Statehood
Wisconsin Citizen Petition Exhbit
White settlement of the Wisconsin Territory increased dramatically in the 1830s, and by 1845 Wisconsin’s population had grown to 155,000— far above the 60,000 minimum suggested by the Ordinance of 1787.
Terrritorial map of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Territory and the state of Michigan View the original source document: WHI 92234
For most of Wisconsin's territorial existence, political leaders and businessmen urged the legislature toward statehood. In 1846, the majority-Democrat territorial legislature under Governor Henry Dodge pushed through a referendum on statehood. However, while an efficient transition to statehood initially seemed likely, the process of drafting and ratifying a state constitution rapidly proved far more complicated.
Controversies quickly arose. A slew of petitions both for and against the right of non-citizen immigrants to vote for delegates expressed the nationalism still felt by many early white settlers. Voters also fretted that the extension of constitutional rights to African-Americans would be unfairly used as a bargaining chip.
Rejected Wisconsin Constitution
First page of the rejected constitution
In the fall of 1846, 124 elected delegates met at Madison to draft a constitution for ratification. The draft’s inclusion of a number of progressive articles, such as allowing non-citizen immigrants to vote, granting white women the right to own property, and opening the question of Black suffrage to popular referendum, spurred strong political opposition. Few citizens of the territory were satisfied by the draft, and the constitution was rejected in April 1847. However, the desire for statehood did not wane: citizen groups petitioned en masse for a new constitutional convention to be held later in the year.
The second constitution, drafted in December 1847, followed more moderate convention. The document omitted any mention of white women’s property rights or Black male suffrage. Suffrage was granted to white male citizens, immigrant men who had declared intention to become citizens, and Native American men who had been declared U.S. citizens. Wisconsin voters approved the new constitution in March 1848, and in late May Wisconsin formally entered the Union as the thirtieth state.