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Show GRANTS TO STATES ON ADMISSION TO UNION 299 The Iowa Constitution of 1844 had an unusual provision that complicated ratification:40 This constitution, together with whatever conditions may be made to the same by Congress, shall be ratified or rejected by a vote of the qualified voters . . . provided, however, that the General Assembly of this State may ratify or reject any conditions Congress may make to this Constitution. . . . This provision combined with discontent over the change of the boundary and a series of political events brought about two successive defeats of ratification of the Constitution of 1844, and necessitated calling a second convention. At this second convention in 1846 a northern boundary satisfactory to Congress was adopted, and a constitution much like that of 1844 was drawn up and submitted to the people who ratified it by a very narrow majority. Congress, then, on December 28, 1848, declared Iowa a State.41 Maine and Texas Meantime, Maine and Texas had entered the Union each with backgrounds very different from those of others that had entered since 1802. Maine, as part of Massachusetts, had sent representatives and senators to the General Court at Boston and had been assigned a number of Representatives to the national Congress. But Maine people felt it was better to have their government closer to them. In 1816 the movement for statehood came to a head but it was to take until 1820 before Maine became a State of the Union. Then, by one of its simplest measures, Congress, finding that Massachusetts had given its consent to the separation of the district of Maine and that the latter had adopted a constitution agreeable to the Massachusetts act of separation, declared Maine to be one of the United States "on an equal footing with the original states, in all respects whatever."42 Thereafter Maine and Massachusetts shared the public lands of the new state in which the United States had no part. Texas, having won its independence from Mexico in 1836, sought admission into the United States, but the wrangling over slavery made it unwise for Van Buren to take action then. The new republic therefore had to cool its heels for a decade. This could not be allowed to continue, many thought, because Texas might, whether encouraged by Great Britain or not, end slavery and become a refuge for runaways. Also, with Wisconsin growing rapidly there was danger that another free state would be created which would upset the balance between free and slave states. Texas was large enough to be divided into five states. If this were done and each part gained sufficient population to justify admission, it would offset the victory of the North in banning slavery north of 36°30' by the Missouri Compromise. President Tyler and John C. Calhoun were anxious to annex Texas and resorted to a joint resolution to accomplish their objective. Conditions for admission were: (1) the United States would assume responsibility for the settlement of boundary issues, (2) Texas was to cede to the United States forts, "ports and harbors, navy and navy yards," and all its property pertaining to public defense but was to retain public funds, debts, taxes, and "all the vacant and unappropriated lands lying within its limits, to be applied to the payment of the debts and liabilities" of Texas; (3) as many as five states might be formed out of the territory claimed by Texas.43 In the joint resolution of March 1, 1845, consenting to the erection of the Republic of Texas into a new State in the Union and in a second joint resolution adopted on December 29, 1845, declaring Texas to be one 40 Benjamin F. Shambaugh, History of the Constitutions of Iowa (Des Moines, 1902), p. 266. 41 9 Stat. 52, 117; Shambaugh, op. cit., pp. 273 ff. 42 Act of March 3, 1820, 3 Stat. 544. 43 5 Stat. 798. The italics are mine. |
