The Committee of Council appointed to examine the returns of the votes from the several Towns and Plantations in the District of Maine relative to the separation of that District from Massachusetts Proper; and to report thereon; respectfully state, that they have attended to that service and find the following result—viz:
Counties
Whole numbers
For separation
Against it
Cumberland
4709
3315
1394
Hancock
1581
820
761
Kennebeck
4591
3950
641
Lincoln
4057
2523
1534
York
3732
2086
1646
Oxford
2443
1893
550
Penobscot
815
584
231
Washington
618
480
138
Somerset
1977
1440
237
24,223
17,091
7,132
They therefore ask leave to report, that the whole number of votes, legally returned, are
twenty four thousand two hundred and twenty three; of which seventeen thousand and ninety one are in favour of separation; and seven thousand one hundred and thirty two against it, making the majority in favour of separation nine thousand nine hundred and fifty nine.
The Committee further report, that they have rejected only one return, which stated that
there were ninety one votes in favor of separation and none against: but neither the name of the town nor County appeared on the face of the return, tho’ by a writing on the outside unsigned it was stated to be from Newport in the County of Penobscot; and there were no returns from the following towns and Plantations; in Kennebec County, from Temple—in Cumberland, from Thompson Plantation—in Hancock, from Sullivan, and from Mariaville plantation, in Somerset, from Moscow, from Sebasticook Plantation, from Snakeroot hill plantation, from Plantations N.°3 west of Kennebec river, and N.°3 east of said river; in Penobscot, from plantation N.°3. 6th Range, Williamsburgh plantation, and Plantation N.°4 [indecipherable] Range—in York, from Arundel and Limerick; in Oxford, from Plantations N.°4, from Bradley’s grant, and Lunt’s grant, in Washington, from Addison, Cobscook or Plantation N.°9, and Little Machias or Plantation N.°11—
All which is respectfully submitted.
Bery-Pickman, pr order— Council Chamber
Source 1 - Document
Source 1 - Document
Votes to Separate by County, 1819
Report of the Massachusetts Executive Council Committee regarding votes for and against statehood
1819
Maine State Archives 29-328413-I001
After the American Revolution, people in the District of Maine debated and voted six times before finally approving the separation of Maine from Massachusetts.
This document is a report from a Massachusetts committee given the job of examining the voting returns in 1819.
The document lists Maine counties, their total number of voters, and how many voted for and against separation. In total, 17,091 Mainers voted for separation and 7,321 voted against it.
Source 2 - Artifact
Source 2 - Artifact
Ballot Box
Used in Northport, Maine 1796-1818 Maine State Museum 2009.77.1
This is the oldest known ballot box used in Maine, from 1796-1818. The most important votes cast in this box decided whether Northport voters wanted Maine to become an independent state.
Between 1792 and 1819, the Maine electorate voted six times whether to leave Massachusetts. At times, the separationists struggled to inspire rural voters to participate. In some instances, voter turnout was so low that the Massachusetts General Court deemed the election results invalid. After the War of 1812, Mainers were more resolved to break from Massachusetts.
According to an attached hand-written note, “[t]his is the first ballot box used in the town of Northport, County of Hancock, District of Maine. Daniel Lawrence, Town Clerk…” The term “District of Maine” indicates this ballot box pre-dates Maine’s statehood.
Constitution of Maine
We the people of that part of Massachusetts denominated the District of Maine in order to establish Justice, insure tranquility, provide for our mutual defense, promote our common welfare, and secure to ourselves & our posterity the blessings of Liberty acknowledging with gratefull hearts the goodness of the [CROSSED OUT Great Legislator] Sovereign ruler of the Universe in affording us an opportunity, so favourable, and imploring his aid & direction in accomplishing the design, do agree to form ourselves into a free and independent State by the Name and title style and title of “the Commonwealth of Maine” the State of Maine & do ordain & establish the following Constitution for the Government of the same.
Article 1st
Declaration of Rights
Sec. 1—All men are born equally free & independent & have certain natural inherent & unalienable Rights, among which are…
Source 3 - Document
Source 3 - Document
Working Copy of Maine’s Constitution
1819 Courtesy of the Maine State Archives
Did you ever think about how the constitution was written? This is the first working copy of the Maine Constitution. After Maine voted to separate from Massachusetts, a constitutional convention was held in Portland. It started on October 11, 1819. Delegates from across the State were sent to Portland to come up with a new constitution, and the draft was finished later that month.
They used the Massachusetts constitution of 1780 as their model, but there were some important differences. After the draft was approved by the delegates it had to be approved by a vote of the people of Maine. In December, Maine’s people approved the Constitution.
Notice the crossed-out sections of text. They show places where the Convention delegates worked to create it. Notably, one page shows “the Commonwealth of Maine” crossed out and replaced with “the State of Maine.”
Aggregate of votes legally returned
Aggregate of votes not legally returned
Whole No.
Yeas
Nays
Whole No.
Yeas
Nays
York
1411
1094
317
. . . .
135
118
17
Cumberland
1813
1675
139
. . . .
70
57
13
Lincoln
1553
1496
56
. . . .
110
110
..
Hancock
784
686
98
. . . .
74
73
1
Washington
203
199
4
. . . .
34
23
11
Kennebec
1509
1466
43
. . . .
329
318
11
Oxford
1350
1262
88
. . . .
88
88
..
Somerset
653
626
27
. . . .
147
123
24
Penobscot
560
536
24
. . . .
75
75
..
9837. . . .
9040 . . . .
796. . . .
1062. . . .
985. . . .
77
In Committee January 6. 1820
The foregoing is a true list of all the votes given on the adoption of the Constitution of Maine.
Albion K. Parris
Per Order
Source 4 - Document
Source 4 - Document
Votes to Adopt Constitution by County
Report of the Massachusetts Executive Council Committee regarding votes for and against statehood January 6, 1820 Maine State Archives 29-328413-I001
This 1820 committee report shows the results of the vote on whether or not to adopt the brand-new Maine constitution. The numbers on the left are the votes that were legally returned, and on the right are not legally returned (meaning there must have been some problem with the votes cast).
After Maine’s 1819 constitutional convention finished their work, Maine voters got to have a say! They could read the new Maine constitution and decide if they should adopt it (make it official). As you can see from the vote, not everyone in Maine agreed that it was a good constitution—but it did get enough votes to pass.
Source 5 - Image
Source 5 - Image
Suffragists and the Governor of Maine
Augusta November 5, 1919 Carrie Chapman Catt Papers, Bryn Mawr College Special Collections
Governor Carl E. Milliken with (left to right) Gertrude Pattangall, Anne Macomber Gannett, Katharine Reed Balentine, Mabel Connor, Grace Hill, and Florence Brooks Whitehouse. The Governor is signing a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Robert Lansing to inform him that the Maine Legislature had ratified the 19th amendment.
The 19th Amendment gave most American women the right to vote. Maine was the 19th state to ratify the Amendment on November 5, 1919. Women’s suffrage was certified as federal law on August 26, 1920.A few days later, the Maine Legislature met in special session to speed up voter registration so women could vote in the election on September 13, 1920.
The people standing behind the Governor in this photo are suffragists—women who worked hard to win voting rights.
Source 6 - Image
Source 6 - Image
Lucy Nicolar Poolaw Voting
1955 Photograph courtesy of the Bangor Daily News
This photograph shows Lucy Nicolar Poolaw, the first member of a Wabanaki tribe to cast a vote in Maine. Maine’s 1820 Constitution said that it was illegal for any Native American living on tribal land to vote. In 1924, the United States Congress passed the Indian Citizenship Act, which granted citizenship to all Native Americans born in the United States. Lots of states still barred Native Americans from voting for years and years. Maine was one of the last states to comply with the Act, 30 years later. In a 1954 referendum, Maine voters approved Indian voting rights.
Lucy Nicolar Poolaw was an important person to cast the first vote! She was born in 1882 on Indian Island, and was a member of the Penobscot Indian Nation. She was a talented artist and performer and traveled across the nation. She returned to Maine in 1930 and spent the rest of her life using art and activism to benefit the Penobscot people. She and her sister, Florence Shay, fought to get voting rights for Native people in Maine.
“I have four sons and I feel that the government has not the right to draft my boys for service without giving us the right to vote.”
– Lucy Nicolar Poolaw’s sister, Florence Shay, ca. 1953
