Enabling Act of 1889
Encyclopedia
The Enabling Act of 1889 is a United States
statute that enabled North Dakota
, South Dakota
, Montana
, and Washington to form state governments and to gain admission as states
of the union.
The enabling act laid out the mechanism by which the territories were admitted as states following ratification of their constitutions and election of state officers in October 1889. All of the states were subsequently admitted in November of that year.
The act further provided for the division of Dakota Territory
into North Dakota
and South Dakota
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
statute that enabled North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, and Washington to form state governments and to gain admission as states
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of the union.
The enabling act laid out the mechanism by which the territories were admitted as states following ratification of their constitutions and election of state officers in October 1889. All of the states were subsequently admitted in November of that year.
The act further provided for the division of Dakota Territory
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...
into North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
and South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
.
External links
- Full text of the Enabling Act of 1889
- Enabling Act & Constitution and the Laws Passed at the Ninth Session of the Legislature of the State of South Dakota, 1905, pp iii