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Copyright © 2010 Perfect Places

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Attributed to: Music is Love Anthems

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USA Michigan State Symbols/Beautiful Places/Song MICHIGAN, MY MICHIGAN w/lyrics

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Copyright ©2017 James Eye View

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Physical Characteristics- Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes

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Physical Characteristics- Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes

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Attributed to: NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory

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NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory

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My Trip to the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes!

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My Trip to the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes!

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Copyright belongs to me

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CC BY Attribution
http://www.ushistory.org/us/11.asp

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When the possibility of a clash with the British became real, New England farmers began to arm themselves and train for battle. These troops were dubbed "minutemen" because they could be ready to fight in a minute. This monument to the minutemen stands in Concord, Massachusetts.

How could the Americans ever hope defeat the mighty British Empire in a military conflict?

Americans faced seemingly impossible obstacles. When the guns fired at Lexington and Concord in 1775, there was not yet even a Continental Army. Those battles were fought by local militias. Few Americans had any military experience, and there was no method of training, supplying, or paying an army.

Moreover, a majority of Americans opposed the war in 1775. Many historians believe only about a third of all Americans supported a war against the British at that time.

Further, the Colonies had a poor track record of working together.

How, then, could a ragtag group of patriots defeat the British?

Early Battles

The Battle of Bunker Hill was not a military victory for the colonial forces, but it served as an important morale booster. The colonists inflicted heavy casualties on the larger, more powerful British forces.

The early stages of war, in 1775, can be best described as British military victories and American moral triumphs. The British routed the minutemen at Lexington, but the relentless colonists unleashed brutal sniper fire on the British returning to Boston from Concord.

In June 1775, the colonists failed to prevail at Bunker Hill, but inflicted heavy casualties on a vastly superior military force. A year later, in 1776, while the British occupied New York, Washington led his army to two surprise victories at Trenton and Princeton that uplifted the morale of the patriots.

Regardless, by 1777 the British occupied Philadelphia, the seat of the Continental Congress, and sent that body into hiding. The British also controlled New York City and pretty much had their way in the waters along the Eastern Seaboard. In fact, there was no Continental Navy to speak of at this time. Meanwhile, the British began mounting a southward attack from Canada into upstate New York. This threatened to cut New England off from the rest of the Colonies.

Saratoga and Valley Forge: The Tide Turns

The Battle of Saratoga, in northern New York, served as a critical turning point. The British attempt to capture the Hudson River Valley ended with their surrender to General Horatio Gates in October. Washington, having lost Philadelphia, led his troops to Valley Forge to spend the winter. None of the world's powers had come to the aid of the patriot cause - yet.

In early 1778, the French agreed to recognize American independence and formed a permanent alliance with the new nation. Military help and sizable stores of much-needed gunpowder soon arrived. The tide was beginning to turn.

The surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown marked the end of the Revolutionary War. This painting by John Trumbull is 12 feet by 18 feet and hangs in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol Building.

A New Type of War

The British grew increasingly frustrated. The loss at Saratoga was humiliating. Capturing the enemy's capital, Philadelphia, did not bring them much advantage. As long as the American Continental Army and state militias remained in the field, the British had to keep on fighting. And no matter how much damage the British did to American cities or private property, the Americans refused to surrender. This was a new type of war.

Having failed in the north, the British turned their attention to the south. They hoped to inspire Loyalist support among dissatisfied Americans - a hope that was never realized. Fighting continued. The threat of French naval participation kept the British uneasy.

A Stunning Defeat

In October 1781, the war virtually came to an end when General Cornwallis was surrounded and forced to surrender the British position at Yorktown, Virginia. Two years later, the Treaty of Paris made it official: America was independent.

How could the Americans ever hope defeat the mighty British Empire in a military conflict? Perhaps an even better question to ask is, How did the mighty British Empire ever expect to vanquish the Americans?

Major Battles of the American Revolution

Sure we've heard the names of the generals and admirals of the American Revolution, but have you heard of Major John Clarke? Probably not . . . because he was America's first master spy.
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Dearest Friend, The Day; perhaps the decisive Day is come on which the fate of America depends. -Abigail Admas (1775). So begins the future first lady's letter to her husband, John Adams, following the Battle of Bunker Hill.
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At the Battle of Saratoga, Benedict Arnold was shot in his left leg and as a result had a limp for the rest of his life. A monument to Arnold's leg can be found at Saratoga National Historical Park.

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When the possibility of a clash with the British became real, New England farmers began to arm themselves and train for battle. These troops were dubbed "minutemen" because they could be ready to fight in a minute. This monument to the minutemen stands in Concord, Massachusetts.

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The Log Cabin Quilt- Read Aloud about Pioneers

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The Log Cabin Quilt- Read Aloud about Pioneers

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Attributed to: Kate Boynton

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CC BY-SA License
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_date_of_admission_to_the_Union

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List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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The first 13 became states in July 1776 when they agreed to the United States Declaration of Independence. Each of those 13 agreed to the first U.S. constitution, called the Articles of Confederation, which formed the first Union of states between 1777 and 1781.

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The Legend of the Sleeping Bear- Read Aloud

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The Legend of the Sleeping Bear- Read Aloud

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Attributed to: Storytime with Oma

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Learn how Michigan has changed over the years!

Copyright © 2010 Journey to the Past

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Some of you may have seen the Pure Michigan commercials enticing you to visit Michigan. They even make me want to get out and explore my home state. Pure Michigan is a tourism campaign to encourage people to come and enjoy all that Michigan has to offer. If you haven't been to Michigan I invite you to come and enjoy our beautiful state.

I decided to borrow their slogan for my genealogy posts on my home state, Michigan. I have been working, over the last few months, on a series of posts that will help those who have ancestors in Michigan with their research. I have lived in Michigan for over 50 years and am fortunate that all eight of my great-grandparents settled here. My roots run deep in Michigan.
Michigan has a deep heritage that starts before 1600. The state is rich in resources for genealogists. Please join me as we discover together my Pure Michigan Genealogy.
Michigan's early history starts with the Native American nations of Chippewa, Ottawa, Potawatami, Huron, Menominee, Miami, and a few others. European settlers came to what is now Michigan and found about 15,000 Native Americans. The timeline below shows the important events in Michigan History.

1622 Etienne Brule, a french explorer, is credited with being the first European explorer in Michigan.
1668 The first permanent settlement was established in Sault Sainte Marie by Father Pere Jacques Marquette. Sault Ste Marie is the oldest community in Michigan.
1671 A Catholic mission was established at St. Ignace. 1691 Fort Saint Joseph (now Niles) was built.

1701 Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac and Alphonse de Tonty established a French settlement at Fort Pontchartrain (now Detroit). Their wives settled there and are thought to be the first European women in Michigan.
1715 Fort Michilimackinac is built in what is now Mackinaw City, Michigan.

1756 The French and Indian War begins.
1760 Fort Pontchartrain is surrendered by the French to the British and ends French rule in Detroit.
1787 Michigan becomes part of the Northwest Territory, except for Detroit and Mackinac which are under British control.
1796 British withdraws from all posts in Michigan.

1800 The area becomes part of the Indiana Territory.

1805 The Michigan Territory is created by Congress.

1812 The War of 1812 begins and Michigan is in British control until 1813.

1818 The first land office is opened. Steamships on the Great Lakes travel from Buffalo to Detroit.

1819 The Treaty of Saginaw gives millions of acres of Native American lands to settlers.

1825 Erie Canal to Buffalo is completed.

1832 The Chicago Road between Detroit and Chicago is completed.

1835 The Toledo War. The settlement of this war gave Ohio the area known as the Toledo Strip and Michigan is granted what is now known as the Upper Peninsula.

1837 Michigan becomes the 26th state.

1840 Copper deposits found on Keweenaw Peninsula.

1847 Law passed relocating the state capitol to Lansing from Detroit.

1879 New State Capitol building is dedicated.

Michigan and its'83 Counties

1900 All of Michigan's 83 counties are settled.

1908 First car, the Model T, rolls off the assembly line in Detroit.

1929 Ambassodor Bridge from Detroit to Windsor, Ontario opens.

1930 Windsor Tunnel from Detroit to Windsor, Ontario opens.

1957 Mackinac Bridge opens connecting the lower and upper peninsula's of Michigan.

Michigan History is the first of ten posts about researching in Michigan. The others are:

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Some of you may have seen the Pure Michigan commercials enticing you to visit Michigan. They even make me want to get out and explore my home state. Pure Michigan is a tourism campaign to encourage people to come and enjoy all that Michigan has to offer.