Bookshelf: Maine (Chapter 8)

 

     

Maine: The Pine Tree State from Prehistory to the Present (Judd, Churchill, and Eastman)

Chapter 8: Separation & Statehood, 1783-1820

Dr. James S. Leamon opens this chapter with a recap of the social and political context of Maine after the American Revolution before pivoting to the timeline of the statehood movement.

The first noteworthy event was the publication of a declaration of statehood in the Falmouth Gazette on February 5, 1785. According to Leamon, the reasons for statehood outlined in this declaration are consistent throughout the 35-year effort for Maine's independence:

• Mainers' differing interests due to the geographical isolation from Massachusetts
• Mainers' challenges with participating in political and legal affairs in Boston
• Mainers' preference for more democratic involvement in government
• Mainers' preference for a more efficient government with smaller expenses
• Mainers' ability to gain two seats in the U.S. Senate and representation in the U.S. House of Representatives

Also according to Leamon, the 35-year delay between the declaration of statehood on February 5, 1785 and the actual achievement of statehood on March 15, 1820 can be attributed to distractions by national events (e.g., Shays's Rebellion, the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, etc.) and tensions between the state's coastal elite and interior populists.