War of Toledo

The Toledo War (Michigan-Ohio War ) is an almost bloodless territorial dispute between the US state of Ohio and the adjacent territory of Michigan (1835–1836).

Collisions arose due to the conflict between federal and state laws that existed in 1787–1805, and also because of a dispute due to a misunderstanding of the geographical features of the Great Lakes . Various interpretations of the law by the governments of Ohio and Michigan have led both governments to speak of sovereignty over an area of ​​468 square miles (1210 km²) along the border line, now known as the Toledo wedge, or Toledo Strip . When Michigan asked for US state status in 1835, he also sought to include disputed territory within its borders, and the Ohio congressional delegation, in turn, impeded Michigan's admission to the United States.

Beginning in 1835, both sides passed legislation, trying to force the capitulation of the opposite side. Ohio Governor Robert Lucas and the 24-year-old Governor Boy Stevens T. Mason Not wanting to give way to the jurisdiction of the Strip, they raised militias and helped to institute criminal proceedings against citizens subordinate to the authorities of another state. The militias were mobilized and sent to positions on opposite sides of the Momi River near Toledo , but besides mutual abusive jokes, there was little interaction between the two forces. The military confrontation ended with a report of shots in the air, no one was hurt.

During the summer of 1836, Congress proposed a compromise in which Michigan renounced its claim to the Strip in exchange for admission to the United States and about three quarters of the Upper Peninsula . A compromise was considered a bad outcome for Michigan, because at that time almost the entire Upper Peninsula was Indian territory. Michigan in September in a convention reasonably rejected this proposal.

In December 1836, the Michigan government, faced with a severe financial crisis and pressure from Congress and President Andrew Jackson , adopted another convention (the so-called Frostbitten Convention ), which agreed to a compromise that ended the war for Toledo. Subsequently, the discovery of copper and iron deposits, as well as the abundance of wood on the Upper Peninsula, more than offset the economic losses of Michigan in connection with the relinquishment of rights to Toledo.