Indiana Joins the Union: The Birth of the 19th State
CHARACTERS:
- Narrator: Explains the historical background.
- William: A young pioneer living in Indiana Territory in 1816.
- Abigail: A pioneer girl who tracks the news of statehood.
- Delegate Jennings: Jonathan Jennings, president of the Indiana Constitutional Convention.
[Setting: Corydon, Indiana, in the year 1816.]
Narrator: In June of 1816, forty-three delegates gathered in the town of Corydon. They met to write a constitution so the Indiana Territory could become a full state in the United States.
William: It is sweltering inside the Corydon Capitol building! How can anyone write important laws in this summer heat?
Delegate Jennings: Follow me outside, everyone! We will work in the cool shade of this giant elm tree.
Abigail: That massive tree became famous as the Constitutional Elm. Beneath its wide green branches, leaders drafted the foundational laws for our new government.
Narrator: For several weeks, the delegates debated essential issues. They discussed public education, voting rules, and how to structure state courts.
Delegate Jennings: [Points to the parchment document] We must ensure that our state constitution strictly prohibits human slavery. Indiana will enter the Union as a free state!
William: By late June, the document was complete, but Indiana was not officially a state yet.
- delegates:
- People who are chosen to represent and make decisions for a group.
- constitution:
- A written set of official laws and rules used to govern a state or country.
- prohibits:
- Forbids or bans an action by law or rule.
- resolution:
- An official decision or law passed by a government body.
- frontier:
- A region or territory on the outer edge of settled land.
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- 1Why did forty-three delegates gather in Corydon in June of 1816?
- 2Why did Delegate Jennings decide to move the meeting outside?
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About this reader's theater passage for Upper Elementary
“Indiana Joins the Union: The Birth of the 19th State” is a reader's theater reading passage about Indiana Statehood of 1816, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (393 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.