What Is The Cause Of The Toledo War?

This rise in population lead many governing officials to seek statehood for the territory. The population had passed the sixty thousand requirement and was estimated to be around eighty five thousand. Congress at the time was not willing to make Michigan a state and President Jackson wanted to keep his successors in power. Michigan would have brought three electoral votes into the electoral college. These electoral votes would have most likely gone against Jackson’s party. Another huge issue that prolonged the creation of the state of Michigan was the fight over the Toledo strip. The Toledo strip was a piece of land that was a part of the state of Ohio, but it was also wanted by the Michigan territory. The Toledo strip was a product
The Ohio government thought that Toledo would become the next big city, like New York. Michigan did not want Ohio to have this power and thus wanted to own the Toledo strip for themselves. This argument over the Toledo strip turned into a full on battle between the state of Ohio and the Michigan Territory. The arguing lead to the Toledo War and it took place during the year of 1835. The first move that was made during the “War” was the passage of the Pains and Penalties Act, which “made it illegal for Ohioans to carry out any official governmental activities in the Toledo Strip upon “Pain and Penalty” of a $1,000 and five-year imprisonment.” (Rosentreter, pp. 92). Afraid of rising tensions President Jackson sent two commissioners to the Strip to investigate the situation. They arrived in Toledo to see the first hostilities of the war, however these hostilities did not lead to any casualties. The commissioners created a compromise stating that the Michigan Territory had to suspend the Pains and Penalties Act, Ohio would have control over the Harris Line, and that the Strip was to be under joint jurisdiction until Congress could resolve the