Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 104, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 May 1916 — Early United States History. [ARTICLE]

Early United States History.

The first American government in the territory of Missouri was established at Vincennes, Ind., in 1804, but French and Spanish government had prevailed there for a lqng time. Missouri was part of the Louisiana purchase, and when the United States acquired Louisiana in 1803, all south of 33 degrees of latitude was created, the territory of Orleans, and all north of that parallel was created the district of Louisiana and attached for administrative purposes to the territory of Indiana. October 1, 1804, Gov. William Henry Harrison and the three judges of Indiana territory met at Vin cennes and made the first set of American laws for the district of Louisiana, now the state of Missouri. The state government was formed in 1818 and the state was admitted to. the Union in Is2l after a long fight in congress on tike slavery question ending in what was called the Missouri compromise.