Act of Congress to Admit Iowa and Florida into the Union, March 3, 1845

    Courtesy of Library of Congress, "An Act for the admission of the States of Iowa and Florida into the Union," U.S. Congress, 3 March 1845

    Description

    This is a document from the U.S. Congressional Record. These pages show the congressional acts that brought Iowa and Florida into the Union. Iowa was admitted as a free state and Florida was admitted as a slave state, according to their respective state constitutions. The concurrent admission of the two states allowed the U.S. Senate to remain balanced in regard to the number of senators from free and slave states.

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    Source-Dependent Questions

    • According to the document, what steps have both Iowa and Florida taken to be admitted into the Union?
    • According to the document, where is the southern border of Iowa? What conflict might arise by the wording?
    • In the antebellum period in U.S. history, states were generally allowed to join the Union in pairs. Why were Iowa and Florida admitted at the same time? Why does the legislation not make reference to it?

    Citation Information 

    "An Act for the admission of the States of Iowa and Florida into the Union," U.S. Congress, 3 March 1845. Courtesy of Library of Congress

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