Excerpt from The Formation of the State of Oklahoma (1803-1906) The passage of an enabling act for Oklahoma in June, 1906, brought to a close the formation of new states from the Louisiana Purchase. The area included within the limits of Oklahoma was kept free from the jurisdiction of a state government longer than any other part of the acquisition. This was the outcome of a series of events that are of peculiar interest through their intimate connection with the national Indian policy. The promise in the treaty of purchase to admit the inhabitants of Louisiana "to all the rights, advantages, and immunities of American citizens" was fulfilled by the organization of the settled districts near the Mississippi River, but room was left farther west for a vast Indian country, and from this Indian country Oklahoma was the last state formed. The law of May 28, 1830, in connection with a series of treaties, set apart for the Indians the country lying west of Missouri and Arkansas, and provided for the removal thither of numerous tribes, not only from the reservations east of the Mississippi, but also from the states and organized territories west of that river. Between 1840 and 1850 the map showed an "Indian Territory" stretching from the Red River to the Platte, while the Sioux and other tribes retained, almost unnoticed, the country farther north. In a few years, however, conditions led to the organization of the northern portions of this great tract under the names of Nebraska and Kansas, and at the beginning of the Civil War the thirty-seventh parallel was the northern boundary of the area designated as the Indian Territory. From this area, in time, the state of Oklahoma was formed and admitted into the Union. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

In 1907, William Jennings Bryan described the proposed constitution for Oklahoma as "The best constitution in the United States today." An enduring characteristic of Oklahoma's constitution has been its faith in direct democracy and its root in Progressive Era politics. The Oklahoma State Constitution traces the historical formation and constitutional development of the state of Oklahoma. In it, Danny Adkison and Lisa McNair Palmer provide article-by-article commentary and analysis on the intent, politics, social and economic pressures, and legal decisions that shaped and enhanced the Oklahoma constitution since it was adopted in 1907. This commentary provides a broad understanding of state constitutional law within the context of Oklahoma's constitutional evolution. A bibliographic essay and list of cases offer sources for further study. The second edition further discusses amendments to the state constitution that range from a state law legalizing medical marijuana (which passed) to amending the state's constitution to allow optometrists to operate in Wal-Mart stores (which did not pass). The book features new and updated citations of court decisions and Attorney General opinions on the interpretation of constitutional provisions with the latest cases available. The Oxford Commentaries on the State Constitutions of the United States is an important series that reflects a renewed international interest in constitutional history and provides expert insight into each of the 50 state constitutions. Each volume in this innovative series contains a historical overview of the state's constitutional development, a section-by-section analysis of its current constitution, and a comprehensive guide to further research. Under the expert editorship of Professor Lawrence Friedman of New England Law School, Boson, this series provides essential reference tools for understanding state constitutional law. Books in the series can be purchased individually or as part of a complete set, giving readers unmatched access to these important political documents.