WISCONSIN
663
WISCONSIN
in Braddock's defeat, in the siege of Fort William
Henrj', and in the defence of Quebec, and in 1760
dispatched a party to the defence of Montreal, but
retired before its fall.
Brilish Dominion. — Upon the fall of New France Wisconsin became British territory and was under miUtary authority. In 1761 a British detachment took over the old French fort at Green Bay and garrisoned it, and British traders began to come in from Albany. In 1763 the formal cession took place; this was quickly followed by the conspiracy of Pontiac. The Wisconsin Indians, however, were divided in sentiment, but upon the whole were friendly to the British, although the fall of Mackinac rendered necessary the evacuation of Green Bay. In 1774 Wisconsin was annexed to the Province of Quebec. During the war for Independence Wis- consin Indians assisted the British, and a punitive expedition sent out by the Americans reached the south-western part of Wisconsin. In 1783 the Treaty of Paris was concluded, ceding to the United States all British territory east of the Mississippi.
American Dominion. — It was not, however, until 1796 that the British finally evacuated their mihtary posts on the Upi)er Lakes, and during this period Wisconsin was practically controlled by British fur- trading companies. Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Virginia claimed territorial rights over Wisconsin, but subsequently ceded these claims to the Federal Government for the formation of the great Northwest Territory, a national domain out of which new states were to be carved. In 1800 the Northwest Territory was cut in two and Wisconsin became a part of the western division, known as Indiana Territorj'. In 1809 the State of Indiana was carved out of the territory of that name, and the remaining part, in- cluding Wisconsin, became Illinois Territory. In 1818 the State of lUinois was carved out of that territory, and the balance, including Wisconsin, became Michigan Territory. In 18.36 Wisconsin Territory was created, including the present states of Minnesota and Iowa and a great part of North Dakota and South Dakota. In 1838 the Territory of Iowa was formed out of a part of Wisconsin Territory. In 1848 Wisconsin was admitted as a state, reduced to the present boundaries, the rest of that domain becoming the Territory of Minnesota. Meanwhile, Dubuque had visited Prairie du Chicn and obtained permission of the Fox Indians to work the lead mines. Settlers had come in; Indian out- breaks had been suppressed; the war of 1812 had come and gone, and Fort Shelby, the first American post in Wisconsin, at Prairie du Chien, had been captured and later abandoned by the British; the Indians had rene%ved their allegiance to the United States, the fur-trade had been restricted to American citizens, Astor's American Fur Company had oper- ated in Wisconsin, and Government fur-trading factories had been estabh.shed at Green Bay and Prairie du Chien. The fir.st school in Wisconsin was opened at Green Bay in 1817. In 1818 Solomon Juneau arrived at Milwaukee, bought out the trading post of his father-in-law, and began the work which has caused him to be considered the founder of the metropolis of the state. The land claims of the French settlers were adjusted, and in 1S21 the first steamer on the Upper Lakes appeared in Lake Michi- gan. In 1822 the Government fur-trading factory system was abolished, and in the same year the rush of speculators to the lead mines in south-western W'isconsin began. In 1832 occurred the Black Hawk War, which, strange to say, appeared to advertise Wisconsin in the east, and increased immigration to its borders. In 1833 Milwaukee w'as platted, and the first newspaper in Wisconsin was established at Green Bay. In 1846, the people having voted in favour of a state Government and the
enabling act having been passed, the first Constitu-
tional Convention opened at Madison, but in April
of the following year the suggested Constitution was
rejected by popular vote. In December, 1847,
the second Constitutional convention gathered, and
on 13 March, 1848, the second Constitution was
adopted by the people and Wisconsin admitted into
the Union under Act of Congress, 29 May. The
population was then about 220,000. In 1848, owing
to the revolutionary troubles in Europe, there flowed
into Milwaukee and the eastern counties of the state
a very large German immigi-ation. These immigrants
and their descendants have done much to colour the
character and habits of the community. There has
been a considerable Irish immigration, followed by a
great Polish immigration; of later years Itahans and
Slavs have come in large numbers.
In 1854 at Ripon the Republican party was organ- ized, and in the same year a fugitive slave, named Glover, was arrested at Racine and was rescued from the Milwaukee jail by a mob. Sherman M. Booth, a fiery Abolitionist, was arrested for com- phcity in the rescue and the Supreme Court of the state discharged him, deciding that the Fugitive Slave law of 1850 was void. This decision was after- wards reversed by the Supreme Court of the Ignited States, and Booth was re-arrested, but was pardoned by President Buchanan. In 1856 occurred the famous quo u'arranto proceeding, by which Barstow, the Democratic nominee, was ousted from the office of governor by Bashford, the Republican candidate. Wisconsin played a prominent part in the Civil War, furnishiiig over 90,000 troops, of whom nearly 11,000 lost their hves. The famous "Iron Brigade" was composed chiefly of Wisconsin troops, commanded by a Wisconsin officer. In 1869 began the agitation for the regulation of railway rates, and in 1874 the so-called Potter Law was passed which hmited freight and passenger charges and which was upheld as constitutional by the Supreme Court of the state. Feeling ran very high and two years later that law was repealed. In 1885 iron ore of an ex- cellent grade was discovered in the Gogebic Range and a great boom began. In 1889 the Legislature l^assed an Act, known as the Bennett Law, which required compulsory education in the English lan- guage. This Act contained some very objectionable features, which cau.sed much indignation among the foreign-speaking citizens, and generally among Cath- olics and Lutherans, who considered it an attack on the parochial schools. The Lutheran authorities denounced it, and it was vigorously opposed by Archbishop Hoiss of Milwaukee, Bishop Flasch of Racine, and Bishop Katzer of Green Bay. During the agitation which followed, the first two bishops died and the burden of the closing stages of the fight fell upon Bishop Katzer's shoulders. The Democrats took up the issue, demanding the repeal of the law, and the state campaign of 1890 was marked by exceeding bitterness. The Democrats carried the state by 30,000 plurality, and the law was immediately repealed.
In 1890 was decided the famous Edgerton Bible case, in which the Supreme Court of the state held that Bible reading in the public schools is sectarian instruction and, therefore, violative of the Constitution. In 1892 the Supreme Court nullified the gerrymander passed by the Democratic Legis- lature, and in 1893 required former state treasurers or their bondsmen to refund the interest which such treasurers had received on state moneys, deposited by them in banks. In the Spani.sh-American War Wisconsin sent over 5000 men to the front. The leading feature of the history of the last ten years in Wisconsin has been the so-called progressive movement in which this state has taken the lead. Much experimental legislation has been passed and
