Oklahoma Statehood, November 16, 1907
Housed in the historical records of the U.S. House of Representatives and the United States Senate at the Center for Legislative Archives are many documents that illuminate Congress's role in the statehood process. Below is a selection of the wide-variety of congressional records that document Oklahoma's unique path to statehood.
On September 17, 1907 the people of the Indian and Oklahoma Territories voted favorably on statehood. The vote was certified and delivered to the President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt and on November 16, 1907, Roosevelt issued Presidential Proclamation 780 admitting Oklahoma as the forty-sixth state. In his annual message on December 3, 1907—just a few weeks later—President Roosevelt announced to Congress, "Oklahoma has become a state, standing on full equity with her elder sisters, and her future is assured by her great natural resources."
Read select pages of House Document 1, 60th Congress, President Theodore Roosevelt's Annual Message to Congress, December 3, 1907 from the United States Congressional Serial Set.
For more information about Oklahoma's history and centennial celebrations please visit:
Oklahoma Centennial Commission: http://www.oklahomacentennial.com/
The Oklahoma Historical Society: http://www.okhistory.org/
The Carl Albert Center: https://www.ou.edu/carlalbertcenter