finish his term as governor. Madison signed the bill, ignoring Posey's plea. Dennis Pennington, a leading member of the territorial legislature, was able to secure the election of many anti-slavery delegates to the constitutional convention. Jennings was a delegate from Clark County. At the convention, held in June 1816 in the new territorial capital of Corydon, Jennings was elected president of the assembly, which permitted him to appoint the convention's committee chairmen. Although the delegates drafted a new constitution for Indiana, the majority of the content was copied from other state constitutions, most notably Ohio and Kentucky. A few items were new and unique to Indiana. Slavery, which was already prohibited in territorial legislation, was banned in the Indiana constitution; however, contracts for indentured servants, if they were already in existence, were preserved. The new state government, divided into legislative, executive, and judicial branches, gave the governor limited powers and concentrated authority in the hands of the Indiana General Assembly and county officials. Shortly after the convention, Jennings publicly announced his candidacy for governor. Governor Campaign and election At the state convention in June 1816, Jennings may have informed some of the delegates that he intended to run for governor and by early July 1816 he had publicly announced his candidacy. Thomas Posey, Indiana's last territorial governor, was Jennings's opponent. Posey announced his own candidacy for governor prior to the convention's adjournment on June 29, 1816. With just five weeks before the August 5 election, there was little active campaigning. Posey, who thought Indiana statehood was premature, was not a popular candidate and suffered from health issues. Jennings won by a large majority, 5,211 votes to 3,934. Most of Jennings's votes probably came from the eastern portion of the state, where his support was particularly strong, while Posey's probably came from the western portion. Jennings moved to the new state capital at Corydon, where he served the duration of his term as governor. Jennings's salary as governor, which was the highest for an elected official in the state, was $1,000. Under the constitution, the governor served a three-year term and was prohibited from serving more than six years in a nine-year period. Jennings's agenda called for establishing court proceedings to secure justice, organizing a state-funded educational systems, creating a state banking system, preventing unlawful seizure and enslavement of free blacks, organizing a state library, and planning internal improvements. His efforts