Western expansion evolved as the Land Ordinance of 1785 and Northwest Ordinance of 1787 came into effect (Lecture, week four). The Land Ordinance was the surveying of land to establish boundaries such as townships. The Northwest Ordinance was to regulate settlement of the northwest territory which in turn, eventually divided the territory into several states, one of them being Michigan. In order for a state to be a state, the population needed to reach 60,000. Starting in the first half of 19th century, innovations such as canals, steamboats, railroads, and telegraphs helped to jumpstart the linkage between these farmers to both national and world markets, making them key consumers of manufactured goods (Foner, p. 250). For Michigan, the innovation …show more content…
In the Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan, the soil deposits and mineral distribution is not as rich as the soil that is found in Southern Michigan. Because of this, many of these migrants settled in the south and in spring to start farm building. Yet, there were Native Americans that were settled in these areas so treaties were made to compromise with these indigenous people. One of these treaties was the Treaty of Saginaw in 1819. This reserved several smaller areas of land for the natives to live in out in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan (Lecture, week 4). Michigan’s basis of economy was fur trade as this was how the natives traded. Yet, as more migrants started to venture into the state, the wilderness was destroyed as settlers made room for farmland. As this expansion increased, Michigan soon became part of the European world …show more content…
As it was mentioned before, most of these migrants were young and from the middling lot. The first task settlers had to achieve was attaining some type of shelter. Log houses were very expensive at the time, so most lived in temporary huts to counteract for food. These settlers did not want to starve, so they had to compromise with what resources they had. Wealth was a huge factor when it came to what was brought over as these people migrated. The average family had the major necessities such as clothes, flour, salt, iron pan, ax, and rifle. The wealthier families had extra accessories such as plates, windows, and some types of furniture. Hogs were vital livestock animals as well as chickens and cows. Not only were livestock important on the frontier, but so were plants such as gourds. These were used for bowls, plates and other things that were needed. Since settlers only brought few clothes, they started to adopt native clothes (lecture, week 4). These were made from flax which is turning plants into fibers that would be spun and woven into clothes. Since it was a cashless economy, trades were made between the natives and settlers mostly consisting of food. The pioneer goods such as fats and salts were in equal value as the natives traded wild game, fruits, and fish. Lastly, the social life was a big community feel as families worked together to help one another. Also, barn dances were a huge social event where young adults