State of Sequoyah
Prior to statehood, Oklahoma was separated into two parts: Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory. In 1902, at a convention of representatives from the Five Civilized Tribes, the push for gaining statehood for Indian Territory began. In 1903, they met again at a constitutional convention.
In August 1905, the Sequoyah Constitutional Convention met in Muskogee. Attending, as representatives for each of the Five Civilized Tribes, were: William Rogers, Principal Chief of the Cherokees; William H. Murray, representative sent by Chickasaw Governor Douglas Johnston; Chief Green McCurtain of the Choctaws; Chief John Brown of the Seminoles; and Charles Haskell, representative for the Creeks in place of General Pleasant Porter, who was chosen as president of the convention. They drafted a constitution and elected men to go to Congress to petition for statehood for the State of Sequoyah. When the Sequoyah Constitution was put up for election, it won overwhelmingly with 56,279 votes out of 65,352.
Unfortunately, the U.S. Government was against the idea of two states and agreed only to statehood for a combined state of Indian and Oklahoma territories. The already drafted Sequoyah Constitution was used as a basis for the constitution, and Oklahoma became a state in 1907.
