The Maine Connection 4: Road to Statehood

The Maine Connection: Road to Statehood

Maine After the Revolution

• Problem 1: Still part of Mass. but with diff. needs and ways of living (owning land to vote, religion tied with office)

• Problem 2: Border between Maine and Canada. Treaty of Paris said it would be along St. Croix river, but there were several rivers with that name

• Problem 3: To pay off war debt, Mass. sold land in Maine that was too expensive for Mainers to buy. Hurt Maine squatters.

• Problem 4: Trade with Great Britain was non-existent

• Solution: Become our own state

6 Different Votes to Statehood

• 1792 - 2,074 for separation/2,524 against

• 1797 - 2,785 for separation/2,412 against

• 1807 - 3,370 for separation/9.404 against

• 5/1816 - 10,000 for separation/2,524 against

• 9/1816 - 11,927 for separation/7,000 against

• 1818 - 17,000 for separation/7,000 against

• 1819 - Delegates meet to write new state Constitution

Multiple Select

Check all that were a problem for Maine.

• Border between Maine and Canada

• Different beliefs and ways of life to Mass.

• Fishing industry crash

• Maine land being sold to wealthy people

• Trade

Multiple Choice

Who was the most influential person in Maine's statehood?

• William King

• George Washington

• Henry Knox

• Thomas Jefferson

Multiple Choice

How many votes did it take for Maine to become a state?

• 3

• 4

• 5

• 6

Open Ended

What did the War of 1812 have to do with Maine becoming a state?

Maine's Constitution

• No property qualifications for voting

• People of any faith could participate in the government

• No established religion - so no tax dollars would go to supporting a specific religion

Poll

Which provision in Maine's Constitution do YOU think is most important?

• No property qualifications for voting

• People of any faith could participate in government

• No established religion

Maine's Constitution (the downsides)

• Women could not vote

• Denied voting rights to "untaxed Indians" living on reservation lands

• State of Maine took over land distribution. Took over all treaty obligations that Massachusetts made with Passamaquoddy and Penobscot peoples

• Maine placed its public lands and Wabanaki people under legal guardianship with government officials designated to manage tribal affairs

Maine and the Wabanaki

• New treaties restricted tribes to ever smaller reservations

• Protected their hunting and fishing rights

• Penobscot and Passamaquoddy leaders submitted petitions to protest violations of their treaty rights

• Maine officials were eager to have the Wabanaki tribes recognize the new state and end formal relationships with Massachusetts

• Tribal leaders insisted that this new relationship include previously agreed-upon treaty rights

Open Ended

Do you think that Maine should have honored the old treaties of Massachusetts or do you think they were within their rights to make new ones as a new state?