Editing Colorado Territory (section)

===Territorial aspirations===
The movement to create a territory within the present boundaries of Colorado followed nearly immediately. Citizens of Denver City and Golden City pushed for territorial status of the newly settled region within a year of the founding of the towns. The movement was promoted by [[William Byers]], publisher of the ''[[Rocky Mountain News]]'', and by Larimer, who aspired to be the first territorial governor. In 1859, settlers established the [[Territory of Jefferson]], and held elections, but the [[United States Congress]] did not recognize the territory, and it never gained legal status.

Congressional grant of territorial status for the region was delayed by the slavery issue, and a deadlock between Democrats, who controlled the Senate, and the antislavery Republicans, who gained control of the House of Representatives in 1859. The deadlock was broken only by the Civil War. In early 1861, enough Democratic senators from seceding states resigned from the U.S. Senate to give control of both houses to the Republicans, clearing the way for admission of new territories. Three new territories were created in as many days: Colorado (February 28), Nevada (March 1), and Dakota (March 2).

Colorado Territory was officially organized by Act of Congress on February 28, 1861 ({{USStat|12|172}}), out of lands previously part of the Kansas, [[Nebraska Territory|Nebraska]], [[Utah Territory|Utah]], and [[New Mexico Territory|New Mexico]] territories. Technically the territory was open to slavery under the [[Dred Scott Decision]] of 1857, but the question was rendered moot by the impending [[American Civil War]] and the majority pro-Union sentiment in the territory. The name "Colorado" was chosen for the territory. It had been previously suggested in 1850 by Senator [[Henry S. Foote]] as a name for a state to have been created out of present-day California south of 35° 45'.