President James Madison approves Indiana's admission into the union as the nineteenth state on December 11, 1816.

In order to decrease the threat of Indian raids following the Battle of Tippecanoe, Corydon, a town in the far southern part of Indiana, had been named the second capital of the Indiana Territory in May 1813.

Two years later, a petition for statehood had been approved by the territorial general assembly and sent to Congress.

An Enabling Act had been passed to provide an election of delegates to write a constitution for Indiana.

On June 10, 1816, delegates had assembled at Corydon to write the constitution, which was completed in nineteen days.