<P> Most of the states admitted to the Union after the original 13 were formed from an organized territory established and governed by Congress in accord with its plenary power under Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2 . The outline for this process was established by the Northwest Ordinance (1787), which predates the ratification of the Constitution . In some cases, an entire territory has become a state; in others some part of a territory has . </P> <P> When the people of a territory make their desire for statehood known to the federal government, Congress may pass an enabling act authorizing the people of that territory to organize a constitutional convention to write a state constitution as a step towards admission to the Union . Each act details the mechanism by which the territory will be admitted as a state following ratification of their constitution and election of state officers . Although the use of an enabling act is a traditional historic practice, a number of territories have drafted constitutions for submission to Congress absent an enabling act and were subsequently admitted . Upon acceptance of that constitution, and upon meeting any additional Congressional stipulations, Congress has always admitted that territory as a state . </P> <P> In addition to the original 13, six subsequent states were never an organized territory of the federal government, or part of one, before being admitted to the Union . Three were set off from an already existing state, two entered the Union after having been sovereign states, and one was established from unorganized territory: </P> <Ul> <Li> California, 1850, from land ceded to the United States by Mexico in 1848 under the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo . </Li> <Li> Kentucky, 1792, from Virginia (District of Kentucky: Fayette, Jefferson, and Lincoln counties) </Li> <Li> Maine, 1820, from Massachusetts (District of Maine) </Li> <Li> Texas, 1845, previously the Republic of Texas </Li> <Li> Vermont, 1791, previously the Vermont Republic (also known as the New Hampshire Grants and claimed by New York) </Li> <Li> West Virginia, 1863, from Virginia (Trans - Allegheny region counties) during the Civil War </Li> </Ul>

Map of the 50 states in the united states