In case you're wondering why the militia defending Portland, Maine, was called out by the governor of Massachusetts in 1813, that was because Maine was still a part of that state.
However, being physically separated from Massachusetts, Maine was not keen on that idea of being part of Massachusetts. Secessionist sentiment in Maine was stoked during the War of 1812 when Massachusetts' pro-British merchants opposed the war and refused to defend Maine from British invaders.
In 1819, Massachusetts agreed to permit secession, sanctioned by the voters of the rapidly growing Maine the following year.
Formal secession and admission as the 23rd state came on March 15, 1820, as part of the Missouri Compromise, which maintained the balance between slave and free states.
In Case You Were Wondering. --Brock-Perry
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