Washington’s Road to Statehood

The Case for Statehood Washington and Idaho increasingly pressed the federal government for statehood during the 1870s and 1880s. In 1889, thirty years had passed since Oregon became a state. No new states were added since Colorado became a state in 1876.

The Case for Statehood (cont.) Many Washingtonians believed that without statehood, their condition amounted to taxation without representation, a rallying cry used for the Revolutionary War one hundred years earlier.

Problems in the other “Washington” Anti-Chinese actions and sentiment in the mid 1880s might have given Congress the impression that Washington was too immature for statehood. If women were given the right to vote in Washington, it might set a “bad” precedent since women were not given the right to vote in other states.

More problems The territorial governor of Idaho was opposed to statehood because he feared that Idaho might be carved up and placed into other states such as Montana and Nevada. There was even a push to create an inland Northwest state called Jefferson that would incorporate Eastern Washington, Eastern Oregon and Idaho.

Politics in Washington, D.C. The Democratic controlled Congress was reluctant to admit a state that would likely vote Republican giving additional Republican Senators to the U.S. Senate.

The Tide Turns In 1888, Republicans captured both the White House and Congress, paving the way for statehood. In 1889, Democrats in Congress dropped their delay tactics and allowed for the statehood admission process to continue for Washington, Montana, and the two Dakotas.

Washington’s Turn The condition of statehood required an agreement to the following conditions: –Adhering to a republican form of government, –Racial equality, –Religious Toleration, –Assumption of federal debts, and –Establishment of public schools.

Washington’s Constitution Comprised mainly of Republican farmers, Washington’s constitutional convention set out drafting a framework for governing the new state. The document was modeled after the U.S. Constitution and other state constitutions but also concerned itself with local issues such as water rights and livestock.

Washington’s Constitution (cont.) Compared to the U.S. Constitution, Washington’s constitution contained 25 articles with 245 subsections and totaling 30,000 words, making it seven times longer than the federal version. The paramount responsibility of Washington’s constitution and state government is the education of the state’s children.

Women’s Suffrage Women’s suffrage (the right to vote) was a hotly contested issue. In order to secure the necessary votes, the framers did what many modern lawmakers do when faced with a tough decision – delay the vote and let the public decide via a public vote after statehood.

Statehood Achieved By a special election on October 2, 1889 Washington approved the state constitution by a vote of 40,000 to 12,000. However, the women’s suffrage amendment lost by about the same margin. On November 11, 1889, Washington officially became a state.