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.
Barnhart, John. D. "Sources of Indiana's First Constitution." Indiana Magazine of History, 39 (1943): 55-94.
Lists the parts of Indiana's Constitution which were derived from other state constitutions.
Barnhart, John D. "The Southern Influence in the Foundation of Indiana." Indiana Magazine of History, 33 (1937): 261-76.
Discusses the delegates to the 1816 convention and the sources for the Constitution.
Barnhart, John D. Valley of Democracy: The Frontier versus the Plantation in the Ohio Valley, 1775-1818. Bloomington, 1953.
General overview of how Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois obtained statehood.
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.
Carruth, Gorton. The Encyclopedia of American Facts and Dates. 9th ed. New York, 1993.
Extensive, easy-to-read timeline of American history.
Coleman, Christopher B. "The Discovery and Identification of an Original Copy of the Constitution of 1816." Indiana Magazine of History, 30 (1934): 360-64.
Interesting description of verification of the handwritten copy now owned by the Indiana Historical Society.
Cottman, George S. The Corydon State House: A Hoosier Shrine. Indianapolis, 1930.
Informative booklet on Corydon and Indiana's first state capitol for the Department of Conservation.
Dunn, Jacob Piatt. Indiana and Indianans: A History of Aboriginal and Territorial Indiana and the Century of Statehood. Vol. 1. Chicago, 1919.
Standard, but dated, source for Indiana history during this period.
Esarey, Logan. Organizing a State. Indianapolis, 1919.
Outline of Indiana's move toward statehood and problems while organizing the new state.
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; also on the Historical Bureau Web site.
"Journal of the Convention of the Indiana Territory, 1816." Indiana Magazine of History, 61 (1965): 77-155.
The most important resource for the 1816 constitutional convention; also on the Historical Bureau Web site.
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.
Madison, James H. The Indiana Way: A State History. Bloomington, 1986.
An excellent one-volume history of Indiana.
Thornton, W. W. "Constitutional Convention of 1816." Report of the Sixteenth Annual Meeting of the State Bar Association of Indiana. [Indianapolis], 1912, pp. 102-35.
Comprehensive examination of 1816 convention.
Additional resources
Onuf, Peter S. Statehood and Union: A History of the Northwest Ordinance. Bloomington, 1987.
Good overview.
Riker, Dorothy, ed. Executive Proceedings of the State of Indiana, 1816-1836. Indianapolis, 1947.
Printed version of primary sources.
Thornbrough, Emma Lou. The Negro In Indiana Before 1900: A Study of a Minority. Indianapolis, 1957.
Provides background and effect of 1816 Constitution.
Thornbrough, Gayle, and Dorothy Riker, eds. Journals of the General Assembly of Indiana Territory, 1805-1815. Indianapolis, 1950.
Printed version of primary sources.
Selected student resources
Collier, Christopher, and James Lincoln Collier. Creating the Constitution, 1787. New York, 1999.
Events and personalities involved; for intermediate readers.
Feinberg, Barbara Silberdick. Local Governments. New York, 1993.
For intermediate students; includes references and index.
Feinberg, Barbara Silberdick. State Governments. New York, 1993.
Examines what governors, legislators, judges, and other state officials do and how their power differs from state to state.
Fritz, Jean. Shh! We're Writing the Constitution. New York, 1987.
Writing and ratification of the U.S. Constitution; for intermediate readers.
Johnson, Linda Carlson. Our Constitution. Brookfield, Conn., 1992.
History of U.S. Constitution; bibliographic references, index, excellent images.
Leinwand, Gerald. Do We Need a New Constitution? New York, 1994.
Reasons for writing a constitution; for intermediate readers.