True Life Tuesday: The Toldeo War

For what it is worth I believe that Michigan ended up winning this war. In 1787 the Congress of Confederation enacted the Northwest Ordinance which created the Northwest Territory. Eventually the territory was supposed to be divided into no less than 3 and no more than 5 states. The boundary was declared to be "an east and west line drawn through the southerly extreme of Lake Michigan." This boundary was used in 1802 which is when Ohio began the process of becoming a state. At this time it was reported that Lake Michigan actually went further south than previously believed. This fact would lead to Ohio losing quite a bit of land. When creating the state constitution included a provision angling the boundary line. When Congress accepted the constitution this provision was included. 

When Congress created the Michigan Territory they disregarded the boundary line included in the Ohio constitution and used the original line. This meant that a part of Ohio now belonged to Michigan. The Ohio legislature asked Congress to take up the issues. In 1812 they approved a survey of the line but it was delayed by the War of 1812. In 1816 the boundary in the Ohio constitution was upheld. Michigan territorial, Lewis Cass, objected to the decision and commissioned a second survey which agreed with boundary used when the territory was created. The area in question was named the Toledo strip and was 5-8 miles wide. 

Michigan ended up occupying the strip setting up local governments, building roads and collecting taxes. The location of the strip was near rivers and the Great Lakes which made it economically significant. The area was also fertile with loam soil which made it excellent for agriculture. When Michigan was able to apply for statehood in 1833 Congress rejected the request because of the disputed area. Ohio refused to cede the area and petitioned other states to block Michigan's entrance as a state. In January 1835 Michigan territorial governor, Stevens T. Mason, called for a constitutional convention without the approval of Congress. On March 31, 1835 the an Ohio Militia arrived in Perrysburg, Ohio - about 10 miles southwest of Toledo. Governor Mason sent 1000 armed men to Toledo to prevent the Ohio militia from entering the area. 

President Andrew Jackson was desperate to avoid an armed conflict. Ohio was quickly becoming a political power and was often a swing state in presidential elections. On April3, 1835 Jackson sent Richard Rush of Pennsylvania and Benjamin Chew Howard of Maryland to arbitrate the issue. Ohio agreed to arbitrate but Michigan refused and prepared for conflict. On April 26, 1835 a group of surveyors were attacked by the Michigan militia in what was called the Battle of Phillips Corners. Michigan claimed that they did not fire on the surveyors but the incident increased tensions between the two parties. In May and June 1835 Michigan drafted a constitution but Congress refused to accept it. President Jackson also vowed to deny Michigan entry as a state unless the dispute was resolved. 

In August 1835 at the urging of the members of Congress from Ohio President Jackson removed Mason as the territorial governor of Michigan. He was replaced by John S. "Little Jack" Horner. Horner was extremely unpopular. Michigan residents actually burned him in effigy. In October 1835 Mason was reelected as governor. On June 15, 1836 President Jackson signed a bill allowing Michigan to become a state if the ceded the Toledo strip. As a concession Michigan would be given the western 3/4s of what is now the Upper Peninsula. This area was considered to be ill-suited for agriculture. In a special convention in Ann Arbor in September 1836 the offer was rejected. As 1836 continued Michigan was almost bankrupt due to the cost of the militia. At this time the federal government had a surplus that it was planning on distributing to the states. Since Michigan was a territory they would not be eligible to receive the payment. Another convention was convened in Ann Arbor was held on December 14, 1836 and Congress' terms were accepted. Many people felt that this convention was illegal and it became known as the Frostbitten Convention. On January 26, 1837 Michigan was admitted as the 26th state in the union.