Editing Indiana Territory (section)

{{Short description|1800–1816 territory of the United States}}
{{Distinguish|Indian Territory}}
{{Infobox Former Subdivision
|native_name =
|conventional_long_name = Territory of Indiana
|common_name = Indiana Territory
|nation      = the [[United States]]
|subdivision = [[Organized incorporated territories of the United States|Organized incorporated territory]]
|event_start = Indiana Organic Act passed
|date_start  = May 7, 1800
|event_end   = Granted [[History of Indiana#Early statehood|Statehood]]
|date_end    = December 11, 1816
|event1      = Indiana Organic Act [[Entry into force|coming into force]]
|date_event1 = July 4, 1800
|event2      = [[Treaty of Grouseland]] signed
|date_event2 = March 1805
|event3      = [[Michigan Territory]] created
|date_event3 = June 30, 1805
|event4      = Representation in [[United States Congress|Congress]]
|date_event4 = December 12, 1805
|event5      = [[Illinois Territory]] created<br />&nbsp;-&nbsp;[[Treaty of Fort Wayne (1809)|Treaty of Fort Wayne]]<br />&nbsp;-&nbsp;Legislature popularly elected<br />&nbsp;-&nbsp;[[Tecumseh's War]]<br />&nbsp;-&nbsp;[[Indiana in the War of 1812|War of 1812]]<br />&nbsp;-&nbsp;[[Constitution of Indiana|Constitution]] [[Indiana Territory#Statehood|drafted & adopted]]
|date_event5 = March 1, 1809<br />September 30, 1809<br />November 1809<br />1811–1812<br />1812–1814<br />June 1816
|event6      =
|date_event6 =
|event7      =
|date_event7 =
|event_pre   =
|date_pre    =
|p1          = Northwest Territory
|flag_p1     = Star-Spangled Banner flag.svg
|s1          = Indiana
|flag_s1     = Flag of Indiana.svg
|s2          = Michigan Territory
|flag_s2     = Star-Spangled Banner flag.svg
|s3          = Illinois Territory
|flag_s3     = Star-Spangled Banner flag.svg
|image_flag  = Star-Spangled Banner flag.svg
|image_coat  =
|symbol      =
|symbol_type =
|image_map   = Indianaterr.PNG
|image_map_caption =
|stat_area1   =
|stat_pop1    = 2,632
|stat_year1   = 1800
|stat_area2   =
|stat_pop2    = 24,520 	
|stat_year2   = 1810
|stat_pop3    = 63,897
|stat_year3   = 1816
|capital      = [[Vincennes, Indiana|Vincennes]] (1800–1813)<br />[[Corydon, Indiana|Corydon]] (1813–1816)
|government_type = Organized incorporated territory
|title_leader = [[Governor of Indiana|Governor]]
|leader1      = William Henry Harrison
|year_leader1 = 1800–1812
|leader2      = [[John Gibson (Indiana)|John Gibson]] (acting)
|year_leader2 = 1812–1813
|leader3      = Thomas Posey
|year_leader3 = 1813–1816
|title_deputy = Secretary
|deputy1      = [[John Gibson (Indiana)|John Gibson]]
|year_deputy1 = 1800–1816
}}

The '''Indiana Territory''', officially the '''Territory of Indiana''', was created by an [[organic act]] that [[President of the United States|President]] [[John Adams]] signed into law on May 7, 1800,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sixth Congress of United States |date=1845 |editor-last=Peters |editor-first=Richard |title=The Public Statutes at Large of the United States of America, Acts of the Sixth Congress of the United States, 1800, May 7, Statute I, Chap XLI |url=https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/llsl//llsl-c6/llsl-c6.pdf |access-date=3 May 2023 |website=Library of Congress |publisher=Charles C. Little & James Brown |place=Boston |page=58}}</ref> to form an [[Historic regions of the United States|organized incorporated territory of the United States]] that existed from July 4, 1800, to December 11, 1816, when the remaining southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the [[United States|Union]] as the [[U.S. state|state]] of [[Indiana]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldstatesmen.org/US_states_F-K.html#Indiana|title=Indiana|publisher=World Statesmen|access-date=20 July 2015}}</ref> The territory originally contained approximately {{convert|259,824|mi2|km2}} of land, but its size was decreased when it was subdivided to create the [[Michigan Territory]] (1805) and the [[Illinois Territory]] (1809). The Indiana Territory was the first new territory created from lands of the [[Northwest Territory]], which had been organized under the terms of the [[Northwest Ordinance]] of 1787. The territorial capital was the settlement around the old French fort of [[Vincennes, Indiana|Vincennes]] on the [[Wabash River]], until transferred to [[Corydon, Indiana|Corydon]] near the [[Ohio River]] in 1813.

[[William Henry Harrison]], the territory's first governor, oversaw treaty negotiations with the Native inhabitants that ceded tribal lands to the U.S. government, opening large parts of the territory to further settlement. In 1809 the U.S. Congress established a bicameral legislative body for the territory that included a popularly-elected House of Representatives and a Legislative Council. In addition, the territorial government began planning for a basic transportation network and education system, but efforts to attain statehood for the territory were delayed due to war. At the outbreak of [[Tecumseh's War]], when the territory was on the front line of battle, Harrison led a military force in the opening hostilities at the [[Battle of Tippecanoe]] (1811) and in the subsequent invasion of Canada during the [[War of 1812]]. After Harrison resigned as the territorial governor, [[Thomas Posey]] was appointed to the vacant governorship, but the opposition party, led by Congressman [[Jonathan Jennings]], dominated territorial affairs in its final years and began pressing for statehood.

In June 1816 a [[Constitution of Indiana|constitutional convention]] was held at Corydon, where a state constitution was adopted on June 29, 1816. General elections were held in August to fill offices for the new state government, the new officeholders were sworn into office in November, and the territory was dissolved. On December 11, 1816, President [[James Madison]] signed the congressional act that formally admitted Indiana to the Union as the nineteenth state.