THIS.
THIS. BUT
THIS. BUT WE WERE PART OF MASSACHUSETTS BEFORE WE BECAME A STATE. CALLED THE 4@
DISTRICT OF MAINE. THERE HAD
BEEN TALK OF STATEHOOD FOR A
NUMBER OF YEARS. BUT IT BECAME
TIED UP BY ISSUES ALL TOO
FAMILIAR4@
TODAY. RELIGION, IMMIGRATION,
TRADE, WAR.AND POLITICS.4@4@
AT
AT THE
AT THE FAR EDGE OF A QUIET FIELD IN BATH, MAINE'S STRATEGY FOR STATEHOOD MAY HAVE COME
TOGETHER. THE BUILDING NOW
CALLED THE STONE HOUSE WAS THE4@
SUMMER HOME OF WILLIAM KING. A4@
SELF-EDUCATED BUSINESSMAN, SHIP
4@
4@ OWNER,
4@ OWNER, POLITICIAN AND MAINE'S FIRST GOVERNOR. KING WAS
ESSENTIALLY THE CHIEF 4@
ENGINEER OF MAINE'S MARCH TO
STATEHOOD.
SO NATURALLY HE BECOMES THIS4@
VERY
VERY POPULAR FIGURE AND BECOMES QUICKLY THE ..4@ THE KEY LEADER IN MAINE BETWEEN
1800 AND 1820
MAINE STATE HISTORIAN EARLE
SHETTLEWORTH SAYS THAT KING
WAS FOCUSED ON STATEHOOD FOR
MOST OF TWO DECADES, A TIME
WHEN THE DISTRICT OF MAINE WAS
STILL PART OF MASSACHUSETTS.4@
IN
IN EARLY
IN EARLY 1800S MAINE THE4@ MAJORITY OF PEOPLE AND A LOT OF THE POWER WERE HE4@RE ON THE
COAST. PLACES LIKE
WISCASSET, WHERE SHIPPING AND
COMMERCE CREATED BIG BANK
ACCOUNTS AND PEOPLE LIKE SILAS
4@
4@ LEE
4@ LEE WERE ABLE TO BUILD THEIR BIG HOUSES.
IN 1800, THE PROVINCE OF MAINE
ONLY HAD 151-THOUSAND 4@
PEOPLE. MANY OF THOSE ON THE
COAST HAD STRONG TIES TO4@
MASSACHUSETTS BECAUSE OF TRADE
AND
AND FAMILIES. AND FOR YEARS THEY RESISTED STATEHOOD. 4@ 4@SO IT TAKES SIX DIFFERENT VOT
FROM THE EARLY 1790'S UNTIL JUL@
1819 UNTIL THERE'S A CLEAR
MAJORITY OF VOTERS IN MAINE WHO
WANT4@
TO SEPARATE FROM MASSACHUSETTS
AND BECOME A STATE. 4@
UNIVERSITY OF MAINE PROFESSOR
LIAM RIORDAN SAYS THE VOTE
FINALLY
FINALLY PASSED BECAUSE MAINE'S POPULATION WAS GROWING AND IDEAS WERE CHANGING. THAT 4@
INCLUDED RELIGION. THE4@
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH WAS THE
4@
4@ OFFICIAL RELIGION OF MASSACHUSETTS. SUPPORTED BY
TAXPAYERS. BUT NEW PEOPLE WERE
MOVING IN IN, WITH THEIR OWN
FAITHS. 4@
CONGREGATIONALISTS ALONG THE
COAST SETTLEMENTS, THE4@
NEWCOMERS MORE METHODIST AND
BAPTIST IN THE INTERIOR.
AND HE SAYS THAT WAS SYMBOLIC OF
A
A BIGGER
A BIGGER CHANGE: POLITICS. MASSACHUSETTS WAS THE STRONGHOLD FOR THE FEDERALIST
PARTY. THE PARTY OF WASHINGTON4@
AND JOHN ADAMS. BUT RIORDAN AND
SHETTLEWORTH SAY THAT BY THE
1800S, MAINE HAD MOVED TO THE
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLICAN PARTY OF
THOMAS JEFFERSON. 4@
"THERE'S AN INTERESTING DYNAMIC
WHERE FEDERALISTS IN4@
MASSACHUSETTS WANT TO GET RID OF
THE
THE DISTRICT OF MAINE, THE FEDERALISTS IN MAINE DESPERATELY WANT TO STAY IN 4@
MASSACHUSETTS, SO THE PARTISAN
POLITICS AND GEOGRAPHY KIND 4@4@
OF WORK AT CROSS PURPOSES."
AND
AND INTO
AND INTO THAT DIVIDE STEPPED . 4@WILLIAM KING. 4@ AND IN THE EARLY 1800S KING
SWITCHES FROM FEDERALISTS TO
THE DEMOCRATS. AND HE THEN
BEGINS TO ESPOUSE A WHOLE 4@
4@POLITICAL APPROACH THAT MAINE
4@
4@ SHOULD
4@ SHOULD BE INDEPENDENT OF MASS, THAT CERTAIN ISSUES OF CONCERN
TO WORKING PEOPLE
SHOULD BE ADDRESSED.4@
4@
4@ THEN,
4@ THEN, A MOMENTOUS NATIONAL EVENT CAUSED MORE
4@ STRAIN BETWEEN MASSACHUSETTS AN@
MAINE. THE WAR OF 1812.
THE BRITISH TOOK CONTROL OF DOWN
EAST MAINE, FROM CASTINE TO
EASTPORT. THE FEDERALISTS
OPPOSED THE WAR AND THE 4@
HISTORIANS SAY MASSACHUSETTS
4@
4@ DIDN'T
4@ DIDN'T MAKE MUCH OF AN EFFORT TO KICK OUT THE BRITISH. 4@
AND PEOPLE4@ IN THE DISTRICT OF
MAINE WERE UPSET THAT THE
GOVERNMENT
OF MASSACHUSETTS IN DISTANT
BOSTON DID NOT MOBILIZE
FORCES, DID NOT SPEND MONEY
BUILDING FORTIFICATIONS IN
THIS REGION.4@
A FURTHER INSULT.EVEN AFTER THE
WAR ENDED, THE4@
BRITISH REMAINED IN EASTPORT
UNTIL 1818.
AS A RESULT KING WAS ABLE TO
CAPITALIZE ON THIS AND SAID THI@
WON'T HAPPEN IF WE ARE AN
INDEPENDENT STATE.4@
AND FINALLY, THERE WAS TRADE. 4@
FOR YEARS ONE OF THE BARRIERS TO
MAINE BECOMING A STATE HAD TO DO
WITH COASTAL TRADE INCLUDING
HERE ALONG THE KENNEBEC RIVER.4@
PEOPLE IN THAT BUSINESS WERE
WORRIED THAT IF MAINE BECAME A
STATE BY ITSELF IT WOULD FACE
NEW
NEW TARIFFS AND DUTIES TO TRADE
NEW TARIFFS AND DUTIES TO TRADE@ WITH THE REST OF NEW ENGLAND. BUT IN 1819 THE U.S. CONGRESS
PASSED WHAT WAS CALLED THE
COASTING LAW. IT TOOK THAT
PROBLEM AWAY, ONE MORE OBSTACLE
PASSED WHAT WAS CALLED THE COASTING LAW. IT TOOK THAT PROBLEM AWAY, ONE MORE OBSTACLE@
TO STATEHOOD WAS
GONE.
SO ON THAT JULY DAY 200 YEARS
AGO, MEN. ONLY MEN. GATHERED4@
4@4@
4@4@ IN
4@4@ IN MEETING HOUSES AND OTHER BUILDINGS ALL OVER THE
DISTRICT OF MAINE, TO CAST THEIR
VOTE. MEMORIES OF WAR, THE NEW4@
COASTING LAW AND THE GROWING,
MORE INDEPENDENT
MINDED POPULATION FINALLY MADE
4@THE DIFFERENCE. 4@
AND THERE WAS MAJORITY SUPPORT
IN EVERY COUNTY FOR
INDEPENDENCE,
A SURPRISINGLY SMALL TURNOUT,
PERHAPS. ABOUT 17-THOUSAND FOR
STATEHOOD, ABOUT4@ 7 THOUSAND
AGAINST. BY MORE THAN 70 PERCENT
MARGIN. MAINE HAD FINALLY
DECIDED TO
BECOME A STATE.
STATEHOOD DIDN'T HAPPEN
IMMEDIATELY. AND THAT'S WHERE
THIS4@
OLD CHURCH IN PORTLAND BECOMES
PART OF THE STORY. THE4@
FALL OF 1819 THERE WAS A
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION IN
THE BUILDING THAT USED TO STAND
ON THIS SAME SITE. THAT
CONVENTION4@
WAS CHAIRED BY NONE OTHER THAN
WILLIAM KING.
AND THEN MAINE COULDN'T JOIN THE
UNION UNTIL THE NEGOTIATION OF
THE NOTORIOUS MISSOURI
COMPROMISE. ITS QUITE A STORY
AND 4@
WE WILL BE TELLI4@NG MORE OF IT@
AS MAINE BEGINS TO
CELEBRATE OUR BICENTENNIAL YEAR.
IN PORTLAND DON 4@
CARRIGAN NEWS CENTER MAINE.
IF
IF Y4@OU
IF Y4@OU WERE OUTSIDE AT ALL TODA4@Y, THEN YOU FELT IT... THE