Exam (elaborations)
Michigan History Questions and Answers
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Exam of 10 pages for the course Michigan mechanic at Michigan mechanic (Michigan History)
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Michigan HistoryPublic Improvement Act - answerThe legislature agreed with the governor and the
apparent will of the people, and, in 1837 passed a Public Improvement Act which
authorized the governor to sell 5 million dollars in bonds, at 5 ½ percent interest, to fund
building two transpeninsular canals and three transpeninsular railroads.
"Great Conspiracy" - answerIn 1846, the state sold railroads to private companies to
help make up budget deficits from the depression. Once the private owners were in
control, they abandoned the policy of reimbursing farmers for slain livestock. The
farmers, furious, began the "conspiracy," sabotaging and attacking trains and depots.
Several were arrested after the burning of a depot, but were eventually freed after
Seward's defense and the death of Fitch (a leader). Companies then began reimbursing
half the value of slain livestock. This is important because it further pitted the farmers
against the "big businesses" like the railroads. It also demonstrates the gap between the
pace of technological development and social/legal development. (p. 183)
James Strang - answerLeader of a band of dissenters opposed to Brigham Young's
polygamy policy. In 1845 took his followers from Salt Lake City, Utah to Racine,
Wisconsin and then to Beaver Island in January 1847. Strang allowed Michigan to be
the only state to have a king ruling over his territory after being admitted to the Union.
James Birney - answerLed the Liberty Party in 1840-44. He was originally an Alabama
slave owner who converted to abolitionism and moved to Michigan. He became a key
figure in the Liberty Party and was the 1st Michigan resident to run for president. He
gained 10% + of the vote in Michigan; little national support. He was then forced to
leave the state due to illness.
Liberty Party - answerMany abolitionists joined the Liberty Party, led by James Birney of
Bay City. While this party was never a major force in Michigan politics, it offered an
outlet for Whigs and Democrats to express their displeasure with the positions taken on
slavery by the major parties. This occurred in the early to mid 1800s.
Detroit "Negro Insurrection" - answerIn1833, an escaped Kentuckian slave from Detroit
was found by slave catchers after he had been in the city for two years. They bribed the
sheriff to arrest him, but soon, his friends (both blacks and whites) caused an "uprising",
they killed the sheriff and injured several of his deputies. They also freed the runaway
slave and sent him and his wife to Canada. In response to these actions, the authorities
sent in the militia to quell the uprising, who beat and arrested several members of the
250-member black community for the 'insurrection'. This first "race riot" led Erotius
, Hastings to form the first Detroit anti-slavery society a year later, and over the next four
years, 18 other abolitionist societies popped up all over Michigan.
Crosswhite - answerWas a case that involved Adam and Sarah Crosswhite and their
children escaped from slavery and the Kentucky farm of
Francis Giltner in August 1843. They settled in Marshall, Michigan.
In January 1847, people from Kentucky came to Marshall and attempted to return the
Crosswhite family to Kentucky and slavery. The Crosswhites, their friends and other
people from Marshall resisted the Kentuckians.
The Kentuckians tried to have the Crosswhites held under the United States Fugitive
Slave Act of 1793. Mr. Crosswhite and another man filed charges of assault and
trespass
against the people from Kentucky. While the local courts sorted out the legal matters,
the
Crosswhites escaped to Canada.
The next summer, the Kentuckians filed charges in the U.S. Circuit Court in Detroit
against some of the Marshall people who had helped the Crosswhites. The case is
called
Giltner v Gorham et al. A jury decided that the Marshall people had violated the 1793
Fugitive Slave Act. The court ordered the Marshall people to pay the Kentuckians
$1,926.
"Under the Oaks" - answerphrase used to describe the origins of the Republican party.
During the Jackson Convention in 1834, people from the Whig, Democratic, and Free
Soiler parties gathered outdoors ("under the oaks") because it was the only space large
enough to accommodate them all. This gathering is significant because it gave birth to
the REpublican party, which united dissenters against the Democratic party and
supported Lincoln in his election. The name "under the oaks" is also significant because
it connotes the "grassroots" foundation of the Republican party--it was truly a party "of
the people."
Austin Blair - answer1841; moved to Michigan and settled in Eaton Rapids, where he
commenced the practice of his profession in 1842; county clerk of Eaton County; moved
to Jackson, Mich., in 1844; elected to the State house of representatives in 1845;
delegate to the Free-Soil National Convention at Buffalo, N.Y., in 1848; elected
prosecuting attorney of Jackson County in 1852; elected to the State senate in 1854;
was present at the organization of the Republican Party in Jackson, Mich.
Zachariah Chandler - answerHe settled in Detroit, opened a successful general store,
and soon became quite wealthy. In 1851 he was elected the Whig Mayor of Detroit, but
he was defeated in his election bid for governor in 1852.
Chandler was one of the founders of the Republican Party at the mass convention
"under the oaks" at Jackson in the summer of 1854. He eventually became the
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