilitate thecommunication and Intercourse between its Inhabitants, andtheir Fellow citizens in the United States.”

People of Indiana Territory speak out to Congress


1808 1809 1809 1810 1811 181118081808

JulyHarrison meetsagain withTecumseh;Tecumseh asksHarrison not todisturb present stateof affairs (Barnhartand Riker, 383-84).

Tecumseh,The Prophet,and his followersmove toProphetstown(near BattleGround, Ind.)(Edmunds, 111).

February 26Suffrage Act of 1808extends vote to thoseholding town lots withminimum value of$100; provision addedto those of NorthwestOrdinance of 1787(Hawkins, 47).

December 7JamesMadisonelectedpresident(Carruth,136).

February 3Congresspasses actdividing IndianaTerritory,creating IllinoisTerritory(Hawkins, 48-50).

September 30Harrison treats withDelaware, Miami,Potawatomi, andEel River tribes;obtains about 2.5million acres ofland (Kappler, 73;Goebel, 113-15).

AugustTecumseh and Harrisonmeet in Vincennes;Tecumseh, angry overTreaty of 1809, warns hewill not tolerate any moreland cessions without con-sent of all tribes (Barnhartand Riker, 379-80).

March 3Suffrage Act of 1808revised by Congress; anyfree white male, 21 yearsor older, who has paid acounty or territorial taxand has resided 1 year insaid territory mayvote (Hawkins, 55).

Relations with Indian tribesAs Governor, William Henry Harrison had theduty to acquire Indian lands for Americansettlers and protect those settlers. He was alsocharged with fair treatment of the Indians.

In 1806, in a message to the IndianaTerritory General Assembly, he recognized theunsatisfactory condition of the Indians.

“They [the Indians] will never have recourse to arms,I speak of those in our immediate neighborhood, unlessdriven to it by a series of injustice and oppression. Ofthis they already begin to complain; and I am sorry to saythat their complaints are far from being groundless. It istrue that the general government has passed laws forfulfilling . . . the stipulation contained in our treaty . . . .The laws of the territory provide, also the same punish-ment for offenses committed against Indians as againstwhite men. Experience, however, shows that there is awide difference in the execution of those laws. TheIndian always suffers, and the white man never.”

After Harrison negotiated the Fort Waynetreaty in 1809, there was great unrest amongthe Indians who had been agitated by theShawnee Prophet, brother of Tecumseh.Tecumseh was leading a movement to unite theIndian tribes into a confederacy which couldstand up to the American government.

On November 7, 1811, Harrison’s troopsdefeated the followers of Tecumseh and theProphet at the Battle of Tippecanoe, nearpresent-day Lafayette; Tecumseh was notpresent.

The War of 1812 ensued, with many Indiantribes allied with the British against the U.S.The U.S. won that war; “the defeat of the Indi-ans . . . removed the last barrier to frontierexpansion.”Sources: Barnhart and Riker, 324-31, 378-87, 397-411; Edmunds, 159; Esarey, 1:199. Three issues inThe Indiana Historian series (September, October,and November 1992) provide more detail on NativeAmerican relations. This territorial era is covered inthe October 1992 issue.

This bill of lading (excerpt), dated May 20, 1812 is to ship 3,853pounds of U.S. merchandise to Governor William Henry Harrison

for Indian tribes around Vincennes. Casks of gunpowder for the Piankashaw are also mentioned. The boat Western Hornet

is at Brownsville, Pennsylvania on the Monongahela River.The boat captain will be paid when he returns with a signed receipt

from Governor Harrison. Presumably, this merchandisewas part of the annuity payments to the tribes.

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1811 1811 1811 1812 1812 1812 1812 1813

September 26Harrison and 1,000men leave Vincennes tomarch on Prophetstown;October 1, troops begin toerect Fort Harrison (nearTerre Haute); October 29,continue march to Prophets-town (Goebel, 119).

November 7In Tecumseh’s absence,Harrison defeats TheProphet at Battle ofTippecanoe, endingTecumseh’s confederacy;Harrison returns toVincennes November18 (Goebel, 122-23).

December 11Indiana TerritorypetitionsCongress forstatehood;petition denied(Barnhart andRiker, 413-14).

June 18War of 1812begins;Americans fightBritish forcontrol ofAmerican landsand shipping(Carruth, 144).

September 17Harrison receivesfull command ofnorthwesternarmy; must takeDetroit from Britishforces; invadeUpper Canada(Goebel, 142).

December 2JamesMadisonreelectedpresident(Carruth,146).

December 28Harrisonresigns asgovernor(Ewbankand Riker,819n).

AprilThomasPosey, newgovernor ofIndiana Terri-tory, arrives atVincennes(Ewbank andRiker, 819n).

March 11Indiana GeneralAssembly passesThe State CapitalAct, moving terri-torial capital fromVincennesto Corydon(Hawkins, 57-59).

1813

The amount of money needed topay for Indiana Territorial govern-ment is tiny by modern terms—“an index of the simple beginningsof the economic, social, andpolitical life of Indiana during itsperiod of infancy.”

The cost of more representa-tive government was a majorfactor in how the NorthwestTerritory developed. IndianaTerritory was formed in 1800 afterthe Northwest Territory went tothe second stage of government,putting more of the cost of govern-ment—therefore more taxes—onthe people. Michigan Territory wasformed in 1805 when IndianaTerritory was moving to the sec-ond stage. Illinois Territory wasformed in 1809 after years ofpetitions about being “oppressedwith taxes” which did not benefitthe citizens.

In the first stage, the federalgovernment paid annual expensesfor the governor ($2,000), thesecretary ($750), and three judges($800 each) and provided a $350contingent fund. The territory hadto raise revenue for a treasurerand an attorney general. Therewere printing costs, salary andexpenses for a clerk for the legisla-ture, postage, and other miscella-neous expenses. They amountedto no more than $200.

Moving to the second stagemeant more expenses were paidfor by territorial revenue. Federalsalaries increased and the contin-gent fund continued; the cost is

estimated at $6,687.50 annually.The territory paid for a treasurer,auditor, attorney general, legisla-tors, and chancellor. Other ex-penses included public printing($750-$1,000 annually), paymentsto tax collectors, “firewood,candles, rent, stationery, contain-ers for public records, postage,contested elections, supplies, andother items.” Approximate annualexpenditures were $10,000.

On January 12, 1801, Gover-nor William Henry Harrison andthe judges of the Indiana Territorybegan their first legislative ses-sion. The first law enacted re-quired a listing of taxable prop-erty. On November 5, 1803, theypassed a comprehensive tax law.

In the first session of theelected General Assembly in 1805,a tax on land was passed. Taxescontinued to be levied throughoutthe territorial period to supportgovernment costs.

Costs were minimal because“the government continued tolimit its activities to . . . veryformal and limited duties.” Therewere no “expenditures for suchitems as internal improvements,education, charities, corrections,and regulatory purposes.”Sources: Carmony, “Territorial,” 238-41, 242-44, 251-53, 256-62;Philbrick, 1, 68-81, 147-53.

Paying for territorial government

“That all houses in town, town lots,out lots, and mansion houses in thecountry, which shall be valued at twohundred dollars and upwards, andall able bodied single men, who shallnot have taxable property to theamount of four hundred dollars, allwater and windmills and ferries, allstud horses and other horses, mares,mules and asses, three years oldand upwards, all neat cattle threeyears old and upwards, all bond ser-vants and slaves . . . between six-teen and forty years of age, withinthis territory, are hereby declared tobe chargeable for defraying thecounty expences . . . to be taxed andcollected” (69).

“That the following rate of taxa-tion be observed . . . on each horse,mare, mule or ass, a sum not ex-ceeding fifty cents, on all neat cattle. . . ten cents . . . . Every bond servantand slave . . . a sum not exceedingone hundred cents, and every ablebodied single man . . . a sum notexceeding two dollars nor less thanfifty cents” (73).

Taxes on houses, etc. were notto exceed “thirty cents on each hun-dred dollars of . . . appraised value”(74).

Money from licenses for tav-erns and other items was to be usedto defray county expenses (75).

Indiana Territory, Law VIINovember 5, 1803

Source : Philbrick, 68-81.

A Law to regulatecounty levies


1813 1814 1815 18161815 18161814

May 13Election ofdelegates toconstitutionalconvention,scheduledfor June 10(Hawkins,64-67).

October 5Harrison defeats BritishGeneral Henry Proctor atBattle of Thames, Ontario,Canada; Tecumsehkilled, destroying Indianresistance and Britishpower in Northwest(Goebel, 181-83).

May 11Harrison resignsfrom army; retires toNorth Bend, Ohio;negotiates Indiantreaty at Greenville,Ohio July 22(Goebel, 195-98,204-10; Kappler, 76).

August 24Washington,D.C. capturedby British(Carruth, 150).

December 24Treaty ofGhent endsWar of 1812(Carruth,150).

AugustHarrison negotiateshis last council withIndian tribes; Treatyof Spring Wells(near Detroit)signed on Septem-ber 8 (Kappler, 83;Goebel, 211).

December 11Indiana’sGeneralAssemblypetitionsCongress forstatehood(Hawkins,60-63).

April 19PresidentMadison signsEnabling Act,allowing IndianaTerritory to holdconstitutionalconvention(Hawkins, 64).

June 10-29Constitutionaldelegates (43)meet at Corydonto composeIndiana’s stateconstitution(Hawkins,70-94).

18161814

Slavery in Indiana TerritoryArticle VI of the Articles of Com-pact in the Northwest Ordinanceof 1787 prohibited slavery andinvoluntary servitude. Slavery,however, remained in the IndianaTerritory. It was a continuingpolitical issue as citizens preparedfor statehood.

Beginning in the NorthwestTerritory, Article VI was generallyinterpreted to apply on passage in1787. Slaves in the territory beforethat date, therefore, remainedslaves.

Many petitions were sent toCongress from pro-slavery citizensin the territory asking for relieffrom Article VI for economic

reasons. Congress did not allowslavery, but territory officialscontinued to evade Article VI withindenture laws.

From extensive evidence, “itis evident that for some purposesslaves and indentured servantshad the status of property—to bebought and sold and bequeathedby will.” Territorial courts did,however, try cases that freedblacks wrongfully held.

The 1800 federal censusrecorded 135 slaves and 163 freeblacks in the territory. The 1810census recorded 237 slaves and393 free blacks.

This document, signed by Peter McDonald, Coroner,is the official certification of James N. Wood andCharles Beggs as delegates from Clark County to theVincennes convention on slavery in December 1802.This most probably is the first election by the citizens ofIndiana Territory.

On November 22, 1802, Governor William HenryHarrison called for an election of delegates from thefour counties for a convention in Vincennes onDecember 20, 1802. The convention was to consider“the propriety of repealing the sixth article” of theNorthwest Ordinance, which prohibited slavery.

The convention “petition to Congress datedDecember 28 requested the suspension [of Article VIfor ten years] on the grounds that desirable settlerswere forced to move west of the Mississippi [River]because they could not bring their slaves into IndianaTerritory. It was also requested that the slaves andtheir children that would be brought into the territory during theproposed suspension should remain slaves after the ten yearshad passed.” Congress did not act favorably on the petition.

Petitions on the slavery question continued to be sent toCongress from Indiana Territory. In 1808, General W. Johnston,chairman of the congressional committee that had reviewed manyof the petitions, presented an emotional report (excerpted following)against slavery:

“[morals and manners may be affected] when men are investedwith an uncontrolled power over a number of friendless humanbeings held to incessant labor; when they can daily see the whiphurrying . . . the young, the aged, the infirm, the pregnant woman,

Anti-slavery citizens gained amajority in the General Assemblyafter the formation of IllinoisTerritory in 1809 since “the east-ern portion of the territory, [was]populated largely by settlers fromeastern states and by those fromthe southern states who hademigrated because of their dislikeof slavery.” In December 1810, theGeneral Assembly repealed theslave laws. It did not, however,end existing indentures, andabuses continued.Sources: Barnhart and Riker, 355;Ewbank and Riker, 138-39;Thornbrough, 6-7, 13, 16, 17;Woollen, 83-85.

William English Collection, Indiana Historical Society Library.

and the mother with her suckling infant to their daily toil . . . whenthey can barter a human being with the same unfeeling indifferencethat they barter a horse; part the wife from her husband, and . . .the child from its mother . . . . At the very moment that the progressof reason and general benevolence is consigning slavery to itsmerited destination . . . must the Territory of Indiana take aretrograde step into barbarism . . . .

“your committee are of opinion that slavery cannot and oughtnot to be admitted into this Territory.”

Sources : Barnhart and Riker, 334-36; Dunn, 461-76, 522-27; Woollen,113-14.


1763 1816 1817-1819 1819 1821 18251816

August 5JonathanJennings elected1st governor ofstate of Indiana;inauguratedNovember 7(Barnhart andRiker, 460-61).

Harrisonserves asminister toColumbia(Goebel,254-55, 288).

November 4Indiana holdsfirst GeneralAssemblyunder 1816Constitution(Barnhartand Riker,461).

December 2Harrisonwins seat in2nd sessionof 14thCongress(Goebel, 212-13).

December 11PresidentMadisonapprovesIndiana’sadmission intoUnion as 19thstate (Hawkins,95).

Harrisonserves inU.S.House ofRepresentatives(Goebel,217-26).

December 3Illinoisbecomes21st state(Carruth,158).

Harrisonelected toOhio Senate;serves 2terms(Goebel, 223,228-30).

FebruaryHarrisonreturns toNorth Bend,Ohio(Goebel, 235).

JanuaryHarrisonelected U.S.Senator fromOhio; serves3 years(Goebel,243-46).

1816 1818 1828-18291816

For SaleThis advertisement in the Vincennes Western Sun

July 22, 1815 is clear evidence of the open toleration ofslavery in this area of Indiana Territory.

Deed for Sam, “a negro boy”According to the reverse of the document

reproduced here “a negro boy Sam” was transferredand sold for $360 by Robert McGary to GeorgeWallace, Jr. on February 15, 1810. The location is notidentified.

On the front, the two entries are clearly actions inKnox County, Indiana Territory. On June 30, 1813, Samwas sold by Wallace to Toussaint Dubois. OnNovember 18, 1814, Sam was sold by Dubois to JacobKuykendall.

The first law relating to servants, thinly disguised tobypass the prohibition against slavery and involuntaryservitude, was passed September 22, 1803 byGovernor William Henry Harrison and the territorialjudges. Other laws followed over the years. If Sam hadnot “voluntarily” agreed and consented, he could havebeen taken out of the territory and sold into slavery forlife.Sources : Barnhart and Carmony, 336, 347-48; Philbrick, 42-46.

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1763 1834 1836 1840 18481830

AprilHarrisonreturns toNorth Bend,Ohio (Goebel,294).

MarchHarrisonnominated forpresident(Goebel, 306).

Harrisonloses presidentialelection to MartinVan Buren(Goebel, 320-21).

January 26Michiganbecomes26th state(Carruth, 200).

December 4-7Harrisonnominated forpresident; JohnTyler for vicepresident(Carruth, 208).

December 2Harrison electedpresident(Carruth, 210).

April 4Harrison dies ofpneumonia; buriedat North Bend, Ohio(Goebel, 377-78).

May 29Wisconsinbecomes30th state(Carruth, 230).

May 11Minnesotabecomes 32ndstate (Carruth,258).

1837 1839 1840 1858

Immigrants“In this early period probably mostof the immigrants coming toIndiana Territory from the Easttraveled by wagon or horseback toPittsburgh or some other point onthe Ohio and then took a keel- orflatboat for the remainder of thejourney. The first steamboatdescended the Ohio in 1811 and itwas not until a few years laterthat steamboat travel becamecommon. Emigrants from theSouth came overland, bringingtheir few household belongings bypackhorse or wagon” (100).

Mail service“In 1800 there was only one postoffice in what is now Indiana; thatwas at Vincennes. . . . there werenot over twenty at the time Indi-ana became a state. Post riderscarried the mail between postoffices in their saddlebags. In1800 Vincennes was receivingmail only once every four weeks . . .after it had been made the capitalof Indiana Territory . . . [therewas] mail weekly between Louis-ville and Vincennes” (102).

“It took from six to eightweeks for the Governor to send aletter to Washington and get areply” (103).

Crime and punishment“Punishments for different crimeswere set forth as follows: for horsestealing the offender shouldreceive from 50 to 200 stripes andbe committed to the county jailuntil the value of the horse wasrepaid; for hog stealing, a fine of

Source: “Territorial Days of Indiana1800-1816” published in the IndianaHistory Bulletin, 27:5 (May 1950) andissued as a separate publication bythe Indiana Territory Sesquicenten-nial Commission.

Territorial days

Editorial note : Mrs. Lydia Bacon, wife ofLieutenant Josiah Bacon, quartermaster of theFourth Regiment of the U.S. Infantry,accompanied her husband from Boston toVincennes. The regiment fought in the Battle ofTippecanoe, November 7, 1811.

September 3, 1811 . “About 30 [Swiss]families had taken up their residence here. . . have planted Vineyards . . . their Winemade from the Maderia & Clarret Grapesis excellent. We purchased some. Thisplace is called Veva, it is in New Swiss.”

September 4, 1811 . “Arrived atJeffersonville . . . boats are preparing to gothrough the rapids, the water is very low. . . take all the Bagage out & send it byland.”

“This is a pleasant way for traveling,every thing goes on as regular is [as] if athousekeeping . . . have got an excellentwaiter, who cooks well & washes admirably.We drink the river water it is very good.”

“Vincennes, October 10. My Husbandis gone & I am boarding with Mrs. Jones .. . .

“original inhabitants [of Vincennes] . . .

never had much interprise or industry,they are Roman Catholic in their religion.but in their habits & appearance not muchsuperior to the Indians, the local situationof the place is very pleasant . . . . doubtlessfuture generations may see this aflourishing place . . . slavery is toleratedhere.”

May 15, 1812. “I like travelling on horseback, & slept finely on the ground lastnight, for the first time in my life, with a bearskin for our bedstead & a Buffaloe Robefor our Bed.”

May 18, 1812. “my feelings aresomewhat tried seeing the poor Soldierswives trudging on foot, some of the waymud up their knees, & a little Child in theirarms, only 4 or 5 Waggons allowed tocarry baggage, the poor women of coursehave to suffer . . . .”Source : McCord, 61-66. Printed in the IndianaMagazine of History, 40 (1944): 367-86 and 41(1945): 57-79. The New York Historical Society’soriginal manuscript was first published in TheBiography of Mrs. Lydia B. Bacon (Boston,1856).

Excerpts from Lydia Bacon’s journal, 1811-1812

$50 to $100 and from 25 to 39stripes on his or her bare back . . . .Whipping had to be resorted to asa means of punishment partlybecause of the scarcity of moneyfor paying fines and the lack ofjails” (106).

Early industry“In 1810 there was one cotton millin the Territory, 1,380 spinningwheels, and 1,256 looms. Theseproduced in a year 54,977 yardsof cotton cloth, 92,740 yards offlaxen goods, 61,503 of mixedcloth such as linsey-woolsey, and19,378 yards of woolen goods.

“There were 18 tanneriesproducing leather valued at

$93,000, and 28 distilleries pro-ducing 35,950 gallons of whiskeyannually. One nail factory wasturning out $4,000 worth of nails.. . . the census taker listed 32gristmills and 3 horse mills grind-ing 40,900 bushels of wheat, and14 sawmills cutting 390,000 feetof lumber” (118-19).


Selected ResourcesA Note Regarding Resources: Items are listed on this page that enhancework with the topic discussed. Some older items, especially, may includedated practices and ideas that are no longer generally accepted. Resourcesreflecting current practices are noted whenever possible.

Bibliography• Barnhart, John D., and Dorothy L.Riker. Indiana to 1816: The Colonial Period.Indianapolis, 1971.

Excellent standard source for Indianahistory during this period.• Buley, R. Carlyle. The Old Northwest:Pioneer Period, 1815-1840. 2 vols. India-napolis, 1950.

Excellent standard source for Indianahistory during this period.• Carmony, Donald F. Indiana, 1816-1850: The Pioneer Era. Indianapolis, 1998.

Excellent standard source for Indianahistory during this period.• Carmony, Donald F. “Indiana TerritorialExpenditures, 1800-1816.” IndianaMagazine of History, 39 (1943): 237-62.

Well-documented, with many referencesto primary sources.• Carruth, Gorton. The Encyclopedia ofAmerican Facts and Dates. 9th ed. NewYork, 1993.

Extensive, easy-to-read timeline ofAmerican history.• Carter, Clarence Edwin, comp. and ed.The Territorial Papers of the United States.Vol. 7, The Territory of Indiana, 1800-1810.Washington, D.C., 1939.

Valuable compilation of primarysources.• Day, Richard. The Capital of theIndiana Territory. [Vincennes, 1999].

Typescript summary; available in fullon the Historical Bureau Web site.• Degregorio, William A. The CompleteBook of U.S. Presidents. 3rd ed. New York,1991.

Good general reference.• Dunn, Jacob Piatt. Slavery Petitionsand Papers. Indianapolis, 1894.

A valuable collection of materials fromthe territorial period.• Edmunds, R. David. Tecumseh and theQuest for Indian Leadership. Boston, 1984.

Good biography of Tecumseh and hisbrother, The Prophet.• English, William Hayden. Conquest ofthe Country Northwest of the River Ohio,1778-1783 and Life of Gen. George RogersClark. 2 vols. Indianapolis, 1896.

A standard source.• Esarey, Logan. Messages and Letters ofWilliam Henry Harrison. Vol. 1, 1800-1811.Indianapolis, 1922.

Contains valuable primary resources.• Ewbank, Louis B., and Dorothy L.Riker, eds. The Laws of Indiana Territory,1809-1816. Indianapolis, 1934.

Printed version of useful primarysources.• Goebel, Dorothy Burne. William HenryHarrison: A Political Biography. Indianapo-lis, 1926.

Good biography of Harrison withemphasis on his political career.

• Hawkins, Hubert H., comp. Indiana’sRoad to Statehood: A Documentary Record.Indianapolis, 1969.

Contains important federal and statedocuments issued during Indiana’sstatehood process; available from theIndiana Historical Bureau.• Kappler, Charles J., comp. and ed.Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties. Vol. 2,Treaties. Washington, D.C., 1903.

Printed version of treaties between U.S.government and Native American tribesfrom 1778-1883.• Kettleborough, Charles. ConstitutionMaking in Indiana. Vol. 1, 1780-1851.Indianapolis, 1916.

Provides historical background, text,and changes to the 1816 and 1851Indiana constitutions.• McCord, Shirley S., comp. TravelAccounts of Indiana, 1679-1961: ACollection of Observations by WarfaringForeigners, Itinerants, and PeripateticHoosiers. Indianapolis, 1970.

Informative material about travelersthroughout Indiana. Several good selec-tions from territorial period.• Patrick, John J. Lessons on theNorthwest Ordinance of 1787. Indianapo-lis, 1987.

Contains learning materials directed atsecondary schools; has printed documentsand background materials.• Pence, George, and Nellie C. Armstrong.Indiana Boundaries: Territory, State, andCounty. Indianapolis, 1933.

The standard reference for legalboundaries of Indiana from territorial daysto 1933.• Philbrick, Francis S., ed. The Laws ofIndiana Territory, 1801-1809. Indianapolis,1931.

Printed versions of useful primarysources.• Taylor, Robert M., Jr., ed. The North-west Ordinance, 1787: A BicentennialHandbook. Indianapolis, 1987.

An excellent and concise source.• Thornbrough, Emma Lou. The Negro InIndiana Before 1900: A Study of a Minority.Indianapolis, 1957.

Includes a chapter “InvoluntaryServitude,” which covers the territorialperiod.• Woollen, William Wesley, Daniel WaitHowe, and Jacob Piatt Dunn, eds. Execu-tive Journal of Indiana Territory, 1800-1816. Indianapolis, 1900.

Contains helpful annotations. Theoriginal handwritten journal is in theIndiana State Archives.

Additional resources• Clanin, Douglas E. et al., eds. ThePapers of William Henry Harrison, 1800-1815. Microfilm ed. Indianapolis, 1999.

Supercedes Esarey; ten reels, morethan 3,600 documents, printed guide;available from Indiana Historical Society.• Dunn, J[acob] P[iatt], Jr. Indiana: ARedemption from Slavery. Enlarged ed.Boston, 1905.

Discusses the issue in great detail.• Lindley, Harlow, ed. Indiana As Seen byEarly Travelers. Indianapolis, 1916.

Selections present a vivid picture ofearly Indiana.• Middleton, Stephen. The Black Laws inthe Old Northwest: A Documentary History.Westport, Conn., 1993.

Good source for laws relating to blacksin the five states created out of theNorthwest Territory.• Sugden, John. Tecumseh: A Life. NewYork, 1998.

Highly acclaimed as definitive biogra-phy.

Internet resources• www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/ihb/ihb.html

Indiana Historical Bureau site hasadditional information related to thecurrent issue and relevant links. Docu-ments from Hawkins, are being added aspossible.

Selected Student Resources• Faber, Doris, and Harold Faber. TheBirth of a Nation: The Early Years of theUnited States. New York, 1989.

Important events involved in the firstfederal government are reviewed and helpplace the Northwest Territory in context.• Fitz-Gerald, Christine Maloney. WilliamHenry Harrison. Chicago, 1987.

A good student biography of Harrison’sadult life with excellent illustrations;begins with the Northwest Territory.• Immell, Myra H. and William H. TheImportance of Tecumseh. San Diego, 1997.

An excellent resource on Tecumseh’slife with good illustrations and frequentprimary source selections.• “The Northwest Ordinance of 1787.”Cobblestone, October 1998.

An easy-to-read summary of theNorthwest Ordinance with studentactivities including planting an AmericanIndian vegetable garden.• Shorto, Russell. Tecumseh and theDream of an American Indian Nation.Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1989.

A readable biography of Tecumseh,however, with few illustrations and noindex.

Thank you• Richard Day, historian, IndianaTerritorial Capitol and other sites, IndianaDepartment of Natural Resources,Vincennes.

Indiana Historical Bureau State of Indiana

Documents

Indiana Territory