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The Territory of Alabama (sometimes Alabama Territory) was an organized incorporated territory of the United States. The Alabama Territory was carved from the Mississippi Territory on August 15, 1817 and lasted until December 14, 1819, when it was admitted to the
Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...
as the twenty-second state.


History

The Alabama Territory /sup> was designated by two interdependent Acts of the
Congress of the United States The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Wash ...
on March 1 and 3, 1817, but it did not become effective until October 10, 1817."Timeline 1811-1820" (events +sources); Algis Ratnikas; "Timelines of History"; 2007; webpage
TimeLine Miss
/ref>"Statehood Dates"; 50states.com; 1998/2009; webpage

/ref> The delay was due to a provision in the Congressional Act which stated that the act would only take effect if and when the western part of the Mississippi Territory (1798–1817) were to form a state constitution and government on the road to statehood. A state constitution for Mississippi was adopted on August 15, 1817, elections were held in September, and the first legislative session convened in October, with the western part of the Mississippi Territory existing since 1798 becoming the State of Mississippi on December 10, 1817. St. Stephens, located in the central area of the Alabama Territory on the
Tombigbee River The Tombigbee River is a tributary of the Mobile River, approximately 200 mi (325 km) long, in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Alabama. Together with the Alabama, it merges to form the short Mobile River before the latter empties int ...
, was the only territorial capital during the period. William Wyatt Bibb (1781–1820) of
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
was the only territorial governor, later elected to that position after statehood. On December 14, 1819,
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
was admitted to the union as the 22nd
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
,"Resolution declaring the admission of the state of Alabama into the Union"
/ref> with Bibb becoming the first state governor (1819–1820).


Territorial evolution of Alabama

*Territories of the Kingdom of Spain and its worldwide
Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...
that would later become part of the future territories of Alabama: ** La Florida (Spanish Florida), 1565–1763 ** Florida Occidental (West Florida), 1783–1821 ***
Mobile District The Mobile District was an administrative division of the Spanish colony of West Florida, which was claimed by the short-lived Republic of West Florida, established on September 23, 1810. Reuben Kemper led a small force in an attempt to capture M ...
*Possession of the
Kingdom of Great Britain The Kingdom of Great Britain (officially Great Britain) was a Sovereign state, sovereign country in Western Europe from 1 May 1707 to the end of 31 December 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of ...
since 1763, in the
Treaty of Paris (1763) The Treaty of Paris, also known as the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763 by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement, after Great Britain and Prussia's victory over France and Spain during the S ...
ending the
French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
(1756–1763), (known as the
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...
in Europe), until 1783, with the
Treaty of Paris (1783) The Treaty of Paris, signed in Paris by representatives of King George III of Great Britain and representatives of the United States of America on September 3, 1783, officially ended the American Revolutionary War and overall state of conflict ...
that the lands would later be ceded to become part of the newly independent
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
after 1776, *Organized as the old
Southwest Territory The Territory South of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Southwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1790, until June 1, 1796, when it was admitted to the United States a ...
or Territory of the Southwest lso then occasionally known as the "Territory South of the Ohio River"(1790–1796), then later *Reorganized and renamed as the Mississippi Territory (1798–1817), then the *Territory of Alabama was carved out of the eastern half in 1817 until 1819: *
West Florida West Florida ( es, Florida Occidental) was a region on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico that underwent several boundary and sovereignty changes during its history. As its name suggests, it was formed out of the western part of former S ...
, 1763–1783 (briefly possessed by Britain, acquired from Spain. *
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
s that ceded territorial claims that would later become part of the future
State of Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
: **
State of South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
, 1787 ** State of Georgia, 1802 (sold the disputed
Yazoo lands The Yazoo lands were the central and western regions of the U.S. state of Georgia, when its western border stretched back to the Mississippi. The Yazoo lands were named for the Yazoo nation, that lived on the lower course of the Yazoo, in wha ...
to the U.S. Federal government) * U.S. territory with land that would later become part of the Territory of Alabama: ** Mississippi Territory, 1798–1817 *U.S. state created from the Alabama Territory, 1817–1819: **State of Alabama, December 14, 1819 to present


See also

*
Historic regions of the United States The territory of the United States and its overseas possessions has evolved over time, from the colonial era to the present day. It includes formally organized territories, proposed and failed states, unrecognized breakaway states, internationa ...
*
History of Alabama The history of what is now Alabama stems back thousands of years ago when it was inhabited by indigenous peoples. The Woodland period spanned from around 1000 BCE to 1000 CE and was marked by the development of the Eastern Agricultural Complex. ...
* Territorial evolution of the United States


Notes

  /small> - Name "Territory of Alabama" was often used in the time period, rather than "Alabama Territory".


References

* Williams, Lewis et al.
"An 1820 Claim to Congress: Alabama Territory : 1817."
Op. cit.: Gales & Seaton; ''American State Papers''; Washington: 1834; retrieved 21 February 2010.


External links


Journal of the Convention of the Alabama territory, begun July 5, 1819
(a 1909 reprint) {{DEFAULTSORT:Alabama Territory Mississippi Territory Pre-statehood history of Alabama 1817 establishments in Mississippi Territory 1819 disestablishments in the United States