Iowa Admitted to the Union
Iowa's journey to statehood began shortly after the establishment of its first permanent settlement in 1833, with Dubuque becoming a focal point for early settlers. The area was rich in history, having been inhabited by various Native American tribes, including the Sioux and later the Sauk and Fox, whose interactions with European explorers like Marquette and Joliet in the 17th century shaped early European perspectives of the region. After several territorial reorganizations, Iowa was officially designated as a territory in 1838, which spurred an influx of settlers following the Black Hawk War in 1832, leading to significant population growth.
Throughout the 1840s, Iowans actively sought statehood, adopting a constitution in 1844 and engaging in lengthy discussions with Congress. Their efforts culminated in Iowa being admitted to the Union as the 29th state on December 28, 1846, with Iowa City selected as the capital. The state's formation was part of a broader context of westward expansion and the displacement of Native American populations, reflecting complex dynamics between settlers and indigenous communities. Iowa's admission marked a significant milestone in its development, paving the way for future growth and eventual relocation of the capital to Des Moines in 1857.
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Iowa Admitted to the Union
Iowa Admitted to the Union
A scant 13 years after the establishment of its first permanent settlement at Dubuque in 1833, Iowa gained admission to the Union. In fact, having adopted a constitution in 1844, the people of the region had been seeking admission for two years before the proclamation making Iowa the 29th state was signed by President James Polk on December 28, 1846.
The remains of the prehistoric Mound Builder civilization that existed more than 1,000 years ago have been found in the northeastern corner of the state, along the Mississippi River. Some of the mounds built by these early people are in the form of birds and animals. The first Europeans to visit what is now the state of Iowa were the French explorers Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet, who were commissioned by the governor of Canada to explore the Mississippi River. During their voyage down the river, part of which now forms the eastern boundary of the state, their expedition reached Iowa in June 1673. At that time the area was inhabited by various Sioux tribes, including the Iowa, from whom the state was to take its name. They lived in villages of earthen lodges, doing some farming and hunting bison. Subsequently, these tribes were largely displaced by peoples of Algonquian stock, including the Sauk and Fox, whose economy was similar. Some exploration of the Iowa region was carried out in 1680 by the Flemish missionary Father Louis Hennepin, who led an expedition that was also principally concerned with exploring the Mississippi. Joliet's notes were lost, but both Marquette and Hennepin published accounts of their travels.
France formally claimed the Mississippi valley region, naming it Louisiana (Louisiane) in 1682. In 1762 France ceded the Iowa region and a vast amount of other territory lying west of the Mississippi River to Spain. Not until another 34 years had passed did Spain make the first land grant in the Iowa Territory. In 1796 roughly 189 square miles of land were given to a French Canadian named Julien Dubuque, who, settling in the area in 1788, received permission from the Fox tribe to mine the valuable lead deposits and established a trading post. After Dubuque died in 1810, however, no one remained at his settlement. His land included the site on which the city of Dubuque was later founded.
During the period of Spanish sovereignty, only two additional land grants were made, but neither became the site of a permanent settlement. Then, France persuaded Spain to return the Louisiana Territory by the secret Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1800. Despite the treaty provision that France would not subsequently relinquish ownership of Louisiana to any country other than Spain, it negotiated the sale of the entire vast region to the United States in 1803. Known as the Louisiana Purchase, this transaction added more than 800,000 square miles to the area of the United States, the largest single acquisition ever made by this country.
Having acquired this immense tract of land, much of which was known only to the Native Americans who lived on it, President Thomas Jefferson designated Captain Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to organize an exploratory expedition. While the Lewis and Clark expedition was traveling up the Missouri River (which now forms the western boundary of Iowa) in 1804, a member of the expedition named Sergeant Charles Floyd died and was buried on the Iowa side of the river.
Beginning in 1805, what is now Iowa formed part of various administrative territories of the United States. It was first included in the Louisiana Territory from 1805 to 1812, when that huge region was renamed the Missouri Territory. That name held until 1821, when a portion of the area was admitted to the Union as the state of Missouri. For the next 13 years the remainder of the former Missouri Territory, including Iowa, was an unorganized area of the United States. Then, from 1834 to 1836, what is now Iowa was part of the Michigan Territory. Later, from 1836 to 1838, it was included in the Wisconsin Territory. In the latter year, Congress separated Iowa and certain other tracts of land north to Canada and as far west as the Missouri River from the Wisconsin Territory and organized it as the Iowa Territory.
Settlers began to slowly drift into Iowa beginning around 1830. The rate of settlement increased rapidly when opposition to the settlers' incursion by a number of tribes under the leadership of the Sauk chief Black Hawk was terminated by their defeat in 1832. Immediately after this Black Hawk War, the native tribes were forced to cede almost 9,000 square miles of territory on the Iowa side of the Mississippi River. Settlers lost no time in establishing towns along the riverbank. In 1833 Dubuque was the first permanent community to be established, and Burlington and Davenport were among the other early settlements.
Bit by bit, during the twenty years following Black Hawk's defeat, the natives tribes gave up their claims to land in Iowa. A population count in 1836 revealed that 10,531 people had already settled in the region. Within the next four years, 43,112 were making their home in Iowa. Burlington served as the temporary capital of Iowa Territory when it was organized in 1838. In the following year a site on the Iowa River about 30 miles from the Mississippi was selected and laid out as the capital, to be called Iowa City.
Support for statehood developed swiftly. By 1844 a constitution was framed, and an application was made to Congress for admission to the Union. Discussion and debate in Congress concerning the acceptability of the Iowa constitution and the proposed boundaries of the new state consumed two years. A new constitution was adopted in 1846. Finally, on December 28, 1846, the state of Iowa was formally created with Iowa City as its capital. The remainder of the territory was divided some years later among the new states of Minnesota and North and South Dakota.
The area around Des Moines in the south-central part of the state was opened for settlement in 1845, and in 1857 the city of Des Moines replaced Iowa City as the state capital.