This is a list of the 'evolution of the
borders of the
United States'. This lists each change to the internal and external borders of the country, as well as status and name changes. It also shows the surrounding areas that eventually became part of the United States. Each situation has a map, to show what the specific makeup of the country was at any given time.
After achieving independence with the
Treaty of Paris, the United States expanded westward, enlarging its borders seven times, with two major border adjustments, one each with colonies of the
United Kingdom and
Spain, and several small disputes. The original thirteen states grew into fifty
states, most of which began as
incorporated territories. The general pattern seen in this is of territorial expansion, carving of
organized territories from the newly acquired land, modification of the borders of these territories, and eventual statehood. Only two states,
Nevada and
Missouri, grew appreciably after statehood, and four,
Massachusetts,
North Carolina,
Texas, and
Virginia, lost land, in each case to form new states.
Notes
★ This article does not include unincorporated territories and countries under
free association. The fundamental difference between ''unincorporated'' and ''incorporated'' territories is that incorporated territories are considered to forever be under the jurisdiction of the
United States Constitution, whereas it is possible for unincorporated territories to become independent. These are:
★
★ Nations under
Compacts of Free Association:
Marshall Islands,
Federated States of Micronesia,
Palau.
★
★ Unincorporated, organized territories:
Guam,
United States Virgin Islands.
★
★
Commonwealths, another form of unincorporated and organized territory:
Northern Mariana Islands,
Puerto Rico (This is different from the term ''
commonwealth'' used by some states.)
★
★
American Samoa is unorganized, but has a constitution and self-government, making it functionally very similar to an organized territory.
★
★ The
United States Minor Outlying Islands, which are uninhabited, unorganized, and except for
Palmyra Atoll, unincorporated.
★
★ The former unincorporated territories of the
Line Islands,
Panama Canal Zone, the
Commonwealth of the Philippines, and the
Phoenix Islands.
★
★ The
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, a
United Nations trusteeship granted to the United States following
World War II. It has since dissolved, becoming the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Palau.
★ "
Unorganized territory" is not a name; it simply means Congress has not passed an
organic act for the territory. In most situations, the purpose of unorganized territory was to act as land for
Native American settlement. Later, the last unorganized territory in the country was indeed referred to as "
Indian Territory", though this is not an official name. The last territories acquired by the United States,
Alaska,
Hawaii, and the
Mexican Cession, began unorganized, but not as land set aside for Native Americans, but simply because they had not been organized yet.
★ Dotted lines on the borders mean that region is part of a country not fully shown on the map, since it's confined to the present-day borders of the United States. An exception is
Oregon Country, which was shared land which extended beyond the area of the map.
★ Some territorial disputes and borders from early in the United States' history are unclear. For example, the border between
West Florida and
East Florida seems unclear. For the purposes of simplicity, this article uses the original border, the
Apalachicola River, even though later maps tended to move it west to the
Perdido River. This is partly because the Organic Act for Florida specified that it included parts of both West and East Florida; if the border were the Perdido River, then Florida Territory would not have included any of West Florida, it having already been divided among Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
[1]
★ Several very small changes are included in the list but not included in the maps.
#The switch of two extra counties from
Virginia to
West Virginia at the end of the
American Civil War.
#The
Alaska Boundary Dispute, since it arose from a total lack of surveying, rather than a dispute over the surveyed lines; it would also appear quite small on the map.
#The dispute over
The Wedge, a square mile of land claimed by
Pennsylvania and
Delaware.
#When the
Dakota Territory was created, it also included land south of 43° N and north of the
Keya Paha and
Niobrara rivers. This was transferred to the state of
Nebraska on
March 28 1882.
[1]
#The two small adjustments to
Indiana Territory.
#Various
disputes along the Rio Grande with
Mexico.
18th century
;
March 4 1789
The
United States Constitution came into effect, forming the new nation. Note that the states ratified at different times, but to simplify the map, the final result is shown here.
The United States achieved independence from the
Kingdom of Great Britain with the
Treaty of Paris on
September 3 1783, which established that the thirteen colonies were sovereign and independent states. The borders were established by Article 2 of the treaty, but with a couple of issues. First, it stated that the border would run west from the
Lake of the Woods to the
Mississippi River - at the time, it was not known that the headwaters of the Mississippi lay south of such a line, so the border has since been taken to run south from the lake to the river.
[2]
Some peculiarities to point out to those familiar only with the current borders: Many states had
sea-to-sea grants from the British crown that they would not give up easily, so prior to this date, they
ceded this land to the federal government in exchange for their
Revolutionary War debts. However,
Georgia did not do so until much later, and
Connecticut ceded most land but kept its
Western Reserve. Virginia ceded its claim to the territory north and west of the
Ohio River, and this land became
unorganized territory.
North Carolina also ceded its claim to its western counties, but this was not officially accepted by Congress until 1790.
New York ceded its claim on the
Erie Triangle to the federal government. At this point in history, all of the states except for Georgia and Virginia were at their present-day borders, except for some of the minor issues mentioned above.
West Florida claimed a border further north than what the United States said it had. Its border had been 31° north when Spain ceded it to the
United Kingdom. The British later moved its border north to 32°38' latitude, but when
Spanish Florida was ceded back to
Spain in the
Treaty of Paris, the British cited the original border at the 31st parallel, but Spain continued to claim the higher border.
[3] Also, the borders at the northern area of the
Maine District of
Massachusetts and the area northwest of
Lake Superior remained disputed.
The Wedge, disputed since the
17th century, remained a point of contention between
Delaware and
Pennsylvania.
The
Vermont Republic was a complex matter, with areas being claimed by
New York and
New Hampshire, but it existed as a ''
de facto'' unrecognized independent nation.
;
August 7 1789
The United States Congress affirmed the organization of the Territory North West of the Ohio River, or
Northwest Territory, under the terms of the
Northwest Ordinance.
[4] Northwest Territory consisted of present-day
Illinois,
Indiana,
Michigan, northeastern
Minnesota, most of
Ohio, and
Wisconsin. The Northwest Territory had previously been organized under the
Articles of Confederation on
July 13 1787, and was slightly modified under the new Constitution.
;
April 2 1790
Congress accepts
North Carolina's cession of its western counties, which had initially been ceded on
December 22 1789. The land became unorganized territory.
[5]
;
May 26 1790
The Southwest Ordinance organized the Territory South of the Ohio River, or
Southwest Territory, which corresponded to present-day
Tennessee.
[6]
;
March 4 1791
The
Vermont Republic, which had portions claimed by
New York and
New Hampshire and, while unrecognized by the United States, was a ''de facto'' independent country, was admitted as the 14th state,
Vermont.
;
September 9 1791
The
District of Columbia, the nation's
federal district, was formed from land granted by
Maryland and
Virginia; the Virginia portion would be
returned in
1847.
[7]
;
March 3 1792
The federal government sold the
Erie Triangle to
Pennsylvania.
[8]
;
June 1 1792
The western counties of
Virginia beyond the
Appalachian Mountains were split off and admitted as the 15th state,
Kentucky.
;
August 2 1796
Pinckney's Treaty, also known as the Treaty of San Lorenzo, settles the northern border of
West Florida as the 31st parallel.
[9]
;
June 1 1796
The
Southwest Territory was admitted as the 16th state,
Tennessee.
;
May 7 1798
Due to the
Yazoo Land Fraud, an act was signed by
President John Adams, authorizing him to appoint commissioners to negotiate with
Georgia about ceding its
western land. The act created
Mississippi Territory in the region ceded by
West Florida, corresponding to roughly the southern third of present-day
Mississippi and
Alabama except their
panhandles, which were part of West Florida.
[10]
1800s
;
July 4 1800
Indiana Territory was formed from the western portion of
Northwest Territory.
[11] It corresponded to present-day
Illinois,
Indiana, northeastern
Minnesota, and
Wisconsin, as well as the western half of the
Lower Peninsula of
Michigan and all but the eastern tip of the
Upper Peninsula. Northwest Territory was left with only most of
Ohio and the rest of Michigan.
;
July 10 1800
Connecticut ceded its
Western Reserve to the federal government, which made it part of
Northwest Territory, and is the northeastern part of present-day
Ohio.
[12]
;
April 26 1802
Georgia finally ceded its western claims, the
Yazoo Lands, to the federal government, where it became unorganized land.
[13] Also, on
October 1 1800, the
Third Treaty of San Ildefonso transferred the
colony of Louisiana from
Spain to
France.
[14]
;
March 1 1803
The southeastern portion of
Northwest Territory was admitted as the 17th state,
Ohio. The remainder of Northwest Territory was transferred to
Indiana Territory.
11
;
April 30 1803
The
Louisiana Purchase was made, expanding the United States west of the
Mississippi River. There was a
dispute with
West Florida over how much land east of the
Mississippi River it included.
[15] The purchase extended slightly north of the modern borders, as it was defined only as the watershed of the Mississippi River.
[16] The purchase consisted of the whole of present-day
Arkansas,
Kansas,
Iowa,
Missouri,
Nebraska, and
Oklahoma, and portions of
Colorado,
Louisiana,
Minnesota,
Montana,
New Mexico,
North Dakota,
South Dakota,
Texas and
Wyoming. It also included the southernmost portions of the present-day
Canadian provinces of
Alberta,
Manitoba, and
Saskatchewan.
;
March 27 1804
The unorganized land ceded by
Georgia was added to
Mississippi Territory, consisting of the whole of present-day
Mississippi and
Alabama, minus their
panhandles which were still part of
West Florida.
[17]
;
October 1 1804
The
Louisiana Purchase was split into the
District of Louisiana, which was under the authority of
Indiana Territory, and the organized
Orleans Territory, which corresponded to part of present-day
Louisiana with a small portion of
Texas.
[18] The western border of Orleans Territory caused further conflict with
New Spain, specifically over the region between the Sabine River on the west and the Arroyo Hondo (River) on the east, which became known as the
Sabine Free State. This land was later confirmed as U.S. territory by the
Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819.
;
January 11 1805
Michigan Territory was split from
Indiana Territory, including the whole of the lower peninsula of present-day
Michigan but only that eastern tip of the upper peninsula which was held by the
Northwest Territory after Indiana Territory had been split from it.
11
;
July 4 1805
The
District of Louisiana was organized as
Louisiana Territory.
[19]
;
March 1 1809
Illinois Territory was split from
Indiana Territory. Illinois Territory included present-day
Illinois, northeastern
Minnesota, and
Wisconsin. Indiana Territory included the present-day borders of
Indiana, with its western and eastern borders continuing northward; thus, it also included the central portion of the upper peninsula of Michigan, as well as
Door Peninsula of present-day
Wisconsin.
11
1810s
;April
1810
The Hawaiian islands are unified as the
Kingdom of Hawaii.
[20]
;
October 27 1810
By proclamation by President
James Madison, the United States annexed the Baton Rouge and
Mobile Districts of
West Florida, declaring them part of the
Louisiana Purchase. These had, 90 days earlier, declared independence as the Republic of West Florida.
[21]
;
April 30 1812
Orleans Territory was admitted as the 18th state,
Louisiana.
;
May 12 1812
The federal government annexed a part of
West Florida, the
Mobile District, to
Mississippi Territory, making the territory correspond to present-day
Alabama and
Mississippi.
[22]
;
June 4 1812
Louisiana Territory, having the same name as a state, was renamed to
Missouri Territory.
[23]
;
December 11 1816
The southern portion of
Indiana Territory was admitted as the 19th state,
Indiana. The remainder became unorganized.
11
;
March 3 1817
Alabama Territory was split from
Mississippi Territory; both correspond to their present-day counterparts.
[24]
;
December 10 1817
Mississippi Territory was admitted as the 20th state,
Mississippi.
;
October 20 1818
The
Treaty of 1818 established the
49th parallel north west of the
Lake of the Woods as the border with British-held lands, and
Oregon Country was established as a shared land between the United States and United Kingdom.
[25] Oregon Country consisted of most of present-day
Idaho and
Oregon, all of
Washington, and a portion of
Montana, as well as the southern part of the
Canadian province of
British Columbia. The treaty transferred the
Red River Basin to the United States, consisting of northwestern
Minnesota, northeastern
North Dakota, and the northeastern tip of
South Dakota.
;
December 3 1818
The southern portion of
Illinois Territory was admitted as the 21st state,
Illinois. The remainder was reassigned to
Michigan Territory.
11
;
March 2 1819
The southern part of
Missouri Territory was organized as
Arkansaw Territory, consisting of present-day
Arkansas as well as part of
Oklahoma.
[26] It was not officially spelled Arkansas until later.
;
December 14 1819
Alabama Territory was admitted as the 22nd state,
Alabama.
1820s
;
March 16 1820
The
Maine District of
Massachusetts was split off and admitted as the 23rd state,
Maine, as part of the
Missouri Compromise.
;
July 10 1821
The
Adams-Onís Treaty came in to effect. It established the entirety of the border between the United States and
New Spain. Under the terms of the treaty, all of
Spanish Florida was sold to the United States.
[27] The treaty transferred the rest of present-day
Idaho and
Oregon to
Oregon Country; moved portions of present-day
Colorado,
Oklahoma, and
Wyoming, and all of
New Mexico and
Texas, to New Spain; and all of
Florida to the United States.
;
August 10 1821
The southeastern corner of
Missouri Territory was admitted as the 24th state,
Missouri. The remainder became unorganized. Missouri did not include its northwestern triangle at this point, that being added later in the
Platte Purchase.
[28]
;
September 27 1821
The Viceroyality of New Spain achieved independence as
Mexico.
;
March 30 1822
East Florida and the portion of
West Florida not already part of other states were combined and organized as
Florida Territory, which corresponded to present-day
Florida.
1 Around this time, the official spelling of Arkansaw Territory became Arkansas Territory.
26
;
November 15 1824
Arkansas Territory was shrunk, the western portion becoming unorganized.
[29]
;
May 6 1828
Arkansas Territory was shrunk further, attaining the present-day borders of
Arkansas, with the remainder again becoming unorganized.
29
1830s
;
June 30 1834
A large portion of unorganized land was added to
Michigan Territory, corresponding to present-day
Iowa, western
Minnesota, and eastern
North Dakota and
South Dakota.
11
;
March 2 1836
The
Republic of Texas achieved independence from
Mexico, though with a large portion of the territory disputed. It had control over the eastern half of present-day
Texas, and disputed the western half, as well as portions of
Colorado,
Kansas,
New Mexico, and
Wyoming.
;
June 15 1836
Arkansas Territory was admitted as the 25th state,
Arkansas.
;
July 4 1836
Wisconsin Territory was split off from
Michigan Territory, consisting of present-day
Wisconsin and the northeastern portion of
Minnesota. As an inducement to give up its claim over the
Toledo Strip to
Ohio, the whole of the present-day
upper peninsula was assigned to Michigan Territory, giving it the present-day borders of
Michigan.
11
;
January 26 1837
Michigan Territory was admitted as the 26th state,
Michigan.
11
;
March 28 1837
The
Platte Purchase added a small area of land to
Missouri, giving it its present-day boundaries.
[30]
;
July 4 1838
Iowa Territory was split off from
Wisconsin Territory, consisting of present-day
Iowa, western
Minnesota, and eastern
North Dakota and
South Dakota, leaving Wisconsin Territory with northeastern Minnesota and
Wisconsin.
11
1840s
;
November 10 1842
The
Webster-Ashburton Treaty settled the border between the United States and lands held by the United Kingdom east of the
Rocky Mountains, ending the dispute over the borders of
Maine and northeastern
Minnesota.
[31]
;
March 3 1845
Florida Territory was admitted as the 27th state,
Florida.
;
December 29 1845
The
Republic of Texas was annexed by the United States and admitted as the 28th state,
Texas. It brought with it all the lands of
Mexico that it claimed, including all of present-day
Texas, and parts of
Colorado,
New Mexico,
Oklahoma, and
Wyoming.
;
June 18 1846
The
Oregon Treaty established the
49th parallel west of the Lake of the Woods as the continental border (so it did not include
Vancouver Island) with the lands held by the United Kingdom. The sharing of
Oregon Country ended, and the American portion becomes unorganized territory.
[32]
;
December 28 1846
The southeast portion of
Iowa Territory was admitted as the 29th state,
Iowa. The remainder became unorganized.
11
;
March 13 1847
The
District of Columbia retroceded its land south of the
Potomac River back to
Virginia. Congress passed the retrocession act on
July 9 1846, and Virginia took possession of the land on this date.
[33]
;
February 2 1848
The
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the
Mexican-American War, granted a
large area of land to the United States from
Mexico.
[34] It consisted of all of present-day
California,
Nevada, and
Utah, most of
Arizona, and portions of
Colorado,
New Mexico, and
Wyoming.
;
May 19 1848
The southeastern portion of
Wisconsin Territory was admitted as the 30th state,
Wisconsin. The remainder became unorganized.
11
;
August 14 1848
Oregon Territory was organized, including present-day
Idaho, northwestern
Montana,
Oregon,
Washington, and western
Wyoming.
[35]
;
March 3 1849
Minnesota Territory was organized, consisting of present-day
Minnesota, and eastern portions of
North Dakota and
South Dakota.
[36]
1850s
;
September 9 1850
The
Mexican Cession was divided as part of the
Compromise of 1850. The western portion was admitted as the 31st state,
California. The rest was organized as
Utah Territory and
New Mexico Territory. Both territories also included land ceded to the federal government by
Texas in exchange for taking on its debts; a portion of Texas and the Mexican Cession became unorganized land.
[37] A peculiarity appeared at this time, when a small strip of land north of Texas was not officially assigned by any state or territory; this came to be called the
Neutral Strip or "No Man's Land", which corresponds to the present-day
panhandle of
Oklahoma.
[38] New Mexico Territory consisted of most of present-day
Arizona and
New Mexico, as well as a southern portion of
Colorado and the southern tip of
Nevada. Utah Territory consisted of present-day
Utah, most of Nevada, and portions of Colorado and
Wyoming.
;
March 2 1853
Washington Territory was split from
Oregon Territory, consisting of present-day
Washington, northern
Idaho, and the western tip of
Montana, leaving Oregon Territory with all of
Oregon, southern Idaho and a portion of
Wyoming.
[39]
;
December 30 1853
The
Gadsden Purchase added some land to
New Mexico Territory, corresponding to the southernmost areas of present-day
Arizona and
New Mexico.
[40]
;
May 30 1854
Kansas Territory and
Nebraska Territory were organized; the remaining unorganized land colloquially became known as
Indian Territory.
[41] Kansas Territory consisted of present-day
Kansas and eastern
Colorado. Nebraska Territory consisted of present-day
Nebraska, and parts of
Colorado,
Montana,
North Dakota,
South Dakota, and
Wyoming. Indian Territory corresponds to eastern
Oklahoma.
;
May 11 1858
The eastern portion of
Minnesota Territory was admitted as the 32nd state,
Minnesota. The remainder became unorganized.
11
;
February 14 1859
The western portion of
Oregon Territory was admitted as the 33rd state,
Oregon. The remainder was assigned to
Washington Territory.
[42]
1860s
;
February 8 1860
Texas began claiming
Greer County, Texas, controlled at that time by the federal government as unorganized territory, and now in present-day
Oklahoma.
[43]
The eastern portion of
Kansas Territory was admitted as the 34th state,
Kansas. A peculiarity arose for the western portion. It was added to
Colorado Territory on
February 28 1861; however, for the month between statehood for Kansas and the Colorado Territory being formed, it appears to have had no official status.
[44]
;
February 4 1861
The
Confederate States of America (CSA) was formed. The
Southern states seceded at different dates and joined the CSA at different dates; to simplify the map, only the final form of the CSA is shown here. There were
rebel governments as well as
Union governments in
Kentucky and
Missouri, and the CSA had full control over
Indian Territory.
;
February 28 1861
Colorado Territory was organized, with land from
Utah,
New Mexico, and
Nebraska Territories, as well as the land left over from
Kansas Territory; it corresponded already to present-day
Colorado.
44
;
1861-03-02
;
March 2 1861
Dakota Territory was split from
Nebraska Territory, and included the unorganized land left over from
Minnesota Territory. Dakota Territory consisted of both present-day
North and
South Dakota, as well as most of
Montana and northern
Wyoming. Nebraska Territory consisted of all of
Nebraska and southeastern Wyoming.
[45] Nevada Territory was split from
Utah Territory, corresponding to northwestern present-day
Nevada; the eastern border was the 39th meridian west of
Washington, D.C.[46]
;
August 1 1861
The
Confederacy established
Arizona Territory (CSA) in the southern half of the Union's
New Mexico Territory. It would be organized on
February 14 1862. It corresponded to the southern halves of present-day
Arizona and
New Mexico.
[47]
;
July 14 1862
Due to its nature as a mining and grazing area, land started to be added to
Nevada Territory to accommodate these activities. Its eastern border was moved eastward from the 39th
meridian west from Washington, to the 38th
meridian west from Washington, transferring the land from
Utah Territory.
[48]
;
February 24 1863
The Union created its own
Arizona Territory, splitting it off from
New Mexico Territory, making both territories correspond to their present-day states, except for Arizona Territory including the southern tip of present-day
Nevada.
[49]
;
March 4 1863
Idaho Territory was created from portions of
Washington,
Dakota, and
Nebraska Territories, consisting of present-day
Idaho,
Montana, and most of
Wyoming. Nebraska and Washington Territorires were left corresponding to their present-day counterparts.
[50]
;
June 20 1863
Several counties of northwestern
Virginia who didn't want to be part of the
Confederacy split off and were admitted as the 35th state,
West Virginia.
;
May 26 1864
Montana Territory was split from
Idaho Territory, which also had some land transferred to
Dakota Territory. Montana Territory corresponded to present-day
Montana, Idaho Territory consisted of
Idaho and western
Wyoming, and Dakota Territory included both
North and
South Dakota, and most of Wyoming.
[51]
;
October 31 1864
Nevada Territory was admitted as the 36th state,
Nevada; it was a bit smaller than it is today, lacking area in both the east and south.
;
April 9 1865
The
Confederate States of America surrendered. The process of
Reconstruction and readmission to the union would take several years; to simplify the map, they are shown as already readmitted.
;
May 5 1866
Nevada's eastern border was moved from the 38th
meridian west from Washington, to the 37th
meridian west from Washington, transferring land to it from
Utah Territory.
48
;
January 18 1867
The northwestern corner of
Arizona Territory was transferred to the state of
Nevada, giving it its present-day borders.
[52]
;
March 1 1867
Nebraska Territory was admitted as the 37th state,
Nebraska.
;
October 11 1867
The United States
purchased Alaska from
Russia; it was designated the
Department of Alaska, and corresponds, except for a
boundary dispute, to present-day
Alaska.
[53]
;
July 25 1868
Wyoming Territory was formed from portions of
Dakota,
Idaho, and
Utah Territories, corresponding to the present-day borders of
Wyoming.
[54]
1870s
;
August 1 1876
Colorado Territory was admitted as the 38th state,
Colorado.
1880s
;
March 28 1882
The part of
Dakota Territory south of 43° north and north of the
Keya Paha and
Niobrara Rivers was transferred to
Nebraska.
[55]
;
May 17 1884
The
Department of Alaska, previously under the direct control of the federal government and the military, was redesignated the
District of Alaska, forming a local government.
[56]
;
November 2 1889
Dakota Territory was split in two, and it was admitted as the 39th state,
North Dakota, and 40th state,
South Dakota.
;
November 8 1889
Montana Territory was admitted as the 41st state,
Montana.
;
November 11 1889
Washington Territory was admitted as the 42nd state,
Washington.
1890s
;
May 2 1890
Oklahoma Territory was organized from the western portion of
Indian Territory, and included the
Neutral Strip, and corresponded to the western half of present-day
Oklahoma.
[57]
;
July 3 1890
Idaho Territory was admitted as the 43rd state,
Idaho.
;
July 10 1890
Wyoming Territory was admitted as the 44th state,
Wyoming.
;
July 4 1894
The
Kingdom of Hawaii became the
Republic of Hawaii.
[58]
;
January 4 1896
Utah Territory was admitted as the 45th state,
Utah.
;
May 4 1896
A
Supreme Court ruling officially assigns
Greer County to
Oklahoma Territory.
[59]
;
August 12 1898
The
Republic of Hawaii was annexed by the United States.
58
20th century
;
June 14 1900
The annexed Hawaiian islands were organized as the
Territory of Hawaii, and corresponded, except for including
Palmyra Atoll, to the present-day state of
Hawaii.
58
;
October 20 1903
The
Alaska boundary dispute is resolved by arbitration, generally favoring the American claim.
;
November 16 1907
Oklahoma Territory and
Indian Territory were combined and admitted as the 46th state,
Oklahoma.
;
January 6 1912
New Mexico Territory was admitted as the 47th state,
New Mexico.
;
February 14 1912
Arizona Territory was admitted as the 48th state,
Arizona.
;
August 24 1912
The
District of Alaska was organized as
Alaska Territory.
[60]
;
March 28 1921
The dispute over a square mile between
Delaware and
Pennsylvania,
The Wedge, is finally resolved in favor of Delaware.
[61]
;
January 3 1959
Alaska Territory was admitted as the 49th state,
Alaska
;
August 21 1959
Hawaii Territory was admitted as the 50th state,
Hawaii, resulting in the present-day situation of the United States. The statehood act specifically excluded
Palmyra Atoll from the new state; it thus became unorganized land. Since it had been incorporated as part of the Hawaii Territory, Palmyra Atoll became the only incorporated territory left in the United States.
References
1. Text of the Organic Act for Florida Territory
2. Text of "The Paris Peace Treaty of September 3, 1783"
3. Dominion of British West Florida History Index
4. Statutes at Large, 1st Congress, 1st Session
5. The Constitutional and Political History of the United States, , Hermann, von Holst, Callaghan and Company, ,
6. Text of the "Act for Government of the Southwest Territory"
7. Frequently Asked Questions About Washington, D.C.
8. Erie County (PA) Genealogy - Triangle Monument History
9. Text of the "Treaty of Friendship, Limits, and Navigation Between Spain and The United States"
10. This Day in Georgia History, April 7
11. Evolution of Territories and States from the Old "Northwest Territory"
12. WESTERN RESERVE
13. Yazoo Land Fraud
14. Text of the "Treaty of San Ildefonso : October 1, 1800"
15. "Not Merely Perfidious but Ungrateful": The U.S. Takeover of West Florida Robert Higgs
16. Text of the treaty for the Louisiana Purchase
17. Exhibition Review of "1811—Year of Wonders in the Mississippi Territory."
18. Test of "An Act erecting Louisiana into two territories, and providing for the temporary government thereof."
19. Statutes at Large, 8th Congress, 2nd Session
20. Historical Chronology - Key Events in the History of Hawai&okina;i Since Contact with Western Culture
21. Spanish Occupation, Second
22. Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States, 1811-1813
23. Arkansas State Boundaries
24. Text of "An Act To Establish A Separate Territorial Government For The Eastern Part Of The Mississippi Territory"
25. Text of "Convention of 1818 between the United States and Great Britain"
26. States of the United States
27. Text of "Treaty of Amity, Settlement, and Limits Between the United States of America and His Catholic Majesty. 1819"
28. TREATY WITH THE IOWA, ETC. (September 17, 1836)
29. Arkansas Territory 1819-1836
30. Ioway Cultural Institute : History - Treaties
31.
Text of "The Webster-Ashburton Treaty"
32. Text of "Treaty with Great Britain, in Regard to Limits Westward of the Rocky Mountains."
33.
34. Text of "Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo"
35. Today in History: August 14
36. An Act to Establish the Territorial Government of Minnesota
37. Transcript of Compromise of 1850
38. NO MAN'S LAND
39. The Creation of Washington Territory
40. Text of "Gadsden Purchase Treaty"
41. Text of "An Act to Organize the Territories of Nebraska and Kansas."
42. Text of "Act of Congress Admitting Oregon into Union"
43. GREER COUNTY
44. Colorado Government
45. North Dakota Chronology
46. Organizing the Territory
47. THE FORGOTTEN LEGACY: A Short History of the Confederate Territory of Arizona
48. The History of Nevada: The Adjustment of the Boundaries of Nevada
49. Bills and Resolutions, House of Representatives, 37th Congress, 2nd Session
50. Glacier National Park - Administrative History
51. Today in History: May 26
52. Old Boundary, (Nevada's Southern Boundary 1861-1867), Nevada Historical Marker 57
53. Text of "Treaty concerning the Cession of the Russian Possessions in North America by his Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias to the United States of America"
54. Wyoming Facts
55. History of Nebraska
56. Text of "An Act Providing a Civil Government for Alaska"
57. Papers of the Territorial Governors
58. Historical Chronology, Key Events in the History of Hawai`i Since Contact with Western Culture
59. Chronicles of Oklahoma, Volume 12, No. 2, June, 1934: GREER COUNTY
60. This Month in Alaska History
61. The Erie Triangle
External links
★
States of the United States from Statoids.com.
★
The 50 State Quarters Program at the United States Mint, listing dates of statehood.
★
Acquisition Process of Insular Areas - lists all
insular areas.
★
International Boundary Commission between Canada and the U.S.
See also
★
List of U.S. states by date of statehood
★
United States territorial acquisitions
★
United States territory
★
U.S. state
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