Riordan speaks with News Center Maine about state’s bicentennial
News Center Maine interviewed Liam Riordan, a professor of history at the University of Maine, for the report, “Maine bicentennial celebrates rich, complex path to statehood.” Events were held July 30 to mark the official start of the 200th anniversary of Maine becoming a state, according to the report. Riordan said there were several issues that had to be settled to finally convince Mainers to leave Massachusetts. “There were three things I would say changed the momentum: The War of 1812, the federal coasting law, and the other crucial thing is the changing balance of partisan politics in Massachusetts and the District of Maine,” he said. The path was finally cleared for the statehood vote on July 19, 1819, according to Riordan. “It takes six different votes from the early 1790s until July of 1819 before there’s a clear majority of voters in Maine who are indicating that they would like to separate from Massachusetts and become an independent state,” he said. It would be another eight months before Maine was admitted to the union on March 15, 2020. Maine’s bicentennial celebration will unfold over the coming year, the report states.