Kentucky Statehood

Following the American Revolution, Kentucky was a county in the state of Virginia. As the population of Kentucky increased, it wasn’t long before these Kentuckians were unsatisfied with their positions under Virginia’s government. Traveling to the Virginia capital for business, politics, or legal reasons was dangerous, and many Kentuckians did not agree with legislation passed by Virginian officials. Additionally, Virginians did not value the economic opportunities provided to Kentucky by New Orleans and the Mississippi River. Along with the incease of population, hostilities between the Indigenous peoples escalated, pushing the people of Kentucky to their limit. 

The fight for statehood began with the meeting of a Constitutional Convention in Danville in 1784, followed by nine more conventions over a period of four years. After a final Constitutional Convention in April of 1792, delegates submitted Kentucky’s first drafted Constitution to Congress, and on June 1, 1792, Kentucky was officially admitted to the United States as the fifteen state.