When Did Maine Become a State?

Maine is considered one of the most beautiful states of the United States. It is known for its nature and vast forests. It also has a rich history of settlement, control, battles and victories.

After the Revolutionary War was over, and the colonies had won, Maine was particularly anxious to become a state. The territory and its people wanted protection as part of the emerging United States.

Thus, in 1819, the Maine Constitution was approved by all the delegates of the Maine Constitutional Convention. The next step was for Congress to approve the territory’s constitution, which it did on March 4, 1820.

However, this was at a time when the balance between slave states and free states was a crucial point of contention in the country. Thus, the decision to let Maine into the union was a difficult one because Maine wished to remain a free state.

Luckily, this dilemma was solved by the Missouri Compromise. At the same time that Maine was attempting to become a state, Missouri was attempting to become a state as well. However, Missouri wished to become a slave state. Thus, the northern states agreed to support Missouri, if the southern states agreed to support Maine. So, Maine became a state on March 15, 1820.

Early Inhabitants

There were several inhabitants in Maine before the Europeans settled in the state. The first known inhabitants were considered the Red Paint People. They were estimated to have lived there as early as three thousand B.C. to one thousand B.C. They were named after their practice of using red ochre as part of their elaborate burial ceremonies.

After the Red Paint People, the Susquehanna were the next people to live in the state. When the Europeans arrived to the New World, the Wabanaki people were the inhabitants of Maine. The Wabanaki included the Abenaki, the Passamaquoddy, and the Penobscots.

European Discovery of Maine

In 1604, Samuel de Champlain began the first European settlement in Maine. He was French, and thus the settlement claimed the land for France. France named the territory “Arcadia.” The English colonies and colonies soon pushed this settlement further north into Canada.

In 1607, the English settled in Maine. However, this first settlement was abandoned for a variety of reasons, such as death and harsh climate. There were several other attempts to settle the area, although some were more successful than others. Maine gained its name from Ferdinando Gorges and a land agreement that he had with John Mason.

English Control of Maine

Since England essentially took Maine from France, this created a lot of friction between the countries. However, after the French and Indian War (also known as the Seven Years War), England gained control of the land.

In the late eighteenth century, a large part of Maine was actually auctioned off. William Bingham, an extremely wealthy banker who came from Philadelphia, purchased two areas of land of about a million acres each in the east and the west of Maine. This was known as the Bingham Purchase.

Battles for Maine

Maine became a source of contention between the colonies and England in both the American Revolution, and the War of 1812. In 1775, a British fleet bombed Portland and was able to control the majority of the eastern area of Maine.

Then, in 1779, the British took over the Castine. Although the rebel forces attempted to take the land back, the British were able to defeat them. This was most notable in the Penobscot Expedition, in which a Massachusetts’ fleet was destroyed in its attempt to take back Castine.

The British controlled much of Maine, and referred to it was “New Ireland.” The British, in control of much of the area, thus were able to stop commerce along the coast of Maine.

The citizens of Maine were active participants in the Revolutionary War, fighting for the regain of the control of their colony.