<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> <Li> California, 1850, from land ceded to the United States by Mexico in 1848 under the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo . </Li>

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