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Indiana Territory - Bibliography

A Note Regarding Resources: Items are listed on this page that enhance work with the topic discussed. Some older items, especially, may include dated practices and ideas that are no longer generally accepted. Resources reflecting current practices are noted whenever possible.

Barnhart, John D., and Dorothy L. Riker. Indiana to 1816: The Colonial Period. Indianapolis, 1971.
Excellent standard source for Indiana history during this period.

Buley, R. Carlyle. The Old Northwest: Pioneer Period, 1815-1840. 2 vols. Indianapolis, 1950.
Excellent standard source for Indiana history during this period.

Carmony, Donald F. Indiana, 1816-1850: The Pioneer Era. Indianapolis, 1998.
Excellent standard source for Indiana history during this period.

Carmony, Donald F. "Indiana Territorial Expenditures, 1800-1816." Indiana Magazine of History, 39 (1943): 237-62.
Well-documented, with many references to primary sources.

Carruth, Gorton. The Encyclopedia of American Facts and Dates. 9th ed. New York, 1993.
Extensive, easy-to-read timeline of American history.

Carter, Clarence Edwin, comp. and ed. The Territorial Papers of the United States. Vol. 7, The Territory of Indiana, 1800-1810. Washington, D.C., 1939.
Valuable compilation of primary sources.

Day, Richard. The Capital of the Indiana Territory. [Vincennes, 1999].
Typescript summary; available in full on the Historical Bureau Web site.

Degregorio, William A. The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents. 3rd ed. New York, 1991.
Good general reference.

Dunn, Jacob Piatt. Slavery Petitions and Papers. Indianapolis, 1894.
A valuable collection of materials from the territorial period.

Edmunds, R. David. Tecumseh and the Quest for Indian Leadership. Boston, 1984.
Good biography of Tecumseh and his brother, The Prophet.

English, William Hayden. Conquest of the Country Northwest of the River Ohio, 1778-1783 and Life of Gen. George Rogers Clark. 2 vols. Indianapolis, 1896.
A standard source.

Esarey, Logan. Messages and Letters of William Henry Harrison. Vol. 1, 1800-1811. Indianapolis, 1922.
Contains valuable primary resources.

Ewbank, Louis B., and Dorothy L. Riker, eds. The Laws of Indiana Territory, 1809-1816. Indianapolis, 1934.
Printed version of useful primary sources.

Goebel, Dorothy Burne. William Henry Harrison: A Political Biography. Indianapolis, 1926.
Good biography of Harrison with emphasis on his political career.

Hawkins, Hubert H., comp. Indiana's Road to Statehood: A Documentary Record. Indianapolis, 1969.
Contains important federal and state documents issued during Indiana's statehood process; available from the Indiana Historical Bureau.

Kappler, Charles J., comp. and ed. Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties. Vol. 2, Treaties. Washington, D.C., 1903.
Printed version of treaties between U.S. government and Native American tribes from 1778-1883.

Kettleborough, Charles. Constitution Making in Indiana. Vol. 1, 1780-1851. Indianapolis, 1916.
Provides historical background, text, and changes to the 1816 and 1851 Indiana constitutions.

McCord, Shirley S., comp. Travel Accounts of Indiana, 1679-1961: A Collection of Observations by Warfaring Foreigners, Itinerants, and Peripatetic Hoosiers. Indianapolis, 1970.
Informative material about travelers throughout Indiana. Several good selections from territorial period.

Patrick, John J. Lessons on the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. Indianapolis, 1987.
Contains learning materials directed at secondary schools; has printed documents and background materials.

Pence, George, and Nellie C. Armstrong. Indiana Boundaries: Territory, State, and County. Indianapolis, 1933.
The standard reference for legal boundaries of Indiana from territorial days to 1933.

Philbrick, Francis S., ed. The Laws of Indiana Territory, 1801-1809. Indianapolis, 1931.
Printed versions of useful primary sources.

Taylor, Robert M., Jr., ed. The Northwest Ordinance, 1787: A Bicentennial Handbook. Indianapolis, 1987.
An excellent and concise source.

Thornbrough, Emma Lou. The Negro In Indiana Before 1900: A Study of a Minority. Indianapolis, 1957.
Includes a chapter "Involuntary Servitude," which covers the territorial period.

Woollen, William Wesley, Daniel Wait Howe, and Jacob Piatt Dunn, eds. Executive Journal of Indiana Territory, 1800-1816. Indianapolis, 1900.
Contains helpful annotations. The original handwritten journal is in the Indiana State Archives.

Additional resources

Clanin, Douglas E. et al., eds. The Papers of William Henry Harrison, 1800-1815. Microfilm ed. Indianapolis, 1999.
Supercedes Esarey; ten reels, more than 3,600 documents, printed guide; available from Indiana Historical Society.

Dunn, J[acob] P[iatt], Jr. Indiana: A Redemption from Slavery. Enlarged ed. Boston, 1905.
Discusses the issue in great detail.

Lindley, Harlow, ed. Indiana As Seen by Early Travelers. Indianapolis, 1916.
Selections present a vivid picture of early Indiana

Middleton, Stephen. The Black Laws in the Old Northwest: A Documentary History. Westport, Conn., 1993.
Good source for laws relating to blacks in the five states created out of the Northwest Territory.

Sugden, John. Tecumseh: A Life. New York, 1998.
Highly acclaimed as definitive biography.

Internet resources

Indiana Historical Bureau site has additional information related to the current issue and relevant links.

Selected student resources

Faber, Doris, and Harold Faber. The Birth of a Nation: The Early Years of the United States. New York, 1989.
Important events involved in the first federal government are reviewed and help place the Northwest Territory in context.

Fitz-Gerald, Christine Maloney. William Henry Harrison. Chicago, 1987.
A good student biography of Harrison's adult life with excellent illustrations; begins with the Northwest Territory.

Immell, Myra H. and William H. The Importance of Tecumseh. San Diego, 1997.
An excellent resource on Tecumseh's life with good illustrations and frequent primary source selections.

"The Northwest Ordinance of 1787." Cobblestone, October 1998.
An easy-to-read summary of the Northwest Ordinance with student activities including planting an American Indian vegetable garden.

Shorto, Russell. Tecumseh and the Dream of an American Indian Nation. Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1989.
A readable biography of Tecumseh, however, with few illustrations and no index.

Thank You

Richard Day, historian, Indiana Territorial Capitol and other sites, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Vincennes.