Ohio Constitutional Convention (1802)
Encyclopedia
The Enabling Act of 1802
was passed on April 30, 1802 by the Seventh Congress of the United States
. This act authorized the residents of the eastern portion of the Northwest Territory
to form the state
of Ohio
and join the U.S. on an equal footing with the other states. In doing so it also established the precedent and procedures for creation of future states in the western territories.
Ohio was the first state to be created out of the Northwest Territories, as established by the Northwest Ordinance
in 1787 in an act of the Continental Congress
under the Articles of Confederation
. The Northwest Ordinance laid out the conditions for the creation of a state from a territory. By the Census of 1800, the easternmost part of the Northwest Territories had reached a population of 45,365 and it was believed it would reach the required 60,000 by 1803, when statehood would be achieved. The Enabling Act of 1802 set forth the legal mechanisms and authorized the people of Ohio to begin this process.
Elections of delegates were held in the various counties of the Eastern District of the Northwest Territory in 1802, and the delegates met from November 1 to November 29, 1802 to choose a name for the state and draft a state constitution
.
Enabling Act of 1802
The Enabling Act of 1802 was passed on April 30, 1802 by the Seventh Congress of the United States. This act authorized the residents of the eastern portion of the Northwest Territory to form the state of Ohio and join the U.S. on an equal footing with the other states...
was passed on April 30, 1802 by the Seventh Congress of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This act authorized the residents of the eastern portion of the Northwest Territory
Northwest Territory
The Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Northwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 13, 1787, until March 1, 1803, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Ohio...
to form the state
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 Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and join the U.S. on an equal footing with the other states. In doing so it also established the precedent and procedures for creation of future states in the western territories.
Ohio was the first state to be created out of the Northwest Territories, as established by the Northwest Ordinance
Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance was an act of the Congress of the Confederation of the United States, passed July 13, 1787...
in 1787 in an act of the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
under the Articles of Confederation
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation, formally the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement among the 13 founding states that legally established the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states and served as its first constitution...
. The Northwest Ordinance laid out the conditions for the creation of a state from a territory. By the Census of 1800, the easternmost part of the Northwest Territories had reached a population of 45,365 and it was believed it would reach the required 60,000 by 1803, when statehood would be achieved. The Enabling Act of 1802 set forth the legal mechanisms and authorized the people of Ohio to begin this process.
Elections of delegates were held in the various counties of the Eastern District of the Northwest Territory in 1802, and the delegates met from November 1 to November 29, 1802 to choose a name for the state and draft a state constitution
Ohio Constitution
The Ohio Constitution is the basic governing document of the State of Ohio, which in 1803 became the 17th state to join the United States of America. Ohio has had two constitutions since statehood was granted....
.
List of delegates
Those who ratified the constitution November 29, 1802:- Edward TiffinEdward TiffinEdward Tiffin was a Democratic-Republican politician from Ohio, and first Governor of the state.-Biography:Sources indicate that he was born in Carlisle; however he may have been born in or near Workington — also in the then county of Cumberland, England...
, President and delegate of Ross CountyRoss County, OhioAs of the census of 2000, there were 73,345 people, 27,136 households, and 19,185 families residing in the county. The population density was 106 people per square mile . There were 29,461 housing units at an average density of 43 per square mile... - Adams CountyAdams County, OhioAs of the census of 2000, there were 27,330 people, 10,501 households, and 7,613 families residing in the county. The population density was 47 people per square mile . There were 11,822 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile...
- Joseph DarlingtonJoseph DarlingtonJoseph Darlington was a representative in the Legislature of the Northwest Territory, and a delegate to the Convention that wrote the first Constitution of the State of Ohio.300px|right|thumb...
Israel DonalsonIsrael DonalsonIsrael Donalson was an early settler in the Northwest Territory, and helped write the first Ohio Constitution.right|350px|thumb|Seen at age 91...
Thomas KirkerThomas KirkerThomas Kirker was a Democratic-Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the second Governor of Ohio.Kirker was born in County Tyrone, Ireland. He moved with his father to Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1779. He moved with his new wife to Kentucky in 1790 and then Liberty Township, Adams County,...
- Joseph Darlington
- Belmont CountyBelmont County, OhioBelmont County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 70,400. Its county seat is St. Clairsville...
- James CaldwellJames Caldwell (Ohio)James Caldwell was the first member of the United States House of Representatives to represent Ohio's 4th congressional district....
Elijah Woods
- James Caldwell
- Clermont CountyClermont County, OhioClermont County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States, just east of Cincinnati. As of 2010, the population was 197,363. Its county seat is Batavia...
- Philip Gatch James Sargent
- Fairfield CountyFairfield County, OhioFairfield County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of 2010, the population was 146,156. Its county seat is Lancaster. Its name is a reference to the Fairfield area of the original Lancaster....
- Henry Abrams Emanuel Carpenter
- Hamilton CountyHamilton County, OhioAs of 2000, there were 845,303 people, 346,790 households, and 212,582 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,075 people per square mile . There were 373,393 housing units at an average density of 917 per square mile...
- John W. Browne Charles Willing ByrdCharles Willing ByrdCharles Willing Byrd was an early Ohio political leader and jurist. He was the son of Colonel William Byrd III and Mary Willing Byrd...
Francis DunlavyFrancis DunlavyFrancis Dunlavy was a teacher, judge and Ohio Senator.Born in Virginia, he moved to Columbia, near Cincinnati in 1792. In 1800, he was elected to the Northwest Territorial Legislature as an Anti-Federalist. Two years later, he was chosen as a delegate to the Ohio Constitutional Convention,...
William Goforth - John Kitchel Jeremiah MorrowJeremiah MorrowJeremiah Morrow was a Democratic-Republican Party politician from Ohio. He served as the ninth Governor of Ohio, and the last Democratic-Republican to do so....
John Paul John Reily - John SmithJohn Smith (Ohio Senator)John Smith was one of the first two U.S. Senators from the state of Ohio. He reluctantly resigned from the Senate under charges of alleged complicity in the Burr conspiracy....
John Wilson
- John W. Browne Charles Willing Byrd
- Jefferson CountyJefferson County, OhioJefferson County is a county located in the state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 69,709. Its county seat is Steubenville and is named for Thomas Jefferson, who was at the time Vice President....
- Rudolph Bair George Humphrey John Milligan Nathan Updegraff
- Bezaleel Wells
- Ross CountyRoss County, OhioAs of the census of 2000, there were 73,345 people, 27,136 households, and 19,185 families residing in the county. The population density was 106 people per square mile . There were 29,461 housing units at an average density of 43 per square mile...
- Michael Baldwin James Grubb Nathaniel MassieNathaniel MassieNathaniel Massie was a frontier surveyor in the Ohio Country who became a prominent land owner, politician, and soldier. He founded fifteen early towns in what became the State of Ohio, including its first capital, Chillicothe...
Thomas Worthington
- Michael Baldwin James Grubb Nathaniel Massie
- Trumbull CountyTrumbull County, OhioAs of the census of 2000, there were 225,116 people, 89,020 households, and 61,690 families residing in the county. The population density was 365 people per square mile . There were 95,117 housing units at an average density of 154 per square mile...
- David Abbot Samuel HuntingtonSamuel H. HuntingtonSamuel H. Huntington was an American jurist who was the third Governor of Ohio from 1808 to 1810.He was the nephew and adopted son of Samuel Huntington, the fourth President of the Continental Congress and First President of the United States in Congress Assembled under the Articles of...
- David Abbot Samuel Huntington
- Washington CountyWashington County, OhioWashington County is a county located in the state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 61,778. Its county seat is Marietta. The county, the oldest in the state, is named for George Washington. Washington County is included in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, West Virginia-Ohio...
- Ephraim CutlerEphraim Cutlerthumb|right|350px|alt=old dudeEphraim Cutler was an early Northwest Territory and Ohio political leader and jurist.-Early life:...
Benjamin Ives Gilman John McIntireJohn McIntire (pioneer)John McIntire was the founder of the city of Zanesville, Ohio.McIntire was born in Alexandria, Virginia. He married Sarah Zane, the daughter of Colonel Ebenezer Zane, in December 1789...
Rufus PutnamRufus PutnamRufus Putnam was a colonial military officer during the French and Indian War, and a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War...
- Ephraim Cutler
Note
- Wayne CountyWayne County, OhioWayne County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States, and is named for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. As of the 2010 census, the population was 114,520. Its county seat is Wooster....
was left out of participating by the Congress. This was because it was populated by Federalists who would oppose statehood, while the apportionment was by the opposing party, according to one author.