The Green Papers: State and Local Government: Official Name and Status History of the several States and U.S. Territories

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(sort)			(sort)	(sort)		SORTED BY
Official Name	State	Status	Organized as a Territory or Ratified Articles of Confederation	Order	Admitted to the Union as a State or Ratified Constitution of the United States	Enabling Act of the Congress of the United States
COMMONWEALTH of	Kentucky	STATE of the Union	(-) never organized as a Territory: previously, part of the Commonwealth of Virginia	15th	1 June 1792 (Admitted) the date for achieving Statehood had been expressly stated in the Enabling Act (1 Stat. 189)	4 February 1791 1 Stat. 189: accepting the cession by Virginia- in legislation adopted by that State on 18 December 1789- of its "District of Kentucky" and authorizing the formation of a State government and Admission thereafter
STATE of	Ohio	STATE of the Union	13 July 1787 (Territory) Organized as "The Territory Northwest of the River Ohio" (informally, the "Northwest Territory")-- the first U.S. Territory and the only Territory formally authorized by the Congress which operated under the Articles of Confederation. An Act of Congress of 7 August 1789 (1 Stat. 50) brought the governance of this Territory into fullest compliance with the new Constitution of the United States. [NOTE:* Virginia was the last of the States with land claims in this area to agree to cede said claims* (it was this that allowed Maryland, which had objected to all such claims, to become the 13th and final State to ratify the Articles of Confederation, 1 March 1781); the Confederation Congress formally accepted Virginia's terms re: said cession (that the lands be ceded to the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA as an entity in and of itself) on 1 March 1784: technically, then, this is the actual date upon which the lands northwest of the Ohio River first became the very first "U.S. Territory"]	17th	1 March 1803 (Admitted) by an Act of Congress of 19 February 1803 (2 Stat. 201) apparently recognizing a State government already formed. [NOTE: The 1 March 1803 date of Admission to Statehood has only been official since the adoption of the Bender Ohio Statehood Act of 7 August 1953; prior to this, it appears that historians had generally accepted a Statehood date of 29 November 1802, although Ohio itself seems to have regarded 1803 as the year it had become a State, hence the apparent need for the 1953 legislation (please see the essay entitled 'Clearing up the Confusion surrounding OHIO's Admission to Statehood' for further exposition)]	30 April 1802 2 Stat. 173: authorizing the formation of a State government and Admission thereafter (further explanation is available in the essay entitled 'Clearing up the Confusion surrounding OHIO's Admission to Statehood')
STATE of	Louisiana	STATE of the Union	26 March 1804 (Territory) 2 Stat. 283: as the Territory of "Orleans"; previously, part of the so-called "Louisiana Purchase" formally annexed by the United States via Treaty with the French Republic, 21 October 1803	18th	30 April 1812 (Admitted) by an Act of Congress of 8 April 1812 (2 Stat.701)	20 February 1811 2 Stat. 641: authorizing the formation of a State government alone
STATE of	Indiana	STATE of the Union	7 May 1800 (Territory) 2 Stat. 58: effective 4 July 1800; previously, part of the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio	19th	11 December 1816 (Admitted) by a Joint Resolution of Congress (3 Stat. 399)	19 April 1816 3 Stat. 289: authorizing the formation of a State government and Admission thereafter
STATE of	Mississippi	STATE of the Union	7 April 1798 (Territory) 1 Stat. 549: previously, land ceded to the United States by the State of Georgia	20th	10 December 1817 (Admitted) by a Joint Resolution of Congress (3 Stat. 472)	1 March 1817 3 Stat. 348: authorizing formation of a State government and Admission thereafter
STATE of	Illinois	STATE of the Union	3 February 1809 (Territory) 2 Stat. 514: effective 1 March 1809; previously, part of Indiana Territory	21st	3 December 1818 (Admitted) by a Joint Resolution of Congress (3 Stat. 536)	18 April 1818 3 Stat. 428: authorizing formation of a State government and Admission thereafter
STATE of	Alabama	STATE of the Union	3 March 1817 (Territory) 3 Stat. 371; previously, part of Mississippi Territory	22nd	14 December 1819 (Admitted) by a Joint Resolution of Congress (3 Stat. 608)	2 March 1819 3 Stat. 489: authorizing formation of a State government and Admission thereafter
STATE of	Missouri	STATE of the Union	3 March 1805 (Territory) as the Territory of "Louisiana", effective 4 July 1805; with the admission of the Territory of Orleans under that name two months earlier, the name of this Territory was changed to "Missouri" by Act of Congress, 4 June 1812 (2 Stat. 743)	24th	10 August 1821 (Admitted) upon Proclamation by President James Monroe (3 Stat. 797) that conditions- set by a Joint Resolution of Congress (3 Stat. 645) on 2 March 1821 recognizing a State government already formed- had been satisfactorily met	6 March 1820 3 Stat. 545: authorizing the formation of a State government and Admission thereafter
STATE of	Arkansas	STATE of the Union	2 March 1819 (Territory) 3 Stat. 493: effective, 4 July 1819; previously, part of Missouri Territory	25th	15 June 1836 (Admitted) Enabling Act (5 Stat. 50) also served as Act of Admission. Supplementary Enabling Act adopted by Congress, 23 June 1836; accepted by Ordinance of the Arkansas General Assembly, 18 October 1836	15 June 1836 5 Stat. 50: recognizing a State government already formed and admitting the State forthwith
STATE of	Michigan	STATE of the Union	11 January 1805 (Territory) 2 Stat. 309: effective, 30 June 1805; previously, part of Indiana Territory	26th	26 January 1837 (Admitted) The Convention called for the purpose having- on 15 December 1836- accepted the State boundaries as set forth in the Enabling Act, Michigan was admitted as a State by an Act of Congress (5 Stat. 144)	15 June 1836 This Enabling Act (5 Stat. 49), recognizing a State government already formed, authorized the election of a Convention for the stated purpose of modifying the State's new Constitution to conform to State boundaries set forth by this Enabling Act
STATE of	Texas	STATE of the Union	(-) Texas was an independent Republic prior to Statehood (independence from Mexico declared, 2 March 1836) and, thus, never constituted a U.S. Territory	28th	29 December 1845 (Admitted) by a Joint Resolution of Congress (9 Stat. 108) [NOTE: The Texas Annexation Resolution (5 Stat. 797) contained a provision specifically permitting Texas to divide itself into up to 5 new States of the Union; this provision, however, would unconstitutionally place Texas on other than the "equal footing" with its sister States declared upon its Admission (in 9 Stat. 108)-- see the essay May Texas really split itself into up to five States on its own? for further information]	1 March 1845 The resolution of this date annexing the Republic of Texas to the United States (5 Stat. 797) functioned as an equivalent to an Enabling Act authorizing formation of a State government and Admission thereafter; this annexation was formally accepted by the Republic of Texas (via a Consent Resolution adopted by the Congress of the Republic) on 23 June 1845 (and the State Constitutional Convention- upon first convening on 4 July 1845- formally made both the American and Texan Congressional Resolutions aforementioned the legal basis on which said Convention was thereafter entitled to act)
STATE of	Florida	STATE of the Union	30 March 1822 (Territory) 3 Stat. 654: originally, formally annexed by the United States via Treaty with the Spanish Realm, 22 February 1819; temporary pre-Territorial governance provided for by Act of Congress, 3 March 1819	27th	3 March 1845 (Admitted) Enabling Act (5 Stat. 742, 788) also served as Act of Admission	3 March 1845 5 Stat. 742, 788: recognizing a State government already formed and admitting the State forthwith
STATE of	Iowa	STATE of the Union	12 June 1838 (Territory) 5 Stat. 235: effective, 3 July 1838; previously, part of Wisconsin Territory	29th	28 December 1846 (Admitted) by an Act of Congress (9 Stat. 117)	3 March 1845 5 Stat. 742: authorizing formation of a State government alone
STATE of	Wisconsin	STATE of the Union	20 April 1836 (Territory) 5 Stat. 10: effective, 3 July 1836; previously, part of Michigan Territory	30th	29 May 1848 (Admitted) by an Act of Congress (9 Stat. 233)	6 August 1846 9 Stat. 56: authorizing formation of a State government and Admission thereafter
STATE of	California	STATE of the Union	(-) created out of the Mexican Cession of 1848 and never organized as a U.S. Territory: in 1849, a bill to make California such a Territory failed of passage in Congress	31st	9 September 1850 (Admitted) by an Act of Congress (9 Stat. 452)	13 February 1850 Congress twice failed to pass Enabling Acts for California: in 1849 and 1850; the functional equivalent of an Enabling Act was President Zachary Taylor submitting the State's new Constitution to Congress via Special Message on this date
STATE of	Minnesota	STATE of the Union	3 March 1849 (Territory) 9 Stat. 403:carved from part of Wisconsin Territory and a portion of the unorganized so-called "Indian country" of old Missouri Territory left over from when Missouri had been admitted as a State back in 1821 (NOTE: this is not to be at all confused with that Indian Territory which eventually became the State of Oklahoma and which was established just south of this "Indian country")	32nd	11 May 1858 (Admitted) by an Act of Congress (11 Stat. 285)	26 February 1857 11 Stat. 166: authorizing formation of a State government alone
STATE of	West Virginia	STATE of the Union	(-) previously, the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia that had- unlike the rest of that State- remained loyal to the Union during the Civil War	35th	20 June 1863 (Admitted) through Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln on 20 April 1863 (13 Stat. 731) that the conditions set forth in the Enabling Act had been satisfactorily met	31 December 1862 12 Stat. 633: recognizing a State government already formed with Admission pending the meeting of specific conditions set by this Enabling Act [NOTE: prior to its first State Constitutional Convention first meeting in November 1861, an earlier State Convention (on 20 August 1861) had adopted an ordinance of secession from Virginia under the name of the 'State of KANAWHA' (this ordinance was later ratified by the People- on 24 October 1861- by a vote of 18,408 to 781); the 1st Constitution, however, formally adopted the name 'State of WEST VIRGINIA']
STATE of	Nevada	STATE of the Union	2 March 1861 (Territory) 12 Stat. 209: previously, part of Utah Territory	36th	31 October 1864 (Admitted) upon Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln (13 Stat. 749)	21 March 1864 13 Stat. 30: authorizing formation of a State government and Admission thereafter
STATE of	Nebraska	STATE of the Union	30 May 1854 (Territory) 10 Stat. 277: previously, part of the unorganized so-called "Indian country" of old Missouri Territory left over from when Missouri had been admitted as a State back in 1821 (NOTE: this is not to be at all confused with that Indian Territory which eventually became the State of Oklahoma and which was established just south of this "Indian country")	37th	1 March 1867 (Admitted) upon Proclamation by President Andrew Johnson (14 Stat. 820) that conditions- set by an Act of Congress (14 Stat. 391) on 9 February 1867 recognizing a State government already formed- had been satisfactorily met	19 April 1864 13 Stat. 47: authorizing formation of a State government and Admission thereafter
STATE of	Colorado	STATE of the Union	28 February 1861 (Territory) 12 Stat. 172: carved from portions of Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico and Utah Territories	38th	1 August 1876 (Admitted) upon Proclamation by President Ulysses S. Grant (19 Stat. 665). (Earlier, an Act of Admission for Colorado- under the 1864 Enabling Act- had been twice vetoed by President Andrew Johnson, on 15 May 1866 and 28 January 1867)	3 March 1875 18 Stat. 474: authorizing formation of a State government and Admission thereafter. (A previous Enabling Act [13 Stat. 32]- merely authorizing formation of a State government- had been passed by Congress, 21 March 1864, but was mooted with the two vetoes of President Andrew Johnson re: Colorado's Admission)
STATE of	Montana	STATE of the Union	26 May 1864 (Territory) 13 Stat. 85: previously, part of Idaho Territory	41st	8 November 1889 (Admitted) upon Proclamation by President Benjamin Harrison (26 Stat. 1551)	22 February 1889 25 Stat. 676: authorizing formation of a State government and Admission thereafter
STATE of	North Dakota	STATE of the Union	2 March 1861 (Territory) 12 Stat. 239: along with what would become SOUTH DAKOTA, was organized as "Dakota" Territory from what had previously been part of Nebraska Territory	39th	2 November 1889 (Admitted) upon Proclamation by President Benjamin Harrison (26 Stat. 1548)	22 February 1889 25 Stat. 676: authorizing formation of a State government and Admission thereafter
STATE of	South Dakota	STATE of the Union	2 March 1861 (Territory) 12 Stat. 239: along with what would become NORTH DAKOTA, was organized as "Dakota" Territory from what had previously been part of Nebraska Territory	39th	2 November 1889 (Admitted) upon Proclamation by President Benjamin Harrison (26 Stat. 1549)	22 February 1889 25 Stat. 676: authorizing formation of a State government and Admission thereafter
STATE of	Washington	STATE of the Union	2 March 1853 (Territory) 10 Stat. 172: previously, part of Oregon Territory	42nd	11 November 1889 (Admitted) upon Proclamation by President Benjamin Harrison (26 Stat. 1552)	22 February 1889 25 Stat. 676: authorizing formation of a State government and Admission thereafter
STATE of	Utah	STATE of the Union	9 September 1850 (Territory) 9 Stat. 453: created from the Mexican Cession to the United States of 1848 and a small strip of territory ceded to the United States by the State of Texas in 1850	45th	4 January 1896 (Admitted) upon Proclamation by President Grover Cleveland (29 Stat. 876)	16 July 1894 28 Stat. 107: authorizing formation of a State government and Admission thereafter
STATE of	Oklahoma	STATE of the Union	2 May 1890 (Territory) 26 Stat. 81: previously, part of Indian Territory (Indian Territory itself had been organized by Act of Congress [4 Stat. 729] on 30 June 1834 from what had been the unorganized western portion of Arkansas Territory)	46th	16 November 1907 (Admitted) upon Proclamation by President Theodore Roosevelt (35 Stat. 2160)	16 June 1906 34 Stat. 267: authorizing the formation of a State government with Admission thereafter (under the terms of this statute, the State of Oklahoma was to be created by a merger of the then-existing incorporated Oklahoma Territory with the then-also existing unincorporated Indian Territory)
STATE of	Arizona	STATE of the Union	24 February 1863 (Territory) 12 Stat. 664; previously, part of New Mexico Territory	48th	14 February 1912 (Admitted) upon Proclamation by President William Howard Taft (37 Stat. 1728) that Arizona had met the conditions of a Joint Resolution of Congress of 21 August 1911 (37 Stat. 39) precipitated by the President's 15 August 1911 veto (see references elsewhere in this database to Arizona's 1st Constitution)	20 June 1910 36 Stat. 557: authorizing formation of a State government and Admission thereafter; this Enabling Act replaced an earlier Enabling Act of 16 June 1906 (34 Stat. 267) which was conditional upon Arizona and New Mexico agreeing to reunite as a single State of "Arizona", a proposition that was rejected by the People of Arizona on 6 November 1906 by a vote of 16,265 to 3,141 (the aggregate vote of the two Territories was 31,000 to 29,336 against this proposition)
STATE of	New Mexico	STATE of the Union	9 September 1850 (Territory) 9 Stat. 446: created out of the Mexican Cession to the United States of 1848 and territory ceded to the United States by the State of Texas in 1850	47th	6 January 1912 (Admitted) upon Proclamation by President William Howard Taft (37 Stat. 1723) that conditions- set by a Joint Resolution of the 62nd Congress (37 Stat. 39) on 21 August 1911 admitting the State- had been satisfactorily met	20 June 1910 36 Stat. 557: authorizing formation of a State government and Admission thereafter; this Enabling Act replaced an earlier Enabling Act of 16 June 1906 (34 Stat. 267) which was conditional upon Arizona and New Mexico agreeing to reunite as a single State of "Arizona", a proposition that was approved on 6 November 1906 in New Mexico by a vote of 26,195 to 14,735- but for which the aggregate vote was 31,000 to 29,336 against
COMMONWEALTH of	Puerto Rico	unincorporated TERRITORY	(-) ceded to the United States by SPAIN via Treaty of Paris ending the Spanish-American War, signed 10 December 1898: exchange of ratifications, thus effectiveness of Treaty, 11 April 1899; name officially changed from PORTO RICO by Act of Congress, 17 May 1932		current COMMONWEALTH Government under own Constitution established, 25 July 1952	3 July 1950 Act of Congress which became law on this date enabled the People of PUERTO RICO to, by referendum, authorize the drafting and adoption of its own Constitution in place of Civil Government (aka Organic) Acts authorized by Congress (these last being the Civil Government Act of [12 April, effective 1 May] 1900 [31 Stat. 77] and the Civil Government Act- aka 'Jones Act'- of [2 March] 1917 [39 Stat. 951])
STATE of	Alaska	STATE of the Union	24 August 1912 (Territory) 37 Stat. 512; previously, the "District" of Alaska as of 17 May 1884; originally formally annexed by the United States via Treaty with the Russian Empire, 30 March 1867	49th	3 January 1959 (Admitted) upon Proclamation by President Dwight Eisenhower (73 Stat. c16)	7 July 1958 72 Stat. 339: recognizing a State government already formed
STATE of	Hawaii	STATE of the Union	30 April 1900 (Territory) 31 Stat. 141: the Hawaiian Islands- an independent Kingdom until 1893 and an ostensibly independent Republic under American protection from 1893 till 1898- had been formally annexed by the United States of America, 7 July 1898	50th	21 August 1959 (Admitted) upon Proclamation by President Dwight Eisenhower (73 Stat. c74) that the conditions set forth in the Enabling Act had been satisfactorily met	18 March 1959 73 Stat. 4: recognizing a State government already formed and setting certain conditions for the Admission of Hawaii into the Union, all of which were approved by the voters of the Territory on 27 June 1959
unincorporated TERRITORY of	American Samoa	unincorporated TERRITORY	(-) Convention partitioning SAMOA (a "condominium" held jointly by the BRITISH EMPIRE, the GERMAN [Second] REICH and the UNITED STATES since 14 June 1889) signed on 2 December 1899
STATE of	Connecticut	STATE of the Union	12 February 1778 (Ratified) this State formally adhered to the Articles on 9 July 1778 when the document was signed by its delegates to the Seventh Continental Congress	5th	9 January 1788 (Ratified)	None. One of the 13 original States which declared their independence from the nascent British Empire on 4 July 1776. Connecticut (which had formally abjured allegiance to the Crown of Great Britain, in lieu of drafting a new Constitution for itself, on 14 June 1776) operated under its colonial Charter of 1662 after independence until 1818
STATE of	Delaware	STATE of the Union	1 February 1779 (Ratified) this State formally adhered to the Articles on 5 May 1779 when the document was signed by its delegates to the Seventh Continental Congress	1st	7 December 1787 (Ratified)	None. One of the 13 original States which declared their independence from the nascent British Empire on 4 July 1776
	District of Columbia	incorporated TERRITORY	3 March 1791 (Territory) Currently coterminous with the City of Washington, the District was originally a square ten miles on each side bifurcated by the Potomac River and consisting of land ceded to the Federal Government by Virginia and Maryland; that portion originally ceded by Virginia (the incorporated City of Alexandria and Alexandria County) was retroceded to that State as of 7 September 1846 (Alexandria County was renamed Arlington County, VA in 1920; Alexandria City became an Independent City of VA). The incorporated Cities of Georgetown and Washington- along with Washington County outside either of these- were considered a single municipal unit per the terms of the District's Territorial Government Act of 21 February 1871 (though the three older remaining Civil Divisions of D.C. continued to function as electoral districts); not until 11 February 1895, however, was the City of Washington officially made coterminous with the District of Columbia (at which point, the older Civil Divisions formally ceased to exist).
STATE of	Georgia	STATE of the Union	26 February 1778 (Ratified) this State formally adhered to the Articles on 24 July 1778 when the document was signed by its delegates to the Seventh Continental Congress	4th	2 January 1788 (Ratified)	None. One of the 13 original States which declared their independence from the nascent British Empire on 4 July 1776
unincorporated TERRITORY of	Guam	unincorporated TERRITORY	(-) ceded to the United States by SPAIN via Treaty of Paris ending the Spanish-American War, signed 10 December 1898: exchange of ratifications, thus effectiveness of Treaty, 11 April 1899
STATE of	Idaho	STATE of the Union	3 March 1863 (Territory) 12 Stat. 808: carved out of Dakota and Washington Territories	43rd	3 July 1890 (Admitted) by an Act of Congress (26 Stat. 215) recognizing a State government already formed	Idaho never had an Enabling Act prior to its Admission as a State
STATE of	Kansas	STATE of the Union	30 May 1854 (Territory) 10 Stat. 277: previously, part of the unorganized so-called "Indian country" of old Missouri Territory left over from when Missouri had been admitted as a State back in 1821 (NOTE: this is not to be at all confused with that Indian Territory which eventually became the State of Oklahoma and which was established just south of this "Indian country")	34th	29 January 1861 (Admitted) by an Act of Congress (12 Stat. 126) recognizing a State government already formed. (a previous Act of Admission [that of 4 May 1858: 11 Stat. 269], conditional upon adoption of the so-called "Lecompton Constitution", was mooted when that document was rejected in a vote held on 21 August 1858 [also see references elsewhere in this database to Kansas' 2nd and 3rd Constitutions])	Kansas never had an Enabling Act prior to its Admission as a State
STATE of	Maine	STATE of the Union	(-) never organized as a Territory: previously, was part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts	23rd	15 March 1820 (Admitted) by an Act of Congress of 3 March 1820 (3 Stat. 544) recognizing a State government already formed	Maine never had an Enabling Act: instead, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts passed enabling legislation of its own- first separating its "District of Maine" from the rest of the State, 19 June 1819- an action approved by the voters in Maine on 19 July 1819 by 17,001 to 7,132; Massachusetts passed a follow-up ordinance officially accepting the fact of Maine's imminent statehood on 25 February 1820, thereby allowing Congress to formally admit Maine as a State
STATE of	Maryland	STATE of the Union	30 January 1781 (Ratified) this State formally adhered to the Articles on 1 March 1781 when the document was signed by its delegates to the Seventh Continental Congress	7th	28 April 1788 (Ratified)	None. One of the 13 original States which declared their independence from the nascent British Empire on 4 July 1776
COMMONWEALTH of	Massachusetts	STATE of the Union	10 March 1778 (Ratified) this State formally adhered to the Articles on 9 July 1778 when the document was signed by its delegates to the Seventh Continental Congress	6th	6 February 1788 (Ratified)	None. One of the 13 original States which declared their independence from the nascent British Empire on 4 July 1776
STATE of	New Hampshire	STATE of the Union	4 March 1778 (Ratified) this State formally adhered to the Articles on 9 July 1778 when the document was signed by its delegates to the Seventh Continental Congress	9th	21 June 1788 (Ratified)	None. One of the 13 original States which declared their independence from the nascent British Empire on 4 July 1776
STATE of	New Jersey	STATE of the Union	19 November 1778 (Ratified) this State formally adhered to the Articles on 26 November 1778 when the document was signed by its delegates to the Seventh Continental Congress	3rd	18 December 1787 (Ratified)	None. One of the 13 original States which declared their independence from the nascent British Empire on 4 July 1776
STATE of	New York	STATE of the Union	6 February 1778 (Ratified) this State formally adhered to the Articles on 9 July 1778 when the document was signed by its delegates to the Seventh Continental Congress	11th	26 July 1788 (Ratified)	None. One of the 13 original States which declared their independence from the nascent British Empire on 4 July 1776
STATE of	North Carolina	STATE of the Union	5 April 1778 (Ratified) this State formally adhered to the Articles on 21 July 1778 when the document was signed by its delegates to the Seventh Continental Congress	12th	21 November 1789 (Ratified)	None. One of the 13 original States which declared their independence from the nascent British Empire on 4 July 1776
COMMONWEALTH of	Northern Marianas	unincorporated TERRITORY	(-) part of United Nations TRUST TERRITORY OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS under United States Administration from 18 July 1947; Commonwealth-type government instituted, 1 January 1978		COMMONWEALTH status achieved 3 November 1986 (official separation from the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands under US law, formally accepted by the UN on 22 December 1990)
STATE of	Oregon	STATE of the Union	14 August 1848 (Territory) 9 Stat. 323: previously, the unorganized so-called "Oregon Country" formally annexed by the United States via Treaty with Great Britain, 15 June 1846	33rd	14 February 1859 (Admitted) by an Act of Congress (11 Stat. 383) recognizing a State government already formed	Oregon never had an Enabling Act prior to its Admission as a State
COMMONWEALTH of	Pennsylvania	STATE of the Union	5 March 1778 (Ratified) this State formally adhered to the Articles on 9 July 1778 when the document was signed by its delegates to the Seventh Continental Congress	2nd	12 December 1787 (Ratified)	None. One of the 13 original States which declared their independence from the nascent British Empire on 4 July 1776
STATE of	Rhode Island	STATE of the Union	9 February 1778 (Ratified) this State formally adhered to the Articles on 9 July 1778 when the document was signed by its delegates to the Seventh Continental Congress. 3 November 2020: The state changed its name from "The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" to "The State of Rhode Island".	13th	29 May 1790 (Ratified)	None. One of the 13 original States which declared their independence from the nascent British Empire on 4 July 1776. Rhode Island (which had formally abjured allegiance to the Crown of Great Britain, in lieu of drafting a new Constitution for itself, on 4 May 1776) operated under its colonial Charter of 1663 until 1843
STATE of	South Carolina	STATE of the Union	5 February 1778 (Ratified) this State formally adhered to the Articles on 9 July 1778 when the document was signed by its delegates to the Seventh Continental Congress	8th	23 May 1788 (Ratified)	None. One of the 13 original States which declared their independence from the nascent British Empire on 4 July 1776
STATE of	Tennessee	STATE of the Union	26 May 1790 (Territory) 1 Stat. 123: as the "Territory South of the River Ohio" (informally, the "Southwest Territory"); previously, what would become Tennessee had been part of the State of North Carolina	16th	1 June 1796 (Admitted) by an Act of Congress (1 Stat. 491) recognizing a State government already formed	Tennessee never had an Enabling Act prior to its Admission as a State
STATE of	Vermont	STATE of the Union	(-) Vermont declared itself an independent Republic prior to Statehood (specifically, on 17 January 1777 as "New Connecticut"; the name "Vermont" was first utilized in the nascent State's 1st Constitution drafted in July 1777 and formally ratified the following March): however its territory was claimed by the State of New York; only when New York was induced to renounce its claim in exchange for financial remuneration (an agreement formally accepted by both jurisdictions as of 28 October 1790) was Statehood possible	14th	4 March 1791 (Admitted) by an Act of Congress of 18 February 1791 (1 Stat. 191) recognizing a State government already formed	Vermont never had an Enabling Act prior to Statehood
unincorporated TERRITORY of	Virgin Islands	unincorporated TERRITORY	(-) possession [officially, the UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS] formally transferred to the United States by DENMARK, 31 March 1917 (before this, known as the DANISH WEST INDIES)
COMMONWEALTH of	Virginia	STATE of the Union	9 July 1778 (Ratified) this State formally adhered to the Articles on 9 July 1778 when the document was signed by its delegates to the Seventh Continental Congress	10th	25 June 1788 (Ratified)	None. One of the 13 original States which declared their independence from the nascent British Empire on 4 July 1776
STATE of	Wyoming	STATE of the Union	25 July 1868 (Territory) 15 Stat. 178: previously, part of Dakota Territory	44th	10 July 1890 (Admitted) by an Act of Congress (26 Stat. 222) recognizing a State government already formed	Wyoming never had an Enabling Act prior to Admission as a State
Official Name	State	Status	Organized as a Territory or Ratified Articles of Confederation	Order	Admitted to the Union as a State or Ratified Constitution of the United States	Enabling Act of the Congress of the United States
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State and Local Government Outline

Modified .