An Act to enlarge the limits of the State of Louisiana

An Act to enlarge the limits of the State of Louisiana

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That, in case the legislature of the state of Louisiana shall consent thereto, all that tract of country comprehended within the following bounds to wit : Beginning at the junction of the Iberville with the river Mississippi ; thence, along the middle of the Iberville, the river Amite, and of the lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain to the eastern mouth of the Pearl River ; thence up the eastern branch of Pearl River to the thirty-first degree of north latitude ; thence along the said degree of latitude to the river Mississippi ; thence down the said river to the place of beginning, shall become and form a part of the said state of Louisiana, and be subject to the constitution and laws thereof, in the same manner, and for all intents and purposes, as if it had been included within the original boundaries of the said state.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That it shall be incumbent upon the Legislature of the state of Louisiana, in case they consent to the incorporation of the territory aforesaid within their limits, at their first session, to make provision by law for the representation of the said territory in the legislature of the state upon the principles of the constitution, and for securing to the peojIe of the said territory equal rights, privileges, benefits, and advantages with those enjoyed by the people of the other parts of the state; which law shall be liable to revision, modification, and amendment by Congress, and also in the manner provided for the amendment of the state constitution, but shall not be liable to change or amendment by the legislature of the state.

Approved, April 14, 1812.

Act of Congress April 14, 1812, c. 57, 2 U.S.Stat. 708