Michigan History Writing Project-Winter 2014

Allison Skelton
MMCC
Bill Mathews


Option 1:
The Ojibwa tribe lived near the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River around five
hundred years ago. Around the time of 1660 they migrated westward, guided by a vision
of a seashell floating down a river. At the straits of Mackinac, the channel of water
connecting Lake Michigan and Lake Huron the vision had ended and that is when the
Ojibwa tribe had divided into three groups. The Potawatomi moved south and settled in
the area between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron while the Ottawa tribe moved north of
Lake Huron. The third group, the Ojibwa, settled among the eastern shoreline of Lake
Superior. Because of the split of the tribe, the Potawatomi, Ottawa and the Ojibwa are
known as the Three Fires. Before the contact with Europeans, The Ojibwa adapted their
lifestyle to survive in densely wooded areas by networks of lakes and rivers. They lived
a semi nomadic life by moving a number of times each year to be close to food sources.
The Clothing they wore were primarily made from animal hides such as tanned
deerskin. They would use bones, feathers, shells and even dyed porcupine quills before
they began trading with the Europeans. The Ojibwa tribe focused on inward personal
experience as their religion. There were beliefs of spirits who would live within lakes and
would practice cannibalism. they believed that they were an element of nature, no
greater or less significant than anything that was living. Dreams were very significant to
them. They thought that dreams had a very powerful meaning to them and thought it
was more of a vision on how they should live or even conduct their future. After
European contact, everything changed for them, they had to become different people.
During the first contact with the Europeans, they were exposed to a numerous amounts
of diseases such as smallpox, tuberculosis and trachoma. The tribe had to sign treaties
which drew boundaries between Ojibwa lands and lands that were designated for other
tribes or non- Native Americans. In 1887, the Dawes Act came into play. It was a
policy encouraging assimilation of the Native Americans to be a part of the white
culture such as going to school, speaking English, and changing the way they lived,
dressed and their beliefs. The Ojibwa tribe is a big part of Michigans history. They
were the first tribe of Native Americans to begin their life in the Great Lakes.


Option 2:
In 1666, Father Pere Marquette was assigned to venture to North America. He
was very interested in traveling and discovering new lands, but he was most passionate
about teaching others about his religion. At age seventeen. Marquette became a
member of the Society of Jesus and became a Jesuit Missionary. He first traveled to
Quebec, Canada where he learned and conversed fluently in six different Native
American dialects. In 1668, he started to establish missions farther up the St. Lawrence
River in western Michigan. He also helped establish missions in Sault Ste. Marie and St.
Ignace. While he was discovering new missions, he met the famous French explorer,
Louis Jolliet and the two became great friends. They both shared one goal to find the
river which the natives called Messipi or the Great Water. The two leaders also had
two very different ambitions. Jolliet, which was a well experienced geographer and
mapmaker was focused on the finding of the river while Marquette was more about
spreading the word of God with the people he encountered with on the way to find the
river. Marquette traveled westward to Green bay, went up the Fox River to a portage
that crossed the Wisconsin River and entered the Mississippi. Following the Mississippi
to the mouth of the Arkansas River, Joliet and Marquette found that it flowed through
hostile Spanish territory. Fearing an encounter with the colonists and other explorers,
they decided to return home by the way of the Illinois River. When they reached home,
Joliet and Marquette went their separate ways. Joliet continued on to Canada to spread
the news of the exploration and the discoveries they found while Marquette stayed
behind in Green bay. In 1674, Marquette set out to find a Mission among the native
Americans in Illinois. As the cold winter weather started, he and two other companions
camped near a site of what is now Chicago. They became the first Europeans to live
there. When spring arrived, Marquette reached the Indians he sought out, but he
contracted dysentery which is an infection of the intestines while on his mission, forced
him to return back home. A year later on May 18th, 1675, Father Pere Marquette died.
Marquette has been recognized and memorialized for many of his accomplishments,
particularly in the names of parks, towns and geographical locations.

Option 3:

Mackinac Island was critically located to control navigation between Lake Huron
and Lake Michigan with access to the northwest and in maintaining First Nations
alliances. General Brock, a commander for Upper Canada, declared that he would take
over the island if war broke out with the United States. When the war was declared,
Brock sent unfavorable messages to Captain Charles Roberts, the commander at Fort
St. Joseph, who read them as instructions to attack Fort Mackinac. Roberts and his men
left for the American post by Bateaux. They landed the following day and then marched
to the fort. The commander of this fort, Lieutenant Porter Hank, was offered to surrender
and he accepted. Hanks and his sixty one men were held and taken prisoner and sent
to Detroit on parole. The victory allowed the British to cement their alliance with the local
First Nations groups. When General William Hull learned of the British victory, he
canceled his invasion of Upper Canada and withdrew to Detroit. The loss of Mackinac
and the defeat at Detroit were serious setbacks for the American war effort. Plans then
were put into place to gain control of Lake Erie, Detroit and capture Fort Mackinac. The
first two were achieved and the third would not be attempted until 1814. The loss of
Lake Erie cut the British supply to Fort Mackinac and the northwest. In the Spring of
1814, Captain Arthur Sinclair was ordered to take control of the upper lakes by
recapturing Fort Mackinac and destroying British naval on the lakes. After destroying
the abandoned British post at St. Josephs island, Sinclairs men the raided an outpost
on St. Marys River, near Sault Ste Marie. The fight began on August 4th. The
Americans slowly advanced, while the British held their line. Lieutenant George
Croghan sent troops to defeat the British. The troops that were moving on the left of the
British were attacked fiercely and were forced to be driven back. There was a brief
exchange of fire that followed which made Croghan withdrawal from the fight. He lost 19
men and 45 were wounded, while the British had no losses. After a peace agreement in
1815, the British left Mackinac Island and was now re-occupied by the United States.



Sources:

Roy, Loriene. "Countries and Their Cultures." Ojibwa. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.
"Jacques Marquette." Jacques Marquette. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.
"Jacques Marquette Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.
Grodzinski, John R. "War of 1812." War of 1812. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.
Rickard, John. "Battle of Mackinac Island, 17 July 1812." Battle of Mackinac Island, 17 July
1812. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.