Michigan Admitted to the Union
Michigan became the 26th state of the United States on January 26, 1837. The region has a rich history that began with European exploration by figures such as Etienne Brule in the early 17th century, followed by the establishment of Sault Ste. Marie as Michigan's first permanent settlement in 1668. Detroit, founded in 1701, played a crucial role in controlling trade routes between major lakes. Following various territorial changes, including transitions from French to British and then American control after the Revolutionary War, Michigan was organized as a separate territory in 1805.
The path to statehood was complicated by a boundary dispute with Ohio and the need to maintain a balance between free and slave states in Congress. Despite these challenges, Michigan entered the Union as a free state, reflecting the abolition of slavery in its region. The state has a significant geographical advantage with coastlines on four of the Great Lakes, fostering industrial growth, particularly in the automotive sector centered in Detroit. The opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959 further enhanced Michigan’s role as a vital shipping hub, contributing to its economic development.
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Michigan Admitted to the Union
Michigan Admitted to the Union
Michigan, the 26th state, was admitted to the Union on January 26, 1837. The Michigan area was probably first visited by Europeans when the Frenchman Etienne Brule reached the Sault Ste. Marie narrows, strategically located between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, in 1618. He was followed by other explorers, fur traders, and missionaries, including Jean Nicolet, who reached Sault Ste. Marie in 1634. Sault Ste. Marie was the site of Michigan's first permanent settlement, founded in 1668 by P`ere Jacques Marquette as a Jesuit mission. Detroit, as strategic in its way as Sault Ste. Marie, since it effectively controls the entrance to Lake Huron and Lake Erie, was founded in 1701 by the French under Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac.
The lands now within the boundaries of the state of Michigan passed to the English in 1760 and 1761 and to the United States in 1783, with the signing of the Treaty of Paris after the conclusion of the American Revolution. It was 1796, though, before the British actually surrendered Detroit and Mackinac. At first part of the Northwest Territory (from 1787), then part of the new Indiana Territory (from 1803), Michigan was organized as a separate territory in 1805. Although the region was again occupied by Great Britain during the War of 1812, it was virtually all recovered within the next year.
Michigan was enlarged by the cession of Indian lands between 1814 and 1836. It set up a state government without federal sanction and applied for statehood in 1835, although its actual admission was delayed until January 26, 1837, by a boundary dispute with Ohio and by debate in Congress over maintaining the balance between free and slave states. With the admission of Arkansas, a slave state, in 1836, Michigan's statehood was assured. Under both the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the earlier Northwest Ordinance of 1787, slavery was prohibited in the region occupied by Michigan; it could thus enter the Union as a free state, offsetting Arkansas. January 26, the anniversary of Michigan's actual admission in 1837, was formally observed as Michigan Day in earlier years.
The capital of Michigan is Lansing. With a coastline on four of the Great Lakes, Michigan has excellent transportation facilities, which have furthered industrial development. Detroit, Michigan, is a world leader in the manufacture of automobiles and other motor vehicles, an industry that suffered greatly in the 1970s and 1980s under the twin blows of gasoline price increases and Japanese competition, but which recovered significantly in the 1990s. With the 1959 opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, which turned the Great Lakes cities into international ports, Michigan has also become an important shipping area.