Skip to main content

The Michigan History Center specifies the Defining Michigan Era from 1787 with the creation of the Northwest Territory via the Northwest Ordinance to 1855 after the last of a series of treaties that effectively removed large numbers of Anishnaabek people from Michigan. The people of Michigan navigated, negotiated and generated rapid change during this time. Different visions for Michigan raised big and sometimes contentious questions about freedom, citizenship and access to resources.

Search the Digital Archive