Which state was admitted to the union in 1850

Constitution was written and signed by the delegates to the Constitutional Convention, on Sep. Article IV, Section 3 of that document reads:. The main part of this article grants the U. Congress the right to admit new states. The process usually involves Congress passing an enabling act that authorizes a territory to convene a constitutional convention, draft a constitution, and formally apply for admission. Then, assuming they meet any conditions set forward in the enabling act, Congress accepts or denies their new status.

Between Dec. Since that time, 37 additional states have been added. Not all states were territories before they became states, however. Three of the new states were independent sovereign states at the time they were admitted Vermont, Texas, and California , and three were carved out of existing states Kentucky, part of Virginia; Maine part of Massachusetts; West Virginia out of Virginia.

Hawaii was a sovereign state between and before it became a territory. Five states were added during the 20th century. The last states to be added to the US were Alaska and Hawaii in The following table lists each state with the date it entered the union, and its status before they were states. There are currently 16 territories owned by the United States, mostly islands in the Pacific ocean or Caribbean Sea, most of which are uninhabited and administered as wildlife refuges by the US Fish and Wildlife Services or as military outposts.

United States territories with inhabitants include American Samoa established , Guam , the 24 Northern Marianas islands today a commonwealth, established , Puerto Rico a commonwealth, , U.

Virgin Islands , and Wake Island Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Five states were added during the 20th century.

Alaska and Hawaii were the last states to join the Union -- both in Many people mistakenly believe that the United States Constitution was created after the Revolution. But, the country was first governed under the Articles of Confederation, drafted in the same year as Yorktown. The Articles proved insufficient to meet the challenges the country faced, which led to a push to replace it with a new document. That document became the Constitution.

Article 4, Section 3 of the U. While opponents of the Mexican-American War from the North were concerned by the prospect of additional slave states joining the Union, California was not going to be a slave state.

California's population came overwhelmingly from Northern states. In addition, California's economy was not suitable for slavery. Ironically, despite their enthusiasm for the war, the South ended up getting hurt as a by-product. Once the Compromise of was passed by Congress the government of California wasted no time in becoming a state.