Thirty two of the fifty current states used to be territories. All of them faced anti-statehood arguments from their own residents and from Congress. Anti-statehood arguments against Nevada didn’t delay their admission the way such controversies delayed other states, but they were still hotly contested at the time.
Almost the shortest-lived territory
While Alabama had the shortest transition from territory to state, having been a territory for just two years and joining the Union without a referendum among the residents, Nevada comes next at just three years. Not surprisingly, one of the strongest anti-statehood arguments against Nevada was that is just wasn’t ready.
Nevada had only about 40,000 residents when it became a territory in 1861. Traditionally, under the Northwest Ordinance, a territory needed a population of 60,000 before it could become a state. What’s more, just like Colorado, Nevada’s population estimate included many miners, who tended to be more like migrant workers than actual permanent residents of the territory.
Many observers said that admitting Nevada at that point was “unnatural” — that admission was rushed in a process that had more to do with the U.S. Civil War than in Nevada’s readiness for statehood. Suggestions that the admission process was rushed have actually been made in the case of Puerto Rico, which has been a territory since 1898, but for Nevada it makes more sense. There were concerns that Nevada couldn’t support a state government and voter turnout was far short of the estimated population of the territory, let alone the population numbers expected of a state.
Battle Born?
Nevada’s state nickname is “Battle Born.” Many people believe that this is because Nevada’s gold and silver mines provided funds needed for the Civil War. Just as California was welcomed into the Union during the Gold Rush, some say, Nevada was hurriedly admitted so the federal government would be able to tax and otherwise benefit from the minerals being mined in the territory.
Nevada became a territory just weeks before the outbreak of the Civil War. If access to its precious minerals had been the main goal, it would probably have been admitted immediately. California never even got around to becoming a territory before its admission. But Nevada was not admitted until 1864, as the Civil War was ending.
Plus, as were can see from Puerto Rico’s example, the federal government can and does tax territories.
The real reason Nevada’s admission was fast tracked
In 1864, President Lincoln was up for re-election and not feeling confident. There was also an important but highly controversial amendment to the U.S. Constitution coming up: Amendment 13, the one that prohibits slavery. Since constitutional amendments must be ratified by 75% of the states. Bringing in another anti-slavery Republican state significantly increased the chances of a win for Lincoln on both counts.
Nevada was admitted a week and a day before the election, and Lincoln won.
