Old News: Indiana becomes a state

Driving the (old) news: After the War of 1812 delayed an initial attempt, Jonathan Jennings led a push to make Indiana the second state carved from the Northwest Territory.

• After Census data confirmed that the number of people living within the Indiana territory met the required threshold of 60,000 free white inhabitants needed to become a state, Jennings petitioned Congress for an enabling act in 1816 that would allow the formation of a constitution and state government.
• That petition was approved, and representatives from Indiana's 13 original counties were elected to a constitutional convention in Corydon, the original state capital.
• 43 delegates crafted the state's constitution in the summer of 1816, with slavery being at the center of intense arguments before the decision to make it illegal.
• President James Madison approved Indiana's admission into the union on Dec. 11, and Jennings was elected its first governor.