The First Nebraska Territorial Legislature first met in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

, on January 15, 1855. The Council Bluffs and Nebraska Ferry Company provided the first meeting place, which was a building "constructed for public purposes". Standing out from the estimated twenty shacks in the young town, it was the first brick building in Omaha, which was founded the year before when the

Nebraska Territory The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Nebraska. The Nebrask ...

was created. Responsible for several important decisions that laid an important foundation for the future statehood for

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

, the

Nebraska Territorial Legislature The Nebraska Territorial Legislature was held from January 16, 1855 until 1865 in Omaha City, Nebraska Territory. Major issues Slavery In 1854 the Kansas–Nebraska Act created the Nebraska Territory, overturning the Missouri Compromise b ...

made controversial decisions and provided leadership for the territory.

Issues

The first legislature, along with several subsequent gatherings, drew criticism for a perceived lack of representation of the population south of the

Platte River The Platte River () is a major river in the State of Nebraska. It is about long; measured to its farthest source via its tributary, the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, which itsel ...

. Legislators from south of the Platte wore red blankets over their shoulders in the first session to indicate their hostility towards the northern legislators. Although the then current Omaha capitol building, built in 1857-58, was apparently sturdy enough to house legislative sessions for several years and was well located in relation to Nebraska's 1867 population, it was still north of the Platte. Forces from the south launched a major verbal and legal initiative to move the seat of government to their part of the state. The first Legislature was also responsible for chartering Nebraska University in Washington County. Slavery in Nebraska was a topic of the first legislature, where members were largely influenced by events in neighboring

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

. The first legislature considered an exclusion measure designed to keep former slaves from the territory. After the bill was postponed the issue continued to be raised, ultimately delaying statehood.

Members

Few of the members had actually spent more than a night in the districts they represented, and most ferried to Council Bluffs, Iowa, at the end of each day for rest. The new territorial governor, Mark W. Izard, was successful at persuading members to adopt Iowa's legislative rules. Omaha members bribed other legislators to keep the capitol in Omaha by offering them lots in their new city. This land, which now wraps around the north and west ends of

Downtown Omaha Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, U.S. state of Nebraska. The boundaries are Omaha's 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline ...

, was called Scriptown. Although not a member, Reverend William D. Gage, a Methodist minister, served as the chaplain, and later the legislature returned the favor by naming Gage County after him. Joseph W. Paddock, who had immigrated to the territory from New York in 1854, served as the chief clerk."Paddock, Major Joseph W." in Albert Watkins, History of Nebraska: From the Earliest Explorations to the Present Time with Portraits, Maps, and Tables, Vol. III (Lincoln: Western Publishing and Engraving Company, 1913), 506.

References

{{reflist 1855 in Nebraska Territory 1855 in American politics

Issues

Members

See also

References