Louisiana Territory
| Territory of Louisiana | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organized incorporated territoryofUnited States | |||||||||
| 1805–1812 | |||||||||
 | |||||||||
 Map of the Territory of Louisiana | |||||||||
| Capital | St. Louis | ||||||||
| Government | |||||||||
| • Type | Organized incorporated territory | ||||||||
| Governor | |||||||||
• 1805–1807 | James Wilkinson | ||||||||
• 1807–1809 | Meriwether Lewis | ||||||||
• 1810–1812 | Benjamin Howard | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 4 July 1805 | ||||||||
• RenamedTerritory of Missouri | 4 June 1812 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
TheTerritory of LouisianaorLouisiana Territorywas anorganized incorporated territory of the United Statesthat existed from July 4, 1805,[1]until June 4, 1812, when it was renamed theMissouri Territory.The territory was formed out of theDistrict of Louisiana,which consisted of the portion of theLouisiana Purchasenorth of the33rd parallel(which is now theArkansas–Louisianastate line).
Background
[edit]TheEighth Congress of the United Stateson March 26, 1804, passed legislation entitled "An act erecting Louisiana into two territories, and providing for the temporary government thereof,"[2]which established theTerritory of Orleansand theDistrict of Louisianaasorganized incorporated U.S. territories.With regard to the District of Louisiana, thisorganic act,which went into effect on October 1, 1804, detailed the authority of the governor and judges of theIndiana Territoryto provide temporary civil jurisdiction over the expansive region.
Establishment
[edit]On March 3, 1805,Congresspassed legislation changing the District of Louisiana into the Louisiana Territory, effective July 4, 1805.[3]
Boundaries
[edit]The Louisiana Territory included all of the land acquired by the United States in theLouisiana Purchasenorth of the33rd parallel.The eastern boundary of the purchase, theMississippi River,functioned as the territory's eastern limit. Its northern and western boundaries, however, were indefinite, and remained so throughout its existence. The northern boundary with theBritishterritory ofRupert's Landwas established by theTreaty of 1818,and the western boundary with theSpanishviceroyalty ofNew Spainwas defined by theAdams–Onís Treatyof 1819.
Subdivisions
[edit]The Louisiana Territory had five subdivisions: St. Louis District, St. Charles District, Ste. Genevieve District, Cape Girardeau District, and New Madrid District. In 1806, the territorial legislature created the District of Arkansas from lands ceded by theOsage Nation.[citation needed]
In the1810 United States census,six counties in the Louisiana Territory, which included five counties in present-dayMissouriand one county in present-dayArkansas,reported the following population counts:[4][5]
| Rank | County | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Louis | 5,667 |
| 2 | Ste. Genevieve | 4,620 |
| 3 | Cape Girardeau | 3,888 |
| 4 | St. Charles | 3,505 |
| 5 | New Madrid | 2,103 |
| 6 | Arkansas | 1,062 |
| Louisiana Territory | 20,845 |
Government
[edit]The territorialcapitalwasSt. Louis.
On March 11, 1805, PresidentThomas Jeffersonappointed Gen.James Wilkinsonas the first governor of the Territory of Louisiana.[6] Wilkinson concurrently held the position ofSenior Officer of the United States Army.Meriwether Lewis(1807–1809) served as the 2nd andWilliam Clark(1813–1820) served as the 4th, and final, territorial governor.[citation needed]
Renaming
[edit]On June 4, 1812, theTwelfth U.S. Congressenacted legislation which renamed Louisiana Territory asMissouri Territory,in order to avoid confusion with the recently admittedStateofLouisiana.[7]
Current States
[edit]The areas of theLouisiana TerritoryandOrleans Territorynow cover severalU.S. states,from theGulf of Mexicoto the border ofCanada.
U.S. states once part of Louisiana territory include:
Louisiana
Arkansas
Colorado
Iowa
Kansas
Minnesota(part)
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
North Dakota
Oklahoma
South Dakota
Texas
Wyoming
Canadian provinces once part of Louisiana territory include:
See also
[edit]- Historic regions of the United States
- Territorial evolution of the United States
- Lewis and Clark Expedition
- Timeline of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
References
[edit]- ^2Stat.331
- ^"An act erecting Louisiana into two territories, and providing for the temporary government thereof".United States Statutes at Large.Eighth Congress, Session I, Chapter 38, March 26, 1804, pp. 283–289. From Library of Congress,A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774–1875.(accessed December 14, 2008)
- ^"An Act further providing for the government of the district of Louisiana".United States Statutes at Large.Eighth Congress, Session II, Chapter 31, March 3, 1805, pp. 331–332. From Library of Congress,A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774–1875.(accessed December 14, 2008)
- ^Forstall, Richard L. (ed.).Population of the States and Counties of the United States: 1790–1990(PDF)(Report).United States Census Bureau.p. 17.RetrievedMay 18,2020.
- ^Forstall, Richard L. (ed.).Population of the States and Counties of the United States: 1790–1990(PDF)(Report).United States Census Bureau.pp. 95–97.RetrievedMay 18,2020.
- ^"Commission of James Wilkinson as Governor".Carter, Clarence Edwin, compiler and editor.Territorial Papers of the United States.Vol. XIII (The Territory of Louisiana–Missouri, 1803–1806), pp. 98–99.
- ^"An Act providing for the government of the territory of Missouri".United States Statutes at Large.Twelfth Congress, Session I, Chapter 95, June 4, 1812, pp. 742–747. From Library of Congress,A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774–1875.(accessed December 14, 2008)
External links
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- States and territories established in 1805
- States and territories disestablished in 1812
- Louisiana Territory
- Former organized territories of the United States
- Great Plains
- Midwestern United States
- 1805 establishments in the United States
- Pre-statehood history of Arkansas
- Pre-statehood history of Iowa
- Pre-statehood history of Kansas
- Pre-statehood history of Louisiana
- Pre-statehood history of Missouri
- Pre-statehood history of Montana
- Pre-statehood history of Nebraska
- Pre-statehood history of North Dakota
- Pre-statehood history of Oklahoma
- Pre-statehood history of South Dakota
- Pre-statehood history of Wyoming
- 1800s in the United States
- 1812 disestablishments in the United States