Separation for the Nation: The Movement for Maine’s Statehood

Abstract

“Take us by the hand, introduce us into the American family, & make us part of that Great republic, destined as we hope to become the pattern of freedom, the pride of nations, and the glory of the world.”1 With these lines the Portland newspaper The Eastern Argus fostered the separation of Maine from Massachusetts. Nationalistic language such as this article from 1816 claimed that as a state, Maine would strengthen the nation by contributing to its Republican virtue. This rhetoric finally convinced the people of Maine that their district should separate from Massachusetts to become a state. Mainers debated statehood for thirty-six years before a state of Maine was established in the spring of 1820. The movement for separation began shortly after the American Revolution in 1784, just a year after the peace treaty with Great Britain was signed. The regional, social, religious, and political differences that set New Englanders apart drove this campaign. Ironically, although these differences led some Mainers to seek separation from Massachusetts, a collective New England national identity helped this separation movement to succeed. Mainers came to believe that a state of Maine would fulfill the New England American ideal much better than the district.