First constitutional convention in Wisconsin, 1846

the long version

This is a 25-page journal article, republished by the State Historical Society as a booklet. The author describes the strong opposition to seeking statehood among voters in Wisconsin Territory in the 1830s and 1840s, and how sentiment changed in the mid-1840s. In his account of the Convention’s work on the Constitution, there is discussion of some of the more controversial proposals. For example, there was a determined attempt by northern delegates to redraw the northern boundary line to exclude about one-third of the current area of the State, which would have then been formed into a separate State called “Superior”. There was also heated discussion over a proposal to give negroes the same privileges, including voting, as white persons. It lost by a vote of 51 to 47, although a second proposal was approved to allow Wisconsin voters to decide the question.