 Proposed seal of the State of Sequoyah | |
| Date | August 21 to September 8, 1905 |
|---|---|
| Location | Muscogee, Indian Territory North America |
| Participants | see below |
| Outcome | Created Sequoyah Constitution |
TheSequoyah Constitutional Convention was anAmerican Indian-led attempt to secure statehood forIndian Territory as an Indian-controlled jurisdiction, separate from the Oklahoma Territory. The proposed state was to be called theState of Sequoyah.
The convention drafted a constitution, drew up a plan of organization for the government, put together a map showing the counties to be established, and elected delegates to go to theUnited States Congress to petition for statehood. The convention's proposals were put to areferendum in Indian Territory, and received overwhelming endorsement by voters. However, the delegation received a cool reception inWashington, D.C., due to party politics, and failed to secure its goals.
Although unsuccessful, the convention paved the way for the creation of theU.S. state ofOklahoma.
TheFive Civilized Tribes and other tribes in Indian territory were generally opposed to local and national efforts for statehood. As mandated by the 1898Curtis Act, however, United States recognition of tribal governments were to end March 4, 1906, as part of a federal push toward assimilation of Native Americans.[1]
James A. Norman (Cherokee) promoted a constitutional convention to organize an American Indian state. In a 1904 pamphlet he suggested naming the state "Sequoyah" to honorthe Cherokee who had developed theCherokee syllabary, the first independently created written form of an indigenous language in North America. In July 1905,William Charles Rogers, principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, andGreen McCurtain, principal chief of the Choctaw Nation issued a call for a convention. The call was amended in late July to add the names ofPleasant Porter and principal chief of the Creek Nation,John Brown principal chief of the Seminoles. Douglas Johnston, Governor of the Chickasaw Nation, opposed calling the convention, so his nation was represented byWilliam H. Murray.[1]
November 7, 1905; 120 years ago (1905-11-07) | ||||||||||||||||
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The convention met in the Hinton Theater inMuskogee, on August 21, 1905.[1]
The convention drafted a constitution, drew up a plan of organization for the government, put together a map showing the counties to be established, and elected delegates to go to theUnited States Congress to petition for statehood. The convention's proposals were put to areferendum in Indian Territory, and received overwhelming endorsement by voters.
The delegation received a cool reception inWashington, D.C., due to party politics. Indian Territory was bordered by two southern Democratic states. TheU.S. President,Theodore Roosevelt, was a Republican, and the Republican-controlled Congress wanted joint statehood of the two territories to eliminate the possibility of the territory joining the Union as a Democratic state. On June 16, 1906, President Roosevelt signed theOklahoma Enabling Act, which ruled that theIndian and Oklahoma territories would be granted statehood only as a combined state.[2]
The convention succeeded in winning approval of a 35,000 word document that would govern the proposed state. It captured a Populist distrust of elected officials. It also assured that several residents of Indian Territory would serve in prominent positions both in the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention and in the forthcoming state that would ensue.[1]
The work of the Sequoyah State Constitutional Convention was not entirely lost. When representatives from Indian Territory joined the Oklahoma State Constitutional Convention inGuthrie the next year, they brought their experience with them. The Sequoyah Constitution served in large part as the basis for the constitution of the State of Oklahoma, which came into being with the merger of the two territories in 1907.
GeneralPleasant Porter, Principal Chief of theMuscogee Creek Nation, was selected as president of the convention. The elected delegates decided to appoint the executive officers of theFive Civilized Tribes as vice-presidents of the convention:William Charles Rogers, Principal Chief of theCherokees;William H. Murray, appointed byChickasaw GovernorDouglas H. Johnston to represent the Chickasaws; ChiefGreen McCurtain of theChoctaws; ChiefJohn Brown of theSeminoles; andCharles N. Haskell, selected to represent theMuscogee people (as General Porter had been elected President).
