# 996 - 1950 3c Indiana Territory
Indiana Becomes 19th U.S. State
On December 11, 1816, Indiana was admitted to the Union.
In 1679, the French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, the Sieur de La Salle, became the first European to explore Indiana. La Salle came to the area from French colonies in Canada in an effort to find a water route to the Pacific Ocean, traveling down the St. Joseph and Kankakee rivers. He returned in 1680, and explored the northern region of Indiana.
Although British troops moved into Indiana following France’s surrender of this territory, Indiana settlers provided most of the region’s resistance against the Americans during the Revolutionary War. Virginia troops, under the leadership of George Rogers Clark, occupied Vincennes and its fort, Fort Sackville, in 1778. A British force recaptured the fort, but Clark took it again in 1779. Control of this area helped the American army dominate the Northwest.
The U.S. Congress created the Indiana Territory in 1800. This included the modern states of Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin, as well as parts of Michigan and Minnesota. Vincennes was the capital of the territory. In 1809, Illinois became a separate territory, and at that time borders were nearly identical to present-day Indiana. That same year, the territory’s governor, future U.S. President William Henry Harrison, bought more than 2,500,000 acres of land from Indians in southern Indiana. The legendary Shawnee Chief Tecumseh claimed the purchase was unfair. He raised an army and purchased guns from the British. In 1811, Harrison defeated the Indians at the Battle of Tippecanoe. In 1813, Harrison again defeated Indian forces at the Battle of Thames, in which Tecumseh was killed. With this victory, the Americans were able to settle the land.
Indiana Becomes 19th U.S. State
On December 11, 1816, Indiana was admitted to the Union.
In 1679, the French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, the Sieur de La Salle, became the first European to explore Indiana. La Salle came to the area from French colonies in Canada in an effort to find a water route to the Pacific Ocean, traveling down the St. Joseph and Kankakee rivers. He returned in 1680, and explored the northern region of Indiana.
Although British troops moved into Indiana following France’s surrender of this territory, Indiana settlers provided most of the region’s resistance against the Americans during the Revolutionary War. Virginia troops, under the leadership of George Rogers Clark, occupied Vincennes and its fort, Fort Sackville, in 1778. A British force recaptured the fort, but Clark took it again in 1779. Control of this area helped the American army dominate the Northwest.
The U.S. Congress created the Indiana Territory in 1800. This included the modern states of Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin, as well as parts of Michigan and Minnesota. Vincennes was the capital of the territory. In 1809, Illinois became a separate territory, and at that time borders were nearly identical to present-day Indiana. That same year, the territory’s governor, future U.S. President William Henry Harrison, bought more than 2,500,000 acres of land from Indians in southern Indiana. The legendary Shawnee Chief Tecumseh claimed the purchase was unfair. He raised an army and purchased guns from the British. In 1811, Harrison defeated the Indians at the Battle of Tippecanoe. In 1813, Harrison again defeated Indian forces at the Battle of Thames, in which Tecumseh was killed. With this victory, the Americans were able to settle the land.