CONTENTS Fun Facts About Minnesota ................................................................................................2 Minnesota State Symbols....................................................................................................3 State Historic Sites ............................................................................................................10 Governor’s Residence ......................................................................................................10 Historical Essay: The “Civic State” ..................................................................................11 Good Citizenship ..............................................................................................................13 Pledge of Allegiance and The National Anthem ..............................................................14 The United States Flag......................................................................................................15 Flag Etiquette ....................................................................................................................16 Presidents and Vice Presidents of the United States ........................................................18 Documentary History........................................................................................................19 The Mayflower Compact ............................................................................................19 Fundamental Orders of 1639 ......................................................................................20 The Declaration of Independence................................................................................22 The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 ..............................................................................24 United States Constitution ..........................................................................................27 Organic Act of 1849 ....................................................................................................36 Minnesota Enabling Act ..............................................................................................40 Minnesota Constitution................................................................................................42 Congressional Act of Admission of Minnesota into the Union ..................................55 Amendments to the Minnesota Constitution Proposed to the Voters..........................56 Voter Turnout 1950-2006 ..................................................................................................62 Minnesota Legislature ......................................................................................................63 Senate Members ..........................................................................................................65 House Members ..........................................................................................................66 State Legislative District Maps ..................................................................................68 The Life of a Bill ........................................................................................................70 Minnesota Judiciary ..........................................................................................................72 Minnesota Executive Officers ..........................................................................................73 Minnesota’s U.S. Senators ................................................................................................75 Minnesota’s U.S. Representatives ....................................................................................76 Minnesota’s Federally Recognized Indian Tribes ............................................................78 President and Vice President of the United States............................................................79 Supreme Court of the United States ................................................................................79 Index..................................................................................................................................80 FUN FACTS ABOUT MINNESOTA Nicknames: “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” “The Gopher State,” “The North Star State” Organized as territory: March 3, 1849 Entered union: May 11, 1858 (32nd state) Motto: L’Etoile du Nord (The North Star) Area: 86,938.87 square miles (12th largest state) Land area: 79,610.08 square miles Inland waters: 7,328.79 square miles Width: 385 miles Length: 405 miles, extending from 43º 30' to 49º 23' 4" Population: 5,167,101 (2006 estimate—21st largest state) Density per square mile: 65.2 Largest cities: Minneapolis 387,711; St. Paul 287,385; Rochester 97,191; Duluth 85,889; and Bloomington 84,347 Percent urban population: approximately 72 Percent rural population: approximately 28 Total income per capita: $37,322 (2006) Median household income: $47,111 (2000 Census) Median family income: $56,874 (2000 Census) Highest point: Eagle Mountain (Cook County), 2,301 feet Lowest point: Surface of Lake Superior, 602 feet Major river systems: Mississippi, Minnesota, and Red River of the North; Minnesota water flows in three directions: north to Hudson Bay, east to the Atlantic Ocean, and south to the Gulf of Mexico; no water flows into the state Number of lakes: 11,842 that are larger than 10 acres Number of rivers and streams: 6,564 (92,000 miles) Climate: 30-Year Average Twin Cities International Duluth Falls Waterfront Annual precipitation 29.41 inches 23.93 inches 25.60 inches Annual snowfall 55.9 inches 70 inches 37.50 inches Average temperature, January 13.1º F 2.7º F 10.4º F Average temperature, July 73.2º F 66.1º F 65.8º F Annual average temperature 45.3º F 37.4º F 39.8º F Growing season (1977-2006 average) 166 days 130 days 173 days Sources: State Climatology Office, Department of Natural Resources Division of Waters, State Demographer’s Office, U.S. Census Bureau, National Weather Service Photograph: Split Rock Lighthouse on Lake Superior. 2 MINNESOTA STATE SYMBOLS State Seal The Great Seal of the State of Minnesota is the insignia that the secretary of state affixes to government papers and documents to make them official. A seal for the territory of Minnesota was adopted in 1849 and approved by Governor Ramsey and the territorial legislature. When Minnesota became a state on May 11, 1858, there was no official state seal and, according to law, no official act could be undertaken without it. The territorial seal was used as a state seal until Governor Sibley started using a new design. When the legislature did not approve Governor Sibley’s design, he made some changes, including changing the original Latin motto to the French l’étoile du nord, thereby making Minnesota the North Star State. In 1861 the legislature adopted the new design, making it the official state seal. In 1983 the legislature altered the seal further and clearly spelled out details with the hope that there would be a single rendition and not wide variations that had occurred in some past artistic interpretations. There is great symbolism to items inscribed on the seal: The sun, visible on the western horizon, signifies the flat plains covering much of Minnesota. The Indian on horseback is riding due south and represents the Indian heritage of Minnesota. The Indian’s horse and spear and pioneer’s axe, rifle, and plow represent tools that were used for hunting and labor. The stump symbolizes the importance of the lumber industry in Minnesota. The Mississippi River and St. Anthony Falls are depicted to note the importance of these resources in transportation and industry. The cultivated ground and the plow symbolize the importance of agriculture in Minnesota. Beyond the falls, three pine trees represent the state tree and the three great pine regions of Minnesota–St. Croix, Mississippi, and Lake Superior. [Note on private use of the state seal, from a 1988 attorney general’s interpretation of Minnesota Statutes: “Private individuals can reproduce the state seal for their own purposes… the private enlargement, reduction, or embossment of the seal by private citizens is not prohibited. There are a number of consumer protection statutes that could conceivably prohibit the use of the state seal if it is used to misrepresent the nature of a business, or if a person in the course of his business, vocation, or occupation engages in any conduct that creates a likelihood of confusion or of misunderstanding...]” Go to www.sos.state.mn.us/student/seal.html for a downloadable version of the state seal. State Flag The present state flag was adopted by the 1957 legislature. The flag is royal blue with a gold fringe. Pictured in the center of the Kent Kaiser photograph flag is the state seal. Three dates are woven into a wreath of the state flower: 1858, the statehood year; 1819, the year Fort Snelling was established; and 1893, the year the original flag was adopted. Nineteen stars ring the wreath, symbolizing the fact that Minnesota was the 19th state to enter the Union after the original 13. The largest star represents the North Star and Minnesota. 3 State Flower The pink and white lady’s slipper (Cypripedium reginae), also known as the showy lady’s slipper or queen’s lady slipper, was adopted as the state flower in 1902. Found living in open Kent Kaiser photograph fens, bogs, swamps, and damp woods where there is plenty of light, lady’s slippers grow slowly, taking up to 16 years to produce their first flowers.