Title 1, Chapter 5 §116, designates March 15 of each year as Statehood Day to “commemorate the admission of Maine as a state into the United States of America and the ideals and wisdom of those men and women who have formed Maine’s history and traditions.”
Maine Historical Society provides a number of online resources, among them:
- An online exhibit, To Separate or Not to Separate, That is the Question by Candace Kanes: www.mainememory.net/sitebuilder/site/840/page/1250/display?use_mmn
- Maine History Online provides information and primary sources to trace the events leading up to Maine’s official separation from Massachusetts in 1820, in the 1775-1820 Tension, War & Separation section: www.mainememory.net/sitebuilder/site/899/page/1310/display?page=1 and a focus on the years after statehood in the 1820-1850 A New State & Prosperity section: www.mainememory.net/sitebuilder/site/901/page/1312/display
- In the Themes section of Maine History Online, William King’s work is highlighted under Leaders & Causes: www.mainememory.net/sitebuilder/site/883/page/1294/display and Peopling Maine provides a snapshot of Maine’s people: www.mainememory.net/sitebuilder/site/879/page/1290/display?page=1
- Finding Katahdin: An Online Exploration of Maine’s Past includes primary sources and lesson plans to complement Finding Katahdin: An Exploration of Maine’s Past. Chapter 4, From Revolution to Statehood, includes a collection of primary sources and lesson plans: www.mainememory.net/schools/schools_FK.shtml
To recognize Maine’s 193rd anniversary of statehood, Governor Paul R. LePage issued a proclamation calling attention to Statehood Day.
Maine entered the Union as a “free state” on March 15, 1820 through the Missouri Compromise. As part of that agreement, slavery was to be illegal in Maine and permitted in Missouri.
“Maine Statehood Day offers us an opportunity to celebrate our history,” said Gov. LePage. “It commemorates the admission of Maine as a state into the United States of America and the ideals and wisdom of those men and women who have formed Maine’s history and traditions.”
The language of the proclamation is as follows:
WHEREAS, Maine was admitted to the Union on March 15, 1820, becoming the twenty-third state; and
WHEREAS, the People of the State of Maine hold strong to a history of political independence and take pride in the building of a unique state character that embraces tolerance, resourcefulness, civic involvement, and caring for the community and environment; and
WHEREAS, the remembrance of Maine’s beginnings is important to every citizen of the State of Maine; and
WHEREAS, March 15th of each year is designated Statehood Day, commemorating the admission of Maine as a state into the United States of America and the ideals and wisdom of those men and women who have formed Maine’s history and traditions,
NOW, THEREFORE, I, PAUL R. LEPAGE, Governor of the State of Maine, do hereby proclaim March 15, 2013 as STATEHOOD DAY throughout the State of Maine, and urge all citizens to recognize this observance.
More information
- Kristie Littlefield
Maine DOE Social Studies Specialist
624-6828
kristie.littlefield@maine.gov