Iowa Gains Statehood: Iowa Time Machine December 28, 1846

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On December 28, 1846, Iowa officially became the 29th state in the United States. Formally opened to American settlement in June of 1833, Iowa existed as a stand-alone territory from July 4, 1838, until James K. Polk officially signed Iowa’s admission into the Union.

Although the land between the two rivers stretches back well into prehistory, the area first came under European control by France from 1673 until 1763. At that time, Spain claimed it and held the official rights until 1800, when France regained title through treaty proceedings overseen by Napoleon Bonaparte.

During this time, English traders made inroads with Indigenous peoples, including the Sauk, Meskwaki, Dakota, and Báxoje (Ioway), who actually lived in and controlled the area. Following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Americans gained formal title but exercised little power. During the War of 1812, many Indigenous people allied with the British in the hopes of maintaining sovereignty over their lands.

Following a period of removal, starting with the dubious 1804 treaty between the Sauk man Quashquame and future President William Henry Harrison, the dispossession of native peoples and assertion of American control opened the lands to settlement. As the population grew following the 1833 opening, a clamor for statehood soon arose, leading to the Constitutional Convention and Iowa’s successful bid to become a state. #Iowa #OTD #History #Statehood #USA