A state of the United States is one of the 50 constituent entities that shares its sovereignty with the federal government. Americans are citizens of both the federal republic and of the state in which they reside, due to the shared sovereignty between each state and the federal government. Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia use the term commonwealth rather than state in their full official names.

States are the primary subdivisions of the United States. They possess all powers not granted to the federal government, nor prohibited to them by the Constitution of the United States. In general, state governments have the power to regulate issues of local concern, such as regulating intrastate commerce, running elections, creating local governments, public school policy, and non-federal road construction and maintenance. Each state has its own constitution grounded in republican principles, and government consisting of executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
All states and their residents are represented in the federal Congress, a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each state is represented by two senators, and at least one representative, while the size of a state's House delegation depends on its total population, as determined by the most recent constitutionally mandated decennial census. Additionally, each state is entitled to select a number of electors to vote in the Electoral College, the body that elects the President of the United States and Vice President of the United States, equal to the total of representatives and senators in Congress from that state.
Article IV, Section 3, Clause 1 of the Constitution grants to Congress the authority to admit new states into the Union. Since the establishment of the United States in 1776, the number of states has expanded from the original 13 to 50. Each new state has been admitted on an equal footing with the existing states.
List of U.S. states
The following table is a list of all 50 states and their respective dates of statehood. The first 13 became states in July 1776 upon agreeing to the United States Declaration of Independence, and each joined the first Union of states between 1777 and 1781, upon ratifying the Articles of Confederation, its first constitution. (A separate table is included below showing AoC ratification dates.) These states are presented in the order in which each ratified the 1787 Constitution and joined the others in the new (and current) federal government. The date of admission listed for each subsequent state is the official date set by Act of Congress.
State | Date (admitted or ratified) | Formed from | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | December 7, 1787 (ratified) | Colony of Delaware |
2 | ![]() | December 12, 1787 (ratified) | Proprietary Province of Pennsylvania |
3 | ![]() | December 18, 1787 (ratified) | Crown Colony of New Jersey |
4 | ![]() | January 2, 1788 (ratified) | Crown Colony of Georgia |
5 | ![]() | January 9, 1788 (ratified) | Crown Colony of Connecticut |
6 | ![]() | February 6, 1788 (ratified) | Crown Colony of Massachusetts Bay |
7 | ![]() | April 28, 1788 (ratified) | Proprietary Province of Maryland |
8 | ![]() | May 23, 1788 (ratified) | Crown Colony of South Carolina |
9 | ![]() | June 21, 1788 (ratified) | Crown Colony of New Hampshire |
10 | ![]() | June 25, 1788 (ratified) | Crown Colony and Dominion of Virginia |
11 | ![]() | July 26, 1788 (ratified) | Crown Colony of New York |
12 | ![]() | November 21, 1789 (ratified) | Crown Colony of North Carolina |
13 | ![]() | May 29, 1790 (ratified) | Crown Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations |
14 | ![]() | March 4, 1791 (admitted) | Vermont Republic |
15 | ![]() | June 1, 1792 (admitted) | Virginia (nine counties in its District of Kentucky) |
16 | ![]() | June 1, 1796 (admitted) | Southwest Territory |
17 | ![]() | March 1, 1803 (admitted) | Northwest Territory (part) |
18 | ![]() | April 30, 1812 (admitted) | Territory of Orleans |
19 | ![]() | December 11, 1816 (admitted) | Indiana Territory |
20 | ![]() | December 10, 1817 (admitted) | Mississippi Territory |
21 | ![]() | December 3, 1818 (admitted) | Illinois Territory (part) |
22 | ![]() | December 14, 1819 (admitted) | Alabama Territory |
23 | ![]() | March 15, 1820 (admitted) | Massachusetts (District of Maine) |
24 | ![]() | August 10, 1821 (admitted) | Missouri Territory (part) |
25 | ![]() | June 15, 1836 (admitted) | Arkansas Territory |
26 | ![]() | January 26, 1837 (admitted) | Michigan Territory |
27 | ![]() | March 3, 1845 (admitted) | Florida Territory |
28 | ![]() | December 29, 1845 (admitted) | Republic of Texas |
29 | ![]() | December 28, 1846 (admitted) | Iowa Territory (part) |
30 | ![]() | May 29, 1848 (admitted) | Wisconsin Territory (part) |
31 | ![]() | September 9, 1850 (admitted) | Unorganized territory / Mexican Cession (part) |
32 | ![]() | May 11, 1858 (admitted) | Minnesota Territory (part) |
33 | ![]() | February 14, 1859 (admitted) | Oregon Territory (part) |
34 | ![]() | January 29, 1861 (admitted) | Kansas Territory (part) |
35 | ![]() | June 20, 1863 (admitted) | Virginia (50 Trans-Allegheny region counties) |
36 | ![]() | October 31, 1864 (admitted) | Nevada Territory |
37 | ![]() | March 1, 1867 (admitted) | Nebraska Territory |
38 | ![]() | August 1, 1876 (admitted) | Colorado Territory |
39 | ![]() | November 2, 1889 (admitted) | Dakota Territory (part) |
40 | ![]() | November 2, 1889 (admitted) | Dakota Territory (part) |
41 | ![]() | November 8, 1889 (admitted) | Montana Territory |
42 | ![]() | November 11, 1889 (admitted) | Washington Territory |
43 | ![]() | July 3, 1890 (admitted) | Idaho Territory |
44 | ![]() | July 10, 1890 (admitted) | Wyoming Territory |
45 | ![]() | January 4, 1896 (admitted) | Utah Territory |
46 | ![]() | November 16, 1907 (admitted) | Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory |
47 | ![]() | January 6, 1912 (admitted) | New Mexico Territory |
48 | ![]() | February 14, 1912 (admitted) | Arizona Territory |
49 | ![]() | January 3, 1959 (admitted) | Territory of Alaska |
50 | ![]() | August 21, 1959 (admitted) | Territory of Hawaii |
Articles of Confederation ratification dates
The Second Continental Congress approved the Articles of Confederation for ratification by the individual states on November 15, 1777. The Articles of Confederation came into force on March 1, 1781, after being ratified by all 13 states. On March 4, 1789, the general government under the Articles was replaced with the federal government under the present Constitution.
State | Date | |
---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | December 16, 1777 |
2 | ![]() | February 5, 1778 |
3 | ![]() | February 6, 1778 |
4 | ![]() | February 9, 1778 |
5 | ![]() | February 12, 1778 |
6 | ![]() | February 26, 1778 |
7 | ![]() | March 4, 1778 |
8 | ![]() | March 5, 1778 |
9 | ![]() | March 10, 1778 |
10 | ![]() | April 5, 1778 |
11 | ![]() | November 19, 1778 |
12 | ![]() | February 1, 1779 |
13 | ![]() | February 2, 1781 |
See also
- Territorial evolution of the United States
- Enabling Act of 1802, authorizing residents of the eastern portion of the Northwest Territory to form the state of Ohio
- Missouri Compromise, 1820 federal statute enabling the admission of Missouri (a slave state) and Maine (a free state) into the Union
- Toledo War, 1835–36 boundary dispute between Ohio and the adjoining Michigan Territory, which delayed Michigan's admission to the Union
- Texas annexation, the 1845 incorporation of the Republic of Texas into the United States as a state in the Union
- Legal status of Texas
- Compromise of 1850, a package of congressional acts, one of which provided for the admission of California to the Union
- Bleeding Kansas, a series of violent conflicts in Kansas Territory involving anti-slavery and pro-slavery factions in the years preceding Kansas statehood, 1854–61
- Enabling Act of 1889, authorizing residents of Dakota, Montana, and Washington territories to form state governments (Dakota to be divided into two states) and to gain admission to the Union
- Oklahoma Enabling Act, authorizing residents of the Oklahoma and Indian territories to form a state government and to be admitted to the union as a single state, and, authorizing the people of New Mexico and Arizona territories to form a state government and be admitted into the Union, requiring a referendum to determine if both territories should be admitted as a single state
- Alaska Statehood Act, admitting Alaska as a state in the Union as of January 3, 1959
- Hawaii Admission Act, admitting Hawaii as a state in the Union as of August 21, 1959
- Legal status of Hawaii
- List of states and territories of the United States
- Federalism in the United States
- 51st state
Notes
- This list does not account for the secession of 11 states (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas) during the Civil War to form the Confederate States of America, nor for the subsequent restoration of those states to the Union, or each state's "readmission to representation in Congress" after the war, as the federal government does not give legal recognition to their having left the Union. Also, the Constitution is silent on the question of whether states have the power to secede from the Union, but the Supreme Court held that a state cannot unilaterally do so in Texas v. White (1869).
- 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".
- 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 "New Hampshire Grants" 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 land claim to Vermont for 30,000 dollars.
- 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.
- The exact date upon which Ohio became a state is unclear. On April 30, 1802, the 7th Congress had passed an act "authorizing the inhabitants of Ohio to form a Constitution and state government, and admission of Ohio into the Union" (Sess. 1, ch. 40, 2 Stat. 173). On February 19, 1803, the same Congress passed an act "providing for the execution of the laws of the United States in the State of Ohio" (Sess. 2, ch. 7, 2 Stat. 201). Neither act, however, set a formal date of statehood. An official statehood date for Ohio was not set until 1953, when the 83rd Congress passed a Joint resolution "for admitting the State of Ohio into the Union", (Pub. L. 83–204, 67 Stat. 407, enacted August 7, 1953) which designated March 1, 1803, as that date.
- 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.
- Most of the region ceded by Mexico to the United States in 1848, following the Bear Flag Revolt and the Mexican–American War, had been the Mexican Department of Alta California. The Act of Congress establishing California as the 31st state was part of the Compromise of 1850.
- On May 13, 1862, the General Assembly of the Restored Government of Virginia passed an act granting permission for creation of West Virginia. 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 necessary to become a separate state.
- Brought into existence within moments of each other on the same day, North and South Dakota are the nation's only twin-born states. Before signing the statehood papers, President Benjamin Harrison shuffled the papers so that no one would know which became a state first. By custom, North Dakota is commonly recognized as the 39th state and South Dakota as the 40th, as "n" precedes "s" in the alphabet.
References
- Erler, Edward. "Essays on Amendment XIV: Citizenship". The Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on April 21, 2012.
- "Frequently Asked Questions About the Minnesota Legislature". Minnesota State Legislature.
- Kristin D. Burnett. "Congressional Apportionment (2010 Census Briefs C2010BR-08)" (PDF). U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration.
- Elhauge, Einer R. "Essays on Article II: Presidential Electors". The Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on April 21, 2012.
- "Doctrine of the Equality of States". Justia.com.
- 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.
{{cite book}}
: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - "Texas v. White 74 U.S. 700 (1868)". Justia.com.
- 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.
- "Delaware Government". Delaware.gov. Government Information Center, Delaware Department of State.
- "Overview of Pennsylvania History - 1776-1861: Independence to the Civil War". PA.gov. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.
- "1787 Convention Minutes". NJ.gov. New Jersey Department of State.
- "Today in History: January 9". loc.gov. Library of Congress.
- "Today in History: July 26". loc.gov. Library of Congress.
- "Today in History: November 21". loc.gov. Library of Congress.
- "The 14th State". Vermont History Explorer. Vermont Historical Society. Archived from the original on May 30, 2013.
- "Constitution Square State Historic Site". americanheritage.com. American Heritage Publishing Co. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- "Official Name and Status History of the several States and U.S. Territories". TheGreenPapers.com.
- "State History Timeline". TN.gov. Tennessee Department of State. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016.
- Blue, Frederick J. (Autumn 2002). "The Date of Ohio Statehood". Ohio Academy of History Newsletter. Archived from the original on September 11, 2010.
- Berg-Andersson, Richard E. (January 17, 2007). "Clearing up the Confusion surrounding Ohio's Admission to Statehood". The Green Papers. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
- "About Louisiana: quick facts". louisiana.gov. Archived from the original on March 24, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- "IHB: The Final Steps to Statehood - IN.gov". in.gov. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
- "Welcome from the Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration Commission". Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration Commission. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
- "Today in History: December 3". loc.gov. Library of Congress.
- "Alabama History Timeline: 1800-1860". alabama.gov. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- "Today in History: March 15". loc.gov. Library of Congress.
- "Today in History: August 10". loc.gov. Library of Congress.
- "Today in History: June 15". loc.gov. Library of Congress.
- "Today in History: January 26". loc.gov. Library of Congress.
- "Statehood". Tallahassee, Florida: Florida Department of State. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- "Texas enters the Union". This Day In History. A&E Television Networks. March 4, 2010. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- "Final Act of Congress to Admit the State of Iowa into the Union, December 28, 1846". State Historical Society of Iowa.
- "Today in History: May 29". loc.gov. Library of Congress.
- "California Admission Day September 9, 1850". CA.gov. California Department of Parks and Recreation.
- "Today in History: May 11". loc.gov. Library of Congress.
- "Oregon 165th Anniversary of Statehood (1859): February 14, 2024". United States Census Bureau.
- "Today in History: January 29". loc.gov. Library of Congress.
- "Today in History: June 20". loc.gov. Library of Congress.
- "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.
- "Virginia v. West Virginia 78 U.S. 39 (1870)". Justia.com.
- "Stats for Stories: Nevada 155th Anniversary (36th state): October 31, 2019". Census.gov. October 31, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
- "Nebraska Statehood Launched in Troubled Times". History Nebraska. Archived from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
On March 1, 1867, President Andrew Johnson reluctantly signed the proclamation declaring Nebraska's statehood.
- "Today in History: August 1". loc.gov. Library of Congress.
- "Today in History: November 2". loc.gov. Library of Congress.
- MacPherson, James; Burbach, Kevin (November 2, 2014). "At 125 years of Dakotas statehood, rivalry remains". The Bismarck Tribune. AP. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- Stein, Mark (2008). "How the States Got Their Shapes", Smithsonian Books/Harper Collins, p. 256.
- Wishart, David J. (ed.). "Montana". Encyclopedia of the Great Plains. University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- "Today in History: November 11". loc.gov. Library of Congress.
- Glass, Andrew (July 2, 2016). "Idaho becomes nation's 43rd state, July 3, 1890". Politico. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
- Wyoming: Key Facts. Boston, MA: Papers of John F. Kennedy. 1960. p. 4. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- Thatcher, Linda (2016). "Struggle For Statehood Chronology". historytogo.utah.gov. State of Utah.
- "Today in History: November 16". loc.gov. Library of Congress.
- "New Mexico and Arizona Statehood Anniversary (1912 – 2012)". National Archives: Center for Legislative Archives. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
However, after much effort, on January 6, 1912 New Mexico became the 47th state and on February 14, 1912 Arizona became the 48th state in the Union.
- Reagan, Ronald (June 22, 1983). "Statement on Signing a Bill Designating Alaska Statehood Day". Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. Washington, D.C.: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
Alaska was admitted to the Union on January 3, 1959
- "Hawaii Statehood, August 21, 1959". National Archives: Center for Legislative Archives. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- Rodgers, Paul (2011). United States Constitutional Law: An Introduction. McFarland. p. 109. ISBN 978-0-7864-6017-5.
External links
- "U.S. States Videos". History.com.
- "Dates of statehood". 50states.com.
Author: www.NiNa.Az
Publication date:
wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library, article, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games, mobile, phone, android, ios, apple, mobile phone, samsung, iphone, xiomi, xiaomi, redmi, honor, oppo, nokia, sonya, mi, pc, web, computer
A state of the United States is one of the 50 constituent entities that shares its sovereignty with the federal government Americans are citizens of both the federal republic and of the state in which they reside due to the shared sovereignty between each state and the federal government Kentucky Massachusetts Pennsylvania and Virginia use the term commonwealth rather than state in their full official names The order in which the original 13 states ratified the 1787 Constitution then the order in which the others were admitted to the Union States are the primary subdivisions of the United States They possess all powers not granted to the federal government nor prohibited to them by the Constitution of the United States In general state governments have the power to regulate issues of local concern such as regulating intrastate commerce running elections creating local governments public school policy and non federal road construction and maintenance Each state has its own constitution grounded in republican principles and government consisting of executive legislative and judicial branches All states and their residents are represented in the federal Congress a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives Each state is represented by two senators and at least one representative while the size of a state s House delegation depends on its total population as determined by the most recent constitutionally mandated decennial census Additionally each state is entitled to select a number of electors to vote in the Electoral College the body that elects the President of the United States and Vice President of the United States equal to the total of representatives and senators in Congress from that state Article IV Section 3 Clause 1 of the Constitution grants to Congress the authority to admit new states into the Union Since the establishment of the United States in 1776 the number of states has expanded from the original 13 to 50 Each new state has been admitted on an equal footing with the existing states List of U S statesThe following table is a list of all 50 states and their respective dates of statehood The first 13 became states in July 1776 upon agreeing to the United States Declaration of Independence and each joined the first Union of states between 1777 and 1781 upon ratifying the Articles of Confederation its first constitution A separate table is included below showing AoC ratification dates These states are presented in the order in which each ratified the 1787 Constitution and joined the others in the new and current federal government The date of admission listed for each subsequent state is the official date set by Act of Congress State Date admitted or ratified Formed from 1 Delaware December 7 1787 ratified Colony of Delaware 2 Pennsylvania December 12 1787 ratified Proprietary Province of Pennsylvania 3 New Jersey December 18 1787 ratified Crown Colony of New Jersey 4 Georgia January 2 1788 ratified Crown Colony of Georgia 5 Connecticut January 9 1788 ratified Crown Colony of Connecticut 6 Massachusetts February 6 1788 ratified Crown Colony of Massachusetts Bay 7 Maryland April 28 1788 ratified Proprietary Province of Maryland 8 South Carolina May 23 1788 ratified Crown Colony of South Carolina 9 New Hampshire June 21 1788 ratified Crown Colony of New Hampshire 10 Virginia June 25 1788 ratified Crown Colony and Dominion of Virginia 11 New York July 26 1788 ratified Crown Colony of New York 12 North Carolina November 21 1789 ratified Crown Colony of North Carolina 13 Rhode Island May 29 1790 ratified Crown Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations 14 Vermont March 4 1791 admitted Vermont Republic 15 Kentucky June 1 1792 admitted Virginia nine counties in its District of Kentucky 16 Tennessee June 1 1796 admitted Southwest Territory 17 Ohio March 1 1803 admitted Northwest Territory part 18 Louisiana April 30 1812 admitted Territory of Orleans 19 Indiana December 11 1816 admitted Indiana Territory 20 Mississippi December 10 1817 admitted Mississippi Territory 21 Illinois December 3 1818 admitted Illinois Territory part 22 Alabama December 14 1819 admitted Alabama Territory 23 Maine March 15 1820 admitted Massachusetts District of Maine 24 Missouri August 10 1821 admitted Missouri Territory part 25 Arkansas June 15 1836 admitted Arkansas Territory 26 Michigan January 26 1837 admitted Michigan Territory 27 Florida March 3 1845 admitted Florida Territory 28 Texas December 29 1845 admitted Republic of Texas 29 Iowa December 28 1846 admitted Iowa Territory part 30 Wisconsin May 29 1848 admitted Wisconsin Territory part 31 California September 9 1850 admitted Unorganized territory Mexican Cession part 32 Minnesota May 11 1858 admitted Minnesota Territory part 33 Oregon February 14 1859 admitted Oregon Territory part 34 Kansas January 29 1861 admitted Kansas Territory part 35 West Virginia June 20 1863 admitted Virginia 50 Trans Allegheny region counties 36 Nevada October 31 1864 admitted Nevada Territory 37 Nebraska March 1 1867 admitted Nebraska Territory 38 Colorado August 1 1876 admitted Colorado Territory 39 North Dakota November 2 1889 admitted Dakota Territory part 40 South Dakota November 2 1889 admitted Dakota Territory part 41 Montana November 8 1889 admitted Montana Territory 42 Washington November 11 1889 admitted Washington Territory 43 Idaho July 3 1890 admitted Idaho Territory 44 Wyoming July 10 1890 admitted Wyoming Territory 45 Utah January 4 1896 admitted Utah Territory 46 Oklahoma November 16 1907 admitted Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory 47 New Mexico January 6 1912 admitted New Mexico Territory 48 Arizona February 14 1912 admitted Arizona Territory 49 Alaska January 3 1959 admitted Territory of Alaska 50 Hawaii August 21 1959 admitted Territory of HawaiiArticles of Confederation ratification datesThe Second Continental Congress approved the Articles of Confederation for ratification by the individual states on November 15 1777 The Articles of Confederation came into force on March 1 1781 after being ratified by all 13 states On March 4 1789 the general government under the Articles was replaced with the federal government under the present Constitution State Date 1 Virginia December 16 1777 2 South Carolina February 5 1778 3 New York February 6 1778 4 Rhode Island February 9 1778 5 Connecticut February 12 1778 6 Georgia February 26 1778 7 New Hampshire March 4 1778 8 Pennsylvania March 5 1778 9 Massachusetts March 10 1778 10 North Carolina April 5 1778 11 New Jersey November 19 1778 12 Delaware February 1 1779 13 Maryland February 2 1781See alsoTerritorial evolution of the United States Enabling Act of 1802 authorizing residents of the eastern portion of the Northwest Territory to form the state of Ohio Missouri Compromise 1820 federal statute enabling the admission of Missouri a slave state and Maine a free state into the Union Toledo War 1835 36 boundary dispute between Ohio and the adjoining Michigan Territory which delayed Michigan s admission to the Union Texas annexation the 1845 incorporation of the Republic of Texas into the United States as a state in the Union Legal status of Texas Compromise of 1850 a package of congressional acts one of which provided for the admission of California to the Union Bleeding Kansas a series of violent conflicts in Kansas Territory involving anti slavery and pro slavery factions in the years preceding Kansas statehood 1854 61 Enabling Act of 1889 authorizing residents of Dakota Montana and Washington territories to form state governments Dakota to be divided into two states and to gain admission to the Union Oklahoma Enabling Act authorizing residents of the Oklahoma and Indian territories to form a state government and to be admitted to the union as a single state and authorizing the people of New Mexico and Arizona territories to form a state government and be admitted into the Union requiring a referendum to determine if both territories should be admitted as a single state Alaska Statehood Act admitting Alaska as a state in the Union as of January 3 1959 Hawaii Admission Act admitting Hawaii as a state in the Union as of August 21 1959 Legal status of Hawaii List of states and territories of the United States Federalism in the United States 51st stateNotesThis list does not account for the secession of 11 states Virginia North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Alabama Mississippi Tennessee Arkansas Louisiana and Texas during the Civil War to form the Confederate States of America nor for the subsequent restoration of those states to the Union or each state s readmission to representation in Congress after the war as the federal government does not give legal recognition to their having left the Union Also the Constitution is silent on the question of whether states have the power to secede from the Union but the Supreme Court held that a state cannot unilaterally do so in Texas v White 1869 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 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 New Hampshire Grants 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 land claim to Vermont for 30 000 dollars 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 The exact date upon which Ohio became a state is unclear On April 30 1802 the 7th Congress had passed an act authorizing the inhabitants of Ohio to form a Constitution and state government and admission of Ohio into the Union Sess 1 ch 40 2 Stat 173 On February 19 1803 the same Congress passed an act providing for the execution of the laws of the United States in the State of Ohio Sess 2 ch 7 2 Stat 201 Neither act however set a formal date of statehood An official statehood date for Ohio was not set until 1953 when the 83rd Congress passed a Joint resolution for admitting the State of Ohio into the Union Pub L 83 204 67 Stat 407 enacted August 7 1953 which designated March 1 1803 as that date 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 Most of the region ceded by Mexico to the United States in 1848 following the Bear Flag Revolt and the Mexican American War had been the Mexican Department of Alta California The Act of Congress establishing California as the 31st state was part of the Compromise of 1850 On May 13 1862 the General Assembly of the Restored Government of Virginia passed an act granting permission for creation of West Virginia 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 necessary to become a separate state Brought into existence within moments of each other on the same day North and South Dakota are the nation s only twin born states Before signing the statehood papers President Benjamin Harrison shuffled the papers so that no one would know which became a state first By custom North Dakota is commonly recognized as the 39th state and South Dakota as the 40th as n precedes s in the alphabet ReferencesErler Edward Essays on Amendment XIV Citizenship The Heritage Foundation Archived from the original on April 21 2012 Frequently Asked Questions About the Minnesota Legislature Minnesota State Legislature Kristin D Burnett Congressional Apportionment 2010 Census Briefs C2010BR 08 PDF U S Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration Elhauge Einer R Essays on Article II Presidential Electors The Heritage Foundation Archived from the original on April 21 2012 Doctrine of the Equality of States Justia com 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 a href wiki Template Cite book title Template Cite book cite book a ISBN Date incompatibility help Texas v White 74 U S 700 1868 Justia com 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 Delaware Government Delaware gov Government Information Center Delaware Department of State Overview of Pennsylvania History 1776 1861 Independence to the Civil War PA gov Pennsylvania Historical amp Museum Commission 1787 Convention Minutes NJ gov New Jersey Department of State Today in History January 9 loc gov Library of Congress Today in History July 26 loc gov Library of Congress Today in History November 21 loc gov Library of Congress The 14th State Vermont History Explorer Vermont Historical Society Archived from the original on May 30 2013 Constitution Square State Historic Site americanheritage com American Heritage Publishing Co Retrieved April 23 2019 Official Name and Status History of the several States and U S Territories TheGreenPapers com State History Timeline TN gov Tennessee Department of State Archived from the original on April 10 2016 Blue Frederick J Autumn 2002 The Date of Ohio Statehood Ohio Academy of History Newsletter Archived from the original on September 11 2010 Berg Andersson Richard E January 17 2007 Clearing up the Confusion surrounding Ohio s Admission to Statehood The Green Papers Retrieved June 15 2023 About Louisiana quick facts louisiana gov Archived from the original on March 24 2013 Retrieved June 15 2016 IHB The Final Steps to Statehood IN gov in gov Retrieved October 1 2024 Welcome from the Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration Commission Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration Commission Retrieved February 16 2017 Today in History December 3 loc gov Library of Congress Alabama History Timeline 1800 1860 alabama gov Retrieved June 15 2016 Today in History March 15 loc gov Library of Congress Today in History August 10 loc gov Library of Congress Today in History June 15 loc gov Library of Congress Today in History January 26 loc gov Library of Congress Statehood Tallahassee Florida Florida Department of State Retrieved September 20 2024 Texas enters the Union This Day In History A amp E Television Networks March 4 2010 Retrieved April 23 2019 Final Act of Congress to Admit the State of Iowa into the Union December 28 1846 State Historical Society of Iowa Today in History May 29 loc gov Library of Congress California Admission Day September 9 1850 CA gov California Department of Parks and Recreation Today in History May 11 loc gov Library of Congress Oregon 165th Anniversary of Statehood 1859 February 14 2024 United States Census Bureau Today in History January 29 loc gov Library of Congress Today in History June 20 loc gov Library of Congress 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 Virginia v West Virginia 78 U S 39 1870 Justia com Stats for Stories Nevada 155th Anniversary 36th state October 31 2019 Census gov October 31 2019 Retrieved August 23 2024 Nebraska Statehood Launched in Troubled Times History Nebraska Archived from the original on October 3 2023 Retrieved August 18 2024 On March 1 1867 President Andrew Johnson reluctantly signed the proclamation declaring Nebraska s statehood Today in History August 1 loc gov Library of Congress Today in History November 2 loc gov Library of Congress MacPherson James Burbach Kevin November 2 2014 At 125 years of Dakotas statehood rivalry remains The Bismarck Tribune AP Retrieved June 29 2020 Stein Mark 2008 How the States Got Their Shapes Smithsonian Books Harper Collins p 256 Wishart David J ed Montana Encyclopedia of the Great Plains University of Nebraska Lincoln Retrieved February 15 2017 Today in History November 11 loc gov Library of Congress Glass Andrew July 2 2016 Idaho becomes nation s 43rd state July 3 1890 Politico Retrieved August 21 2024 Wyoming Key Facts Boston MA Papers of John F Kennedy 1960 p 4 Retrieved August 18 2024 Thatcher Linda 2016 Struggle For Statehood Chronology historytogo utah gov State of Utah Today in History November 16 loc gov Library of Congress New Mexico and Arizona Statehood Anniversary 1912 2012 National Archives Center for Legislative Archives U S National Archives and Records Administration Retrieved August 18 2024 However after much effort on January 6 1912 New Mexico became the 47th state and on February 14 1912 Arizona became the 48th state in the Union Reagan Ronald June 22 1983 Statement on Signing a Bill Designating Alaska Statehood Day Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum Washington D C U S National Archives and Records Administration Retrieved August 18 2024 Alaska was admitted to the Union on January 3 1959 Hawaii Statehood August 21 1959 National Archives Center for Legislative Archives U S National Archives and Records Administration Retrieved August 18 2024 Rodgers Paul 2011 United States Constitutional Law An Introduction McFarland p 109 ISBN 978 0 7864 6017 5 External linksstatehood at Wikipedia s sister projects Definitions from WiktionaryMedia from CommonsNews from WikinewsQuotations from WikiquoteTexts from WikisourceTextbooks from WikibooksResources from Wikiversity U S States Videos History com Dates of statehood 50states com Portals North AmericaUnited States