On December 28, 1846, an act was approved which ad- mitted Iowa into the Union on an equal footing with the original thirteen States.

1 The first State legislature, how- ever, had already convened at Iowa City on November 30th, had effected organization, and had enacted some legislation.

2 At this time the laws in force in Iowa could not readily be ascertained.

The earlier legislation of the Territorial period had been printed, it is true, in The Old Blue Book and The Blue Book; but these compilations contained only a portion of the statute law.

The Blue Book had been published in 1843, and during the four year period between 1843 and December, 1846, a great mass of legisla- tion was enacted.