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Constitution of Oklahoma

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The Constitution of the State of Oklahoma is the governing document of the U.S. State of Oklahoma . Adopted in 1907, Oklahoma ratified the United States Constitution on November 16, 1907, as the 46th U.S. state. At its ratification, the Oklahoma Constitution was the lengthiest governing document of any government in the U.S. All U.S. state constitutions are subject to federal judicial review ; any provision can be nullified if it conflicts with the U.S. Constitution.

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140-580: The constitution has been regularly amended, beginning with an amendment approved in the same election in which it was ratified. More than 150 constitutional amendments have been approved by Oklahoma voters. From 1890 onward, the land that now forms the State of Oklahoma was made up of the Oklahoma Territory (to the west), and the Indian Territory (to the east). Indian Territory, as its name suggests, had

280-441: A "series of linked nuclear families with a 'father' in common". Polyandry, the practice of a woman having more than one husband at one time, is much less prevalent than polygyny. It is specifically provided in the legal codes of some countries, such as Gabon . Polyandry is believed to be more common in societies with scarce environmental resources, as it is believed to limit human population growth and enhance child survival. It

420-435: A Sooner. He died on April 21, 1890, as a result of his wounds. When the race was over, many disappointed pioneers were forced to leave the area without any claim. Of the 14,000 Boomers, only 1,000 had made claims. Tent cities grew overnight at Oklahoma City , Kingfisher , El Reno , Norman , Guthrie , and Stillwater , which were the first of the large settlements. Many lawsuits resulted because more than one person claimed

560-530: A city, which they named "Ewing". The Fourth Cavalry arrested them and escorted them back to Kansas. Payne was furious, as the Posse Comitatus Act prohibited the military from interfering in civil matters. The federal government freed Payne and his party, effectively denying them access to the courts. Anxious to prove his case in court, Payne and a larger group returned to Ewing in July. The Army again arrested

700-641: A combined state. The hard work of the Sequoyah State Constitutional Convention was not entirely lost, however. When representatives from Indian Territory joined the Oklahoma State Constitutional Convention in Guthrie the next year, they brought their constitutional experience with them. The Sequoyah Constitution served in large part as the basis for the constitution of the State of Oklahoma, which came into being with

840-427: A community can increase through the addition of other wives, who add to the family's prosperity or symbolize conspicuous consumption (much as a large house, domestic help, or expensive vacations operate in a western country ). For such reasons, senior wives sometimes work hard or contribute from their own resources to enable their husbands to accumulate the bride price for an extra wife. Polygyny may also result from

980-416: A constitution. The hard work of the Sequoyah State Constitutional Convention was not entirely lost. When representatives from Indian Territory joined the Oklahoma State Constitutional Convention in Guthrie the next year, they brought their constitutional experience with them. The Sequoyah Constitution served in large part as the basis for the constitution of the State of Oklahoma, which came into being with

1120-705: A constitutional convention. The Sequoyah Constitutional Convention met in Muskogee on August 21, 1905. General Pleasant Porter , Principal Chief of the Creek Nation, was elected as president of the convention. The elected delegates decided that the executive officers of the Five Civilized Tribes would be appointed as vice-presidents: William C. Rogers , Principal Chief of the Cherokees; William H. Murray , appointed by Chickasaw Governor Douglas H. Johnston to represent

1260-574: A dispensation to take a second wife. The double marriage was to be done in secret, however, to avoid public scandal. Some fifteen years earlier, in a letter to the Saxon Chancellor Gregor Brück, Luther stated that he could not "forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture." (" Ego sane fateor, me non posse prohibere, si quis plures velit uxores ducere, nec repugnat sacris literis. ") In Sub-Saharan Africa , tensions have frequently erupted between advocates of

1400-516: A federal offense. In the fall term, Judge Cassius G. Foster quashed the indictments and ruled that settling on the Unassigned Lands was not a criminal offense. The Boomers celebrated, but the federal government refused to accept the decision. Payne immediately planned another expedition, but he did not lead it. On November 28, 1884, in Wellington, Kansas , the morning after a late-night address to

1540-664: A few months; institutions founded during this time were the University of Oklahoma , the Territorial Normal School ( University of Central Oklahoma ), and the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical School ( Oklahoma State University ). Representatives of the Five Civilized Tribes met in 1902 to work on securing statehood for Indian Territory and held a convention in Eufaula . The representatives met again in 1903 to organize

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1680-673: A group of Muscogee (Creek) who offered to sell their unoccupied lands. Within weeks, they sold their "Unassigned Lands" to the United States. These lands embraced less than 3,000,000 acres (12,000 km ) in the heart of Indian Territory. On March 2, 1889, Congress passed an amendment to the Indian Appropriations Act of 1871, which provided for the creation of homestead settlements in the unassigned lands, to be known as Oklahoma Territory . President Benjamin Harrison announced that

1820-478: A large Native American population; the territory itself had been reduced over time to its then size. The movement to secure statehood for Indian Territory began in 1902 with a convention in Eufaula , consisting of representatives of the " Five Civilized Tribes ". The representatives met again in 1903 to organize a constitutional convention . The Sequoyah Constitutional Convention met in Muskogee , on August 21, 1905. General Pleasant Porter , Principal Chief of

1960-525: A legislative branch elected by the people, but the executive and judicial branches of the territories were selected and appointed by the President of the United States, with the advice and consent of the United States Senate . The appointees included a governor, a secretary, three federal judges and a marshal. President Benjamin Harrison appointed George Washington Steele , a Republican from Indiana, as

2100-520: A man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 1 Timothy 3:2 states: Now a bishop must be above reproach, married only once, temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher, See verse 12 regarding deacons having only one wife. Similar counsel is repeated in the first chapter of the Epistle to Titus . Periodically, Christian reform movements that have sought to rebuild Christian doctrine based on

2240-517: A marriage license. The Roman Catholic Church condemns polygamy; the Catechism of the Catholic Church lists it in paragraph 2387 under the head "Other offenses against the dignity of marriage" and states that it "is not in accord with the moral law." Also in paragraph 1645 under the head "The Goods and Requirements of Conjugal Love" states "The unity of marriage, distinctly recognized by our Lord,

2380-500: A more active role in looking for a resolution of the dispute. However, the attempt failed to resolve anything. Meanwhile, area residents officially organized Greer County as a Texas entity in 1886, designating Mangum as the county seat. In 1890, Congress passed the Oklahoma Organic Act, which required the United States attorney general to resolve the boundary issue by filing suit against Texas. The dispute went directly before

2520-513: A new monogamous relationship through death, divorce, or simple dissolution of the relationship, regardless of the length of the relationship (serial monogamy). Anthropologists characterize human beings as “mildly polygynous” or “monogamous with polygynous tendencies.” The average pre-historic man with modern descendants appears to have had children with between 1.5 women (70,000 years ago) to 3.3 women (45,000 years ago), except in East Asia. While

2660-450: A number of households, including mobile children. He says that Britons may have ex‑wives or ex‑brothers‑in‑law, but not an ex‑child . According to him, these "unclear families" do not fit the mold of the monogamous nuclear family. Group marriage is a non-monogamous marriage -like arrangement where three or more adults live together, all considering themselves partners, sharing finances, children, and household responsibilities. Polyamory

2800-590: A particular piece of land. Often this involved trying to determine which party was a legal claimant. A portion of the cases even went as far as the U.S. Supreme Court. By the end of the day on April 22, 1889, there were more than enough settlers in the Unassigned Lands to require creation of a territorial government. However, the brief legislation that provided for the opening of the land called for no form of government in Oklahoma. No local police or courts were established; federal military troops provided law enforcement, and

2940-573: A referendum in Indian Territory, in which they were overwhelmingly endorsed. The delegation received a cool reception in Washington . Eastern politicians, fearing the admission of two more Western states, and no doubt unwilling to admit an "Indian" state, put pressure on the U.S. President , Theodore Roosevelt , who finally ruled that the Indian and Oklahoma Territories would be granted statehood only as

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3080-558: A referendum in Indian Territory, in which they were overwhelmingly endorsed. The delegation received a cool reception in Washington. Eastern politicians, fearing the admission of two more Western states, put pressure on President Theodore Roosevelt . Roosevelt recommended that the Indian and Oklahoma Territories be granted joint statehood, which led to Congress passing the Oklahoma Enabling Act to allow this upon writing and ratifying

3220-514: A series of land runs in 1890, 1891, and 1893. Seven counties were defined upon the creation of the territory. They were originally designated by number and eventually became Logan , Cleveland , Oklahoma , Canadian , Kingfisher , Payne , and Beaver counties. The Land Run of 1893 led to the addition of Kay , Grant , Woods , Garfield , Noble , and Pawnee counties. In 1896, the Oklahoma Territory acquired Greer County, Texas when

3360-487: A significant association with rates of polygamy in sub-Saharan Africa, rather than female agricultural contributions (which are typically relatively small in the West African savanna and sahel, where polygyny rates are higher), finding that polygyny rates decrease significantly with child mortality rates. Polygynous marriages fall into two types: sororal polygyny , in which the co-wives are sisters, and non-sororal , where

3500-582: A slight edge in representatives. However, the Democrats allied with delegates from the People's Party (Populists) and thereby controlled both houses. Populist delegates were elected as presiding officers in both. The legislators spent most of the session arguing about the locations of the capital, the state university, state teachers' college, and the agricultural school. Only near the end of the session did they begin to address other issues necessary to create and maintain

3640-434: A spouse from a monogamous marriage, i.e. multiple marriages but only one legal spouse at a time (a series of monogamous relationships). According to Danish scholar Miriam K. Zeitzen, anthropologists treat serial monogamy , in which divorce and remarriage occur, as a form of polygamy as it also can establish a series of households that may continue to be tied by shared paternity and shared income. As such, they are similar to

3780-502: A subset of men fathered children and did so with multiple women (and may suggest that many men either did not procreate or did not have children that survived to create modern ancestors). This circumstance could occur for several reasons, but there are three common interpretations: The serial monogamy interpretation of genetic history would be congruent with other findings, such as the fact that humans form pair bonds (although not necessarily for life) and that human fathers invest in at least

3920-426: A two-thirds vote of the territorial assembly. The governor also had the right to convene the assembly into special session. The territorial secretary served as the chief assistant to the governor, and in the event of a vacancy of the governorship the secretary would serve as the acting governor until the president appointed a new one. The secretary was responsible for recording and preserving the laws and proceedings of

4060-484: Is a rare form of marriage that exists not only among poor families, but also the elite. For example, in the Himalayan Mountains polyandry is related to the scarcity of land; the marriage of all brothers in a family to the same wife allows family land to remain intact and undivided. If every brother married separately and had children, family land would be split into unsustainable small plots. In Europe, this outcome

4200-468: Is accepted in the community, the majority of relationships in the society are monogamous in practice – while couples remain in the relationship, which may not be lifelong. In many historical communities, serial monogamy may have been the accepted practice rather than a lifelong monogamous bond. How monogamy is defined when it comes to accepted sexual activity outside of the relationship, however, may differ by society. Recent anthropological data suggest that

4340-670: Is desired by men more for the generation of male offspring whose labor is valued. Anthropologists Douglas R. White and Michael L. Burton discuss and support Jack Goody's observation regarding African male farming systems in "Causes of Polygyny: Ecology, Economy, Kinship, and Warfare" where these authors note: Goody (1973) argues against the female contributions hypothesis. He notes Dorjahn's (1959) comparison of East and West Africa, showing higher female agricultural contributions in East Africa and higher polygyny rates in West Africa, especially

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4480-955: Is incapacitated, dies, or resigns. Other executive offices and departments created in the article are the Secretary of State , the Attorney General , the State Treasurer , the State Auditor and Inspector , the State Superintendent of Public Instruction , the Insurance Commissioner , the Commissioner of Labor , the Department of Mines , the Board of Agriculture , and the Commissioners of

4620-412: Is made clear in the equal personal dignity which must be accorded to husband and wife in mutual and unreserved affection. Polygamy is contrary to conjugal love which is undivided and exclusive." Saint Augustine saw a conflict with Old Testament polygamy. He refrained from judging the patriarchs, but did not deduce from their practice the ongoing acceptability of polygyny. On the contrary, he argued that

4760-544: Is more widespread in Africa than on any other continent, especially in West Africa , and some scholars see the slave trade 's impact on the male-to-female sex ratio as a key factor in the emergence and fortification of polygynous practices in regions of Africa. In the region of sub-Saharan Africa , polygyny is common and deeply rooted in the culture, with 11% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa living in such marriages (25% of

4900-554: Is not satisfied with one woman and seeks out other women is on the path to decline". Other fragments in the Buddhist scripture seem to treat polygamy unfavorably, leading some authors to conclude that Buddhism generally does not approve of it or alternatively regards it as a tolerated, but subordinate, marital model. Polygamy in Thailand was legally recognized until 1935. Polygamy in Myanmar

5040-488: Is on a continuum of family-bonds that includes group marriage. The term does not refer to bigamy as no claim to being married in formal legal terms is made. Scientific studies classify humans as "mildly polygynous" or "monogamous with polygynous tendencies." As mentioned above, data from 1960 to 1980 in the Ethnographic Atlas Codebook indicated that polygamy was common. A separate 1988 review examined

5180-528: Is practiced, but sometimes father and son have a common wife, which is a unique family structure in the world. Other forms of marriage are also present, like group marriage and monogamous marriage. Polyandry (especially fraternal polyandry) is also common in Tibet Some pre-Christian Celtic pagans were known to practice polygamy, although the Celtic peoples wavered between it, monogamy and polyandry depending on

5320-548: Is the accepted form in the vast majority of cases. According to the Ethnographic Atlas Codebook , of 1,231 societies noted between from 1960 to 1980, 588 had frequent polygyny, 453 had occasional polygyny, 186 were monogamous, and 4 had polyandry  – although more recent research found some form of polyandry in 53 communities, which is more common than previously thought. In cultures which practice polygamy, its prevalence among that population often correlates with social class and socioeconomic status. Polygamy (taking

5460-448: Is the practice of marrying multiple spouses . When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny . When a woman is married to more than one husband at the same time, it is called polyandry . In sociobiology and zoology , researchers use polygamy in a broad sense to mean any form of multiple mating . In contrast to polygamy, monogamy is marriage consisting of only two parties. Like "monogamy",

5600-590: The Cherokee Outlet in 1884, the Army again arrested him. They took him several hundred miles under severe physical circumstances over a tortuous route to Ft. Smith. The public was outraged about his treatment by the military, and the U.S. government decided to try his case. Payne was turned over to the United States district court at Topeka, Kansas . He was indicted for the crime of bringing whiskey into Indian Territory,

5740-636: The Creek Nation , was selected as president of the convention. The elected delegates decided that the executive officers of the Five Civilized Tribes would also be appointed as vice-presidents: William Charles Rogers , Principal Chief of the Cherokees ; William H. Murray , appointed by Chickasaw Governor Douglas H. Johnston to represent the Chickasaws; Chief Green McCurtain of the Choctaws ; Chief John Brown of

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5880-624: The House of Representatives and the Senate . The article establishes the manner of election and qualifications of members of each House, and includes a unique term limits provision in Section 17A: no member can serve more than 12 years total in the legislature, whether in one chamber or in both chambers. In addition, it provides for free debate in the legislature, limits self-serving behavior by senators and representatives, outlines legislative procedure and indicates

6020-657: The Indian Appropriations Act of 1885. This act authorized negotiations for the cession of unoccupied lands belonging to the Creek , the Seminole , and the Cherokee . Couch stopped being a colonist and became a lobbyist. Couch spent four years in Washington, D.C., trying to convince Congress to open the Oklahoma lands. Many Indians from the Five Civilized Tribes lobbied against Couch's actions. In January 1889, Pleasant Porter led

6160-804: The Indian Removal Act , in exchange for their historic territories east of the Mississippi River . Until this point, Native Americans had exclusively used the land. In 1866, after the American Civil War , the federal government required new treaties with the tribes that had supported the Confederacy and forced them into land and other concessions. As a result of the Reconstruction Treaties , The Five Civilized Tribes were required to emancipate their slaves and offer them full citizenship in

6300-621: The Kickapoo reservation of 206,662 acres (836.33 km ) was settled, and the year following Greer County , which had been considered a portion of Texas, was given to the territory by a decision of the Supreme Court of the United States. These developments, with the Kiowa , Comanche and Apache and Wichita reservations just opened, gave Oklahoma Territory a settled area of 24,000,000 acres (97,000 km ), 1,725,646 acres (6,983.44 km ) of which

6440-676: The Oklahoma Court on the Judiciary (charged with reviewing Justices and Judges). The Article continues to further describe how Justices and Judges are selected, and how and under what circumstances Justices and Judges are removed from office. Article Eight states that all state elected offices, including Supreme Court Justices, are subject to impeachment for wilful neglect of duty, corruption in office, habitual drunkenness, incompetency, or any offense involving moral turpitude committed while in office. The Oklahoma House of Representatives must bring

6580-503: The Oklahoma Organic Act , which organized the western half of Indian Territory into Oklahoma Territory. The eastern half remained under Indian rule, predominantly that of the Five Civilized Tribes, as Indian Territory. Congress included in Oklahoma Territory the strip of country known as No Man's Land, embracing 3,681,000 acres (14,900 km ), which became Beaver County. In September 1890, the 1,282,434 acres (5,189.83 km ) of

6720-495: The Qing dynasty (1644–1912). This constitutes a form of de facto polygyny referred to as concubinage . Marriage is the moment at which a new household is formed, but different arrangements may occur depending upon the type of marriage and some polygamous marriages do not result in the formation of a single household. In many polygynous marriages the husband's wives may live in separate households. They can thus be described as

6860-502: The Sac and Fox , Iowa , and Pottawatomie reservations in the eastern part of Oklahoma Territory were opened to settlement. The following spring, the 4,397,771 acres (17,797.15 km ) of Cheyenne and Arapaho lands in the center of the territory were opened. On September 16, 1893, the Cherokee Outlet was opened to settlement, adding 6,014,239 acres (24,338.76 km ) of land. In 1895,

7000-569: The Seminoles ; and Charles N. Haskell , selected to represent the Creeks (as General Porter had been elected President). The convention drafted a constitution, drew up a plan of organization for the government, put together a map showing the counties to be established, and elected delegates to go to the United States Congress to petition for statehood. The convention's proposals were then put to

7140-517: The Supreme Court , since no lower court had jurisdiction . The court's opinion, in United States v. State of Texas 162 U.S. 1 (1896), issued on March 16, 1892, held that the land of approximately 1.5 million acres (6070 km /2345 mi ) belonged to the United States. Following that ruling, on May 4, 1896, the land was officially assigned by Congress to Oklahoma Territory. The Greer County Homestead Law, passed just afterwards, gave

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7280-537: The United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas under federal judge Isaac C. Parker was the only form of criminal and civil jurisdictions. Despite that, the district was generally peaceful. Most land disputes were settled without bloodshed, although a few took years to resolve. For over a year the people of Oklahoma Territory were semi-autonomous. On May 2, 1890, Congress passed

7420-463: The cultural belief that a child can have more than one father. Non-fraternal polyandry occurs when the wives' husbands are unrelated, as among the Nayar tribe of India , where girls undergo a ritual marriage before puberty, and the first husband is acknowledged as the father of all her children. However, the woman may never cohabit with that man, taking multiple lovers instead; these men must acknowledge

7560-584: The 1000 Genomes Project Phase 3 high-coverage Complete Genomics whole-genome dataset. They found that the Southern Han Chinese had a male bias (45% female, indicating that women were likely to reproduce with multiple men). This region is known for its lack of a concept of paternity and for a sense of female equality or superiority. The Musharoff study also found a male bias in Europeans (20% female) during an out-of-Africa migration event that may have increased

7700-617: The Bible alone ( sola scriptura ) have temporarily accepted polygyny as a Biblical practice. For example, during the Protestant Reformation , in a document which was simply referred to as "Der Beichtrat" (or "The Confessional Advice" ), Martin Luther granted the Landgrave Philip of Hesse , who, for many years, had been living "constantly in a state of adultery and fornication ",

7840-409: The Boomer "Colonial Association". Payne's organization of 10,000 members hoped to establish a white colony in the Unassigned Lands. The formation of the group prompted President Hayes to issue a proclamation ordering Payne not to enter Indian Territory on February 12, 1880. In response, Payne and his group traveled to Camp Alice in the Unassigned Lands, east of Oklahoma City . There, they made plans for

7980-435: The Boomers, he collapsed and died. After Payne's death, his associate, William L. Couch , assumed the leadership role. Couch moved the Boomers into Indian Territory and founded Camp Stillwater on December 12, 1884. President Chester Arthur sent a small detachment of troops to escort Couch out of the territory. When the soldiers arrived, 200 armed men met them and refused to move. After 600 troops arrived as reinforcements,

8120-443: The Chickasaw; Chief Green McCurtain of the Choctaw; Chief John Brown of the Seminole; and Charles N. Haskell , appointed by Porter to represent the Creek. The convention drafted a constitution, drew up a plan of organization for the government, put together a map showing the counties to be established, and elected delegates to go to the United States Congress to petition for statehood. The convention's proposals were presented in

8260-435: The Christian insistence on monogamy and advocates of the traditional practice of polygamy. For instance, Mswati III , the Christian king of Eswatini , has 15 wives. In some instances in recent times, there have been moves for accommodation; in other instances, churches have strongly resisted such moves. African Independent Churches have sometimes referred to those parts of the Old Testament that describe polygamy in defense of

8400-408: The Interior defined the boundaries and assigned the names of the three counties to be defined and their names assigned by executive proclamation when the Kiowa-Comanche and Wichita-Caddo Reservations were opened to settlement in 1901. Greer County, created by the Texas legislature on February 8, 1860, and named for John Alexander Greer , a Texas lieutenant governor, was land claimed by both Texas and

8540-411: The Land Office. Article Seven describes the court system (the judicial branch ), which is unique in that it establishes two courts of last resort (only neighboring state Texas has a similar system). The Article vests the judicial power in a Supreme Court , a Court of Criminal Appeals , a Worker's Compensation Court, a Court of Tax Review, and such intermediate, trial level and municipal courts as

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8680-517: The Legislature from regulating the carrying of weapons. Article Three deals with suffrage in the State of Oklahoma. All peoples of the age of 18 are qualified electors in the state and a State Elector Board is established charged with the supervision of such elections as the Legislature shall direct. No elector in Oklahoma may vote in any election unless previously registered to do so with the state, and all elections must be “free and equal,” as no “power, civil or military, shall ever interfere to prevent

8820-457: The Legislature, at its discretion, may establish. As written in the Constitution, the Legislature is given the enumerated power to dissolve any court in Oklahoma at any time, except the Supreme Court. All civil judgments are reviewable by the Supreme Court and all criminal judgement are reviewable by the Court of Criminal Appeals. The Article also creates the Oklahoma Court of Impeachment (charged with removal all elected officials from office) and

8960-486: The Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right." (1 Peter 2:13,14) Pro-polygamists argue that, as long as polygamists currently do not obtain legal marriage licenses nor seek "common law marriage status" for additional spouses, no enforced laws are being broken any more than when monogamous couples similarly co-habitate without

9100-454: The Muslim population and 3% of the Christian population, as of 2019). According to Pew, polygamy is widespread in a cluster of countries in West and Central Africa, including Burkina Faso, (36%), Mali (34%) and Nigeria (28%). Anthropologist Jack Goody 's comparative study of marriage around the world utilizing the Ethnographic Atlas demonstrated a historical correlation between the practice of extensive shifting horticulture and polygamy in

9240-424: The Oklahoma lands would be opened on April 22 via land run. The Land Run of 1889, the first land run in the territory's history, opened Oklahoma Territory to settlement on April 22, 1889. Over 50,000 people entered the lands on the first day, among them thousands of freedmen and descendants of slaves. Couch and his Boomers, now numbering approximately 14,000, also entered the race. Those who entered Oklahoma before

9380-510: The Red River should be the correct boundary described by the Adams–Onís Treaty. Texas rejected that assertion and claimed the land south of the North Fork. The United States claimed the land north of the South Fork (previously named the Prairie Dog Town River ). Texas continued to claim sovereignty over Greer County during and after the Civil War. It opened the land to veterans of the Texas Revolution and Confederate Army veterans and leased land to ranchers. In 1884, President Chester A. Arthur took

9520-400: The Red River were not surveyed, as required by the fourth article of the treaty, until 1852. The problem was that the 100th meridian on the Melish map was approximately 90 miles (140 km) east of the true 100th meridian and the Red River forked about 50 miles (80 km) east of the 100th meridian. Another survey team discovered the mapping error in 1857 and showed that the southern fork was

9660-411: The State of Oklahoma, public school are established to be taught only in English, and that suffrage shall never be revoked due to “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Article Two enumerates the rights of all citizens of the State of Oklahoma. These include that all political power derives from the people, the inherent rights “to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and the enjoyment of

9800-406: The Supreme Court resolved the boundary case United States v. State of Texas in favor of the federal government. Today, this land in the southwest corner of the state is split into Greer , Jackson , Harmon , and part of Beckham counties. Oklahoma Territory began with the Indian Intercourse Act of 1834 when the United States Congress set aside land for Native Americans. At the time, the land

9940-407: The Texas settlers the 160 acres (647,000 m ) they were living on and the option to purchase an additional 160 acres (647,000 m ) for $ 1.00 per acre ($ 247/km ). When Oklahoma became the 46th U.S. state on November 16, 1907, old "Greer County" was divided into Greer , Jackson , and part of Beckham counties. Mangum remained the county seat of the redefined Greer County. Harmon County

10080-579: The Union in 1907. The Oklahoma Constitution ends with the officers and delegates to the Constitutional Convention signing the documents. It reads: Territory of Oklahoma, Logan County: Oklahoma Territory 35°24′N 97°00′W  /  35.4°N 97°W  / 35.4; -97 The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it

10220-462: The United States House of Representatives to serve a two-year term. While unable to vote in the full House, the delegate was allowed to vote in a House committee of which the delegate was a member. The first territorial representative was David A. Harvey . Four men represented Oklahoma Territory as non-voting delegates in the United States House of Representatives: When Oklahoma Territory

10360-418: The United States in court cases. The territorial marshal was responsible for protecting the court system and for executing processes issued from the territorial courts. The territory's judiciary consisted of a territorial supreme court made up of three justices, a chief justice and two associate justices. Additional associate justices were added later as more counties were created in the territory. The judiciary

10500-608: The United States. The dispute arose from a map submitted with the Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819. The treaty stated that the boundary between the French claims on the north and the Spanish claims on the south of the United States was the Rio Roxo de Natchitoches ( Red River ) until it reached the 100th meridian west , as noted on John Melish's map published in 1818. However, the upper reaches of

10640-452: The West African savanna, where one finds especially high male agricultural contributions. Goody says, "The reasons behind polygyny are sexual and reproductive rather than economic and productive" (1973:189), arguing that men marry polygynously to maximize their fertility and to obtain large households containing many young dependent males. An analysis by James Fenske (2012) found that child mortality and ecologically related economic shocks had

10780-619: The accepted practice rather than a lifelong monogamous bond. The genetic record indicates that monogamy increased within the last 5,000-10,000 years, a period associated with the development of human agriculture, non-communal land ownership, and inheritance. Polygamy exists in three specific forms: Polygyny, the practice wherein a man has more than one wife at the same time, is by far the most common form of polygamy. Many Muslim-majority countries and some countries with sizable Muslim minorities accept polygyny to varying extents both legally and culturally. In several countries, such as India ,

10920-580: The advent of property ownership and therefore inheritance. Men would therefore seek to ensure that their land would go to direct descendants and had a vested interest in limiting the sexual activities of their reproductive partners. It is possible that the concept of marriage and permanent monogamy evolved at this time. Other scientific arguments for monogamy prior to 2003 were based on characteristics of reproductive physiology, such as sperm competition, sexual selection in primates, and body size characteristics. A 2019 synthesis of these and other data found that

11060-613: The assembly and the acts and proceedings of the governor. Copy of the same would semi-annually be submitted to the president, the President of the United States Senate , and the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives for their review. A territorial attorney was responsible for giving legal advice to the governor and assembly, served as the chief law enforcement official of the territory, and represented Oklahoma Territory and

11200-684: The charges against the individual with the Oklahoma Senate serving as the Court on Impeachment , with the Chief Justice of Oklahoma serving as the court's judge . If charged with impeachment and found guilty, the official’s term is immediately suspended. The final section of the Oklahoma Constitution deals with laws and other ordinances in place in the Territory of Oklahoma before its admission to

11340-439: The co-wives are not related. Polygyny offers husbands the benefit of allowing them to have more children, may provide them with a larger number of productive workers (where workers are family), and allows them to establish politically useful ties with a greater number of kin groups . Senior wives can benefit as well when the addition of junior wives to the family lightens their workload . Wives', especially senior wives', status in

11480-410: The consent of Congress to take effect. They had the same force of law, as did a law passed by a regular state government. Laws enacted by the assembly could be suspended by the President of the United States or revoked, in part or in their entirety, by an act of Congress . When Steele took office, he issued an executive order on July 8, 1890, calling for the first elections to the assembly. The election

11620-565: The constitution consists of twenty-nine articles, with the first eight pertaining to the state’s government. Article One establishes how the state of Oklahoma is to relate to the United States federal government, stating that the US Constitution is the Supreme Law of the Land. By this article, religious freedom is established, polygamy is forbidden, the debts of Oklahoma Territory are acquired by

11760-475: The delegates to write, "the very best constitution ever written." Bryan proposed that they accomplish this by consulting previously written state constitutions. The delegates not only complied, but also consulted the proceedings of the Sequoyah Convention, and the U.S. Constitution. Having completed a draft document, they adjourned March 15, 1907. There were two additional week-long sessions called to finish

11900-489: The draft before it was put before the voters on September 17, 1907. Eligible voters approved their new Constitution a 71 percent yes vote. Satisfied with the proposed document, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the necessary papers November 16, 1907, and announced, "Oklahoma is now a state." Members of the Oklahoma Constitutional convention included: The Oklahoma Constitution Preamble reads: The remainder of

12040-417: The duty of the governor to outline the boundaries of the counties, name the county seats, and to appoint territorial and county officers with the consent of the territorial council. Laws passed by the territorial assembly had to be presented to the governor for his approval. If he did not approve, he would veto if and return it to the assembly for reconsideration. The governor's veto could only be overridden by

12180-429: The early upbringing of their children. Serial monogamy would also be consistent with the existence of a "honeymoon period", a period of intense interest in a single sexual partner (with less interest in other women) which may help to keep men invested in staying with the mother of their child for this period. When reciprocated, this "honeymoon period" lasts 18 months to three years in most cases. This would correspond to

12320-435: The first chief justice and John G. Clark of Wisconsin and Abraham J. Seay of Missouri as the first associate justices. Oklahoma Territory was divided into seven Judicial Districts in 1902, as follows: Charles Brown of Kansas was named the first Attorney General and Horace Speed of Guthrie (formerly of Indiana) was appointed the first United States attorney in Oklahoma. The territory was entitled to elect one delegate to

12460-466: The first territorial governor. The organic act called for the establishment of a bicameral Territorial Legislative Assembly composed of a Territorial Council , the upper house of the assembly, and Territorial House of Representatives , the lower house of the assembly. The assembly could only create laws consistent with the Constitution of the United States and the organic act but did not require

12600-410: The form of polygyny) is most common in a region known as the "polygamy belt" in West Africa and Central Africa , with the countries estimated to have the highest polygamy prevalence in the world being Burkina Faso , Mali , Gambia , Niger and Nigeria . The term "polygamy" may be referring to one of various relational types, depending upon context. Four overlapping definitions can be adapted from

12740-443: The forms of non-monogamy in prehistorical times is unknown, these rates could be consistent with a society that practices serial monogamy. Anthropological observations indicate that even when polygyny is accepted in the community, the majority of relationships in the society are monogamous in practice – while couples remain in the relationship, which may not be lifelong. Thus, in many historical communities, serial monogamy may have been

12880-485: The free exercise of the right of suffrage,” and “electors shall be privileged from arrest during their attendance on elections and while going to and from the same” except in cases of treason against the state. Article Four established the Government of Oklahoma under the doctrine of separation of powers and reads: Article Five establishes the legislative branch of government, Oklahoma Legislature , which includes

13020-487: The gains of their own industry,” the right to peaceful assembly, a ban on the interference with suffrage, the definition of treason, the right to trial by jury, that marriage in the State of Oklahoma is defined as being between a man and a woman, and many others. The right of a citizen to keep and bear arms in defense of his home, person, or property, or in aid of the civil power, when thereunto legally summoned, shall never be prohibited; but nothing herein contained shall prevent

13160-542: The household formations created through divorce and serial monogamy. Serial monogamy creates a new kind of relative, the "ex-". The "ex-wife", for example, can remain an active part of her "ex-husband's" life, as they may be tied together by legally or informally mandated economic support, which can last for years, including by alimony , child support , and joint custody . Bob Simpson, the British social anthropologist, notes that it creates an "extended family" by tying together

13300-477: The late wife, in other words, must provide a replacement for her, thus maintaining the marriage alliance. Both levirate and sororate may result in a man having multiple wives. In monogamous societies, wealthy and powerful men may establish enduring relationships with, and established separate household for, multiple female partners, aside from their legitimate wives; a practice accepted in Imperial China up until

13440-622: The law only recognizes polygamous marriages for the Muslim population. Islamic law or sharia is a religious law forming part of the Islamic tradition which allows polygyny. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam, particularly the Quran and the hadith . In Arabic , the term sharīʿah refers to God 's ( Arabic : الله Allāh ) immutable divine law and is contrasted with fiqh , which refers to its human scholarly interpretations. Polygyny

13580-459: The legal sphere, defining polygamy can be difficult because of differences in cultural assumptions regarding monogamy. Some societies believe that monogamy requires limiting sexual activity to a single partner for life. Others accept or endorse pre-marital sex prior to marriage. Some societies consider sex outside of marriage or "spouse swapping" to be socially acceptable. Some consider a relationship monogamous even if partners separate and move to

13720-570: The majority of sub-Saharan African societies. Drawing on the work of Ester Boserup , Goody notes that the sexual division of labour varies between the male-dominated intensive plough-agriculture common in Eurasia and the extensive shifting horticulture found in sub-Saharan Africa. In some of the sparsely-populated regions where shifting cultivation takes place in Africa, women do much of the work. This favours polygamous marriages in which men seek to monopolize

13860-577: The merger of the two territories in 1907. Territorial Governor Frank Frantz oversaw the transition from territory to state. He was selected as the Republican nominee to serve as the state's first governor . He faced the Democratic Charles N. Haskell in the election on September 17, 1907. In the same election, the Oklahoma Constitution was proposed. The constitution was passed and Haskell

14000-467: The merger of the two territories in 1907. The final nail in the coffin of the proposed State of Sequoyah was an Enabling Act passed by Congress on June 6, 1906 that provided for a single state to be created from the so-called "Twin Territories." The act further specified that elections would be held in both territories on November 6, 1906 to elect delegates for a constitutional convention. Each territory

14140-524: The modern concept of life-long monogamy has been in place for only the last 1,000 years. Genetic evidence has demonstrated that a greater proportion of men began contributing to the genetic pool between 5,000 and 10,000 years ago, which suggests that reproductive monogamy became more common at that time. This would correspond to the Neolithic agricultural revolution. During this time, formerly nomadic societies began to claim and settle land for farming, leading to

14280-486: The number of Boomers grew as people joined Payne, they sent a messenger to President Hayes asking permission to enter Indian Territory. After weeks of no response, Payne led his followers to the Unassigned Lands. Once again, they were arrested and Payne was sent back to Fort Smith. He was found guilty and sentenced to pay a $ 1,000 fine. Upon his release, he returned to Kansas, where he spent the next four years trying to open Oklahoma. During Payne's last venture, this time into

14420-684: The number of men successfully reproducing with women, perhaps by replenishing the genetic pool in Europe. The study did confirm a more typical female bias in Yorubans (63% female), Europeans (84%), Punjabis (82%), and Peruvians (56%). Buddhism does not regard marriage as a sacrament ; it is purely a secular affair. Normally Buddhist monks do not participate in it (though in some sects priests and monks do marry). Hence marriage receives no religious sanction. Forms of marriage, in consequence, vary from country to country. The Parabhava Sutta states that "a man who

14560-534: The officers gave the Boomers the choice of leaving within 48 hours or being apprehended. After the Boomers refused to leave, the commanders moved their troops across the Kansas border and cut off Couch's supply lines. Soon their food was gone, and Couch and the other Boomers were escorted back to Kansas. In response to Couch's claims that the federal government was discriminating against them, on March 3, 1885, Congress approved

14700-514: The official start of the race were called Sooners . The term referred to the "sooner clause" in the Indian Appropriations Act of 1889, which states that anyone who violated the official start would be denied a claim to the land. When the run began at noon, men on thousands of horses, wagons, buggies, carts, and vehicles rushed across to Oklahoma. The law-abiders fought with the Sooners on several instances. A legal pioneer shot and wounded William Couch,

14840-410: The organic act creating it, which served as a semi-governing document. The organic act provided for a complete organization of the territory, defined the functions of the territorial government, placed limitations upon the acts of the legislative assembly, as well as that of the territorial officers. It also designated the town of Guthrie as the territorial capital. Congress provided for the creation of

14980-532: The party and escorted them back to Kansas. Again they were freed, but this time the federal government charged Payne with trespassing under the Indian Intercourse Act; he went to trial in Fort Smith, Arkansas . Judge Isaac C. Parker ruled against Payne and fined him the maximum amount of $ 1,000. Since Payne had no money and no property, the government could not collect the fine. The ruling settled nothing on

15120-490: The paternity of their children (and hence demonstrate that no caste prohibitions have been breached) by paying the midwife . The women remain in their maternal home, living with their brothers, and property is passed matrilineally . A similar form of matrilineal, de facto polyandry can be found in the institution of walking marriage among the Mosuo tribe of China. Serial monogamy refers to remarriage after divorce or death of

15260-439: The period necessary to bring a child to relative independence in the traditionally small, interdependent, communal societies of pre-Neolithic humans, before they settled into agricultural communities. While genetic evidence typically displays a bias towards a smaller number of men reproducing with more women, some regions or time periods have shown the opposite. In a 2019 investigation, Musharoff et al. applied modern techniques to

15400-593: The polygamy of the Fathers, which was tolerated by the Creator because of fertility, was a diversion from His original plan for human marriage. Augustine wrote: "That the good purpose of marriage, however, is better promoted by one husband with one wife, than by a husband with several wives, is shown plainly enough by the very first union of a married pair, which was made by the Divine Being Himself." Augustine taught that

15540-582: The popular press began referring to the people agitating for its settlement as Boomers . To prevent settlement of the land by European-Americans, President Rutherford B. Hayes issued a proclamation forbidding unlawful entry into Indian Territory in April 1879. Despite federal obstruction, popular demands for the land did not end. Captain David L. Payne was one of the main supporters of the opening of Oklahoma to White settlement. Payne traveled to Kansas , where he founded

15680-404: The powers of the legislative branch. Article Six describes the governorship (the executive branch ): procedures for the selection of the governor, qualifications for office, the oath to be affirmed and the powers and duties of the office. It also provides for the office of Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma , and specifies that the lieutenant governor succeeds to the governorship if the governor

15820-441: The practice of levirate marriage . In such cases, the deceased man's heir may inherit his assets and wife; or, more usually, his brothers may marry the widow. This provides support for the widow and her children (usually also members of the brothers' kin group) and maintains the tie between the husbands' and wives' kin groups. The sororate resembles the levirate, in that a widower must marry the sister of his dead wife. The family of

15960-516: The practice of polygamy and have upheld monogamy alone as normative. Nevertheless, some Christians groups in different periods have practiced, or currently do practice, polygamy. Some Christians actively debate whether the New Testament or Christian ethics allows or forbids polygamy. In the New Testament , Jesus recalled the earlier scriptures , noting that a man and a wife "shall become one flesh". Paul stated in one of his letters that "For

16100-464: The practice. The illegality of polygamy in certain areas creates, according to certain Bible passages, additional arguments against it. Paul the Apostle writes "submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience" (Romans 13:5), for "the authorities that exist have been established by God." (Romans 13:1) St Peter concurs when he says to "submit yourselves for

16240-447: The practices of 849 societies from before Western imperialism and colonization. The review found that 708 of the societies (83%) accepted polygyny. Only 16% were monogamous and 1% polyandrous. Subsequent evidence in 2012 found that polyandry (in which women have multiple male partners) was likely in pre-history; it also identified 53 communities studied between 1912 and 2010 with either formal or informal polyandry, indicating that polyandry

16380-410: The production of women "who are valued both as workers and as child bearers". Goody however, observes that the correlation is imperfect and varied, and also discusses more traditionally male-dominated though relatively extensive farming systems such as those traditionally common in much of West Africa, especially in the West African savanna , where more agricultural work is done by men, and where polygyny

16520-400: The question of the public domain lands, and Payne continued his activities. Payne tried a third time to enter the Unassigned Lands. In December, Payne and his group moved along the northern border of Indian Territory. They were followed by a unit of cavalry under the command of Colonel J. J. Copinger. Copinger warned Payne that if he crossed the border that they would be "forcibly resisted". As

16660-647: The reason patriarchs had many wives was not because of fornication, but because they wanted more children. He supported his premise by showing that their marriages, in which husband was the head, were arranged according to the rules of good management: those who are in command ( quae principantur ) in their society were always singular, while subordinates ( subiecta ) were multiple. He gave two examples of such relationships: dominus-servus – master-servant (in older translation: slave ) and God-soul . The Bible often equates worshiping multiple gods, i.e. idolatry to fornication. Augustine relates to that: "On this account there

16800-537: The term "polygamy" is often used in a de facto sense, applied regardless of whether a state recognizes the relationship. In many countries, the law only recognises monogamous marriages (a person can only have one spouse, and bigamy is illegal), but adultery is not illegal, leading to a situation of de facto polygamy being allowed without legal recognition for non-official "spouses". Worldwide, different societies variously encourage, accept or outlaw polygamy. In societies which allow or tolerate polygamy, polygyny

16940-478: The term refers to a physical, rather than a spiritual, union. Such a claim also contradicts Paul's statement regarding authority other each other's bodies. Some Christian theologians argue that in Matthew 19:3–9 and referring to Genesis 2:24, Jesus explicitly states a man should have only one wife: Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall

17080-425: The territory. Steele became so disgusted by the political stalemate that he resigned his position and returned to Indiana. The Oklahoma Territorial Legislature met for the last time in 1905. The territorial governor was vested with the executive power of the territory, was responsible for ensuring that its laws were faithfully executed, and served as the symbol of the federal government in the territory. The governor

17220-616: The time period and the area. In some areas this continued even after Christianization began, for instance the Brehon Laws of Gaelic Ireland explicitly allowed for polygamy, especially amongst the noble class. Some modern Celtic pagan religions accept the practice of polygamy to varying degrees, though how widespread the practice is within these religions is unknown. Although the Old Testament describes numerous examples of polygamy among devotees to God, most Christian groups have rejected

17360-624: The tribes if they wanted to stay in the Nations. This forced many of the tribes in Indian Territory into making concessions. U.S. officials forced the cession of some 2,000,000 acres (8,100 km ) of land in the center of the Indian Nation Territory. Elias C. Boudinot , a railroad lobbyist, wrote an article that was published in the Chicago Times on February 17, 1879, that popularized the term Unassigned Lands to refer to this tract. Soon

17500-436: The weight of the evidence supports a mating bond that may include polygyny or polyandry, but is most likely to be predominantly serial monogamy. More recent genetic data has clarified that, in most regions throughout history, a smaller proportion of men contributed to human genetic history compared to women. Assuming an equal number of men and women are born and survive to reproduce, this would indicate that historically, only

17640-476: The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does". However, some look to Paul 's writings to the Corinthians : "Do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, 'The two will become one flesh. ' " Supporters of polygamy claim that this verse indicates that

17780-423: The work of Ulrich Reichard and others: Biologists , biological anthropologists , and behavioral ecologists often use polygamy in the sense of a lack of sexual or genetic (reproductive) exclusivity. When cultural or social anthropologists and other social scientists use the term polygamy, the meaning is social or marital polygamy. In contrast, marital monogamy may be distinguished between: Outside of

17920-562: Was unorganized territory that consisted of the federal land "west of the Mississippi and not within the states of Missouri and Louisiana , or the territory of Arkansas ..." By 1856, the territory had been reduced to approximately the modern-day borders of the state of Oklahoma, except for the Oklahoma Panhandle and Old Greer County . These lands became known as Indian Territory, as they had been granted to certain Indian nations under

18060-467: Was avoided through the social practice of impartible inheritance , under which most siblings would be disinherited. Fraternal polyandry was traditionally practiced among nomadic Tibetans in Nepal , parts of China and part of northern India, in which two or more brothers would marry the same woman. It is most common in societies marked by high male mortality. It is associated with partible paternity ,

18200-539: Was created May 22, 1909, by a vote of the people from a portion of Greer County, Oklahoma. Mangum remained the county seat of the redefined Greer County. In the 1900 United States census , 23 counties in the Oklahoma Territory and 6 Indian reservations reported the following population counts (after only 8 counties and 13 Indian reservations reported the following counts in the 1890 United States census ): Polygamy Polygamy (from Late Greek πολυγαμία polygamía , "state of marriage to many spouses")

18340-434: Was created in 1890, seven counties were defined and designated numerically. Thereafter, when additional lands were opened to settlement, new counties were designated by the letters of the alphabet. Later, by vote of the people, these were given permanent county names. The first seven numbered counties later were named as follows: Logan , Cleveland , Oklahoma , Canadian , Kingfisher , Payne and Beaver . The Secretary of

18480-480: Was elected governor. Once the people of Oklahoma adopted the United States Constitution on November 16, 1907, Oklahoma and Indian Territories officially dissolved, and the State of Oklahoma was admitted to the Union as the 46th state. With the passage of the Oklahoma organic act in 1890, the territorial government came into existence. The territorial government had no constitution, except for sections of

18620-492: Was given a wide jurisdiction. It functioned as a United States Federal Court , but its jurisdiction extended to a trial of cases, both civil and criminal, arising under the code enacted by the territorial assembly. The court could sit half of the day as a federal court and the other half as territorial court. It would also serve as a supreme court and hear cases that had been appealed from territory's lower courts. President Benjamin Harrison appointed Edward B. Green of Illinois as

18760-508: Was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as the state of Oklahoma . The 1890 Oklahoma Organic Act organized the western half of Indian Territory and a strip of country north of Texas known as No Man's Land (now the Oklahoma Panhandle ) into Oklahoma Territory. Native American reservations in the new territory were then opened to settlement in

18900-439: Was more common worldwide than previously believed. The authors found that polyandry was most common in egalitarian societies, and suspected contributors to polyandry included fewer men (due to the existence or threat of high adult male mortality or absence/travel) and higher male contributions towards food production. Polyandry still appears to occur in the minority of societies. Regardless of the type of polygamy, even when polygyny

19040-524: Was outlawed in 2015. In Sri Lanka , polyandry was legal in the kingdom of Kandy, but outlawed by British after conquering the kingdom in 1815. When the Buddhist texts were translated into Chinese, the concubines of others were added to the list of inappropriate partners. Polyandry in Tibet was traditionally common, as was polygyny, and having several wives or husbands was never regarded as having sex with inappropriate partners. Most typically, fraternal polyandry

19180-463: Was set for August 5, 1890. The assembly was to have convened August 12, but owing to the death of two members-elect, a special election was called, and the convening of the legislature was postponed until August 27, 1890. The territorial assembly met for 120-day sessions in Guthrie. The first legislative session was narrowly divided between Republican and Democratic Party members, with Republicans having

19320-464: Was still included in Indian reservations. With the passage of the Organic Act of 1890 , Oklahoma Territory existed from 1890 to 1907. During that time, seven governors and two acting governors administered the territory. During its 17-year existence, little of note occurred because of the growing idea of statehood, which had originated in Indian Territory. Most of the governors stayed in office for only

19460-403: Was the ex officio commander-in-chief of the territorial militia and the federal troops in the territory as well as ex officio Superintendent of Indian Affairs. The governor possessed the power to grant pardons for offenses against the laws of the territory. He could grant reprieves for offenses against the laws of the United States until the president made his decision on the matter. It was also

19600-482: Was to elect 55 delegates. The Osage Nation was allowed two delegates, giving a total of 112 delegates. The Oklahoma Constitutional Convention opened in Guthrie on November 20, 1906. William H. Murray was elected chairman of the convention. Charles N. Haskell was elected the majority floor leader by the Democrats, and Henry Asp was elected minority floor leader by the Republicans. William Jennings Bryan came to encourage

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