Explore Wisconsin

• History of Wisconsin
• Wisconsin Economy
• The Green Bay Packers
• Milwaukee Brewers

History of Wisconsin Wisconsin is a state in the United By the 1840s, the easily accessible States, and is located in the Great deposits were worked out, and Lakes region. The capital of the state experienced miners were drawn to the is Madison, and its current governor is California Gold Rush. This period of Jim Doyle. mining before and during the early years Wisconsin, bordered by the states of of statehood directly led to the Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois, development of state's nickname, the as well as Lakes Michigan and Superior, "Badger State". Many miners and their has been part of United States territory families lived in the mines in which since the end of the American they worked until adequate above-ground Revolution; the Wisconsin Territory shelters were built and were thus (which included parts of other current compared to badgers. states) was formed on July 3, 1836. In the 1830-60 period, large numbers of Wisconsin ratified its constitution Yankees from New England and New York March 13, 1848 and was admitted to the flocked to Wisconsin. The New Yorkers Union on May 29, 1848 as the thirtieth were influential in bringing dairy state. farming to the state. As New York was Wisconsin's economy was originally based the leading dairy state at the time, on farming (especially dairy), mining, migrants from there brought with them and lumbering. In the 20th century the skills needed for dairy farming, as tourism became important, and many well as butter and cheese production. people living on former farms commuted Other Yankees settled in towns or cities to jobs elsewhere. Large-scale where they set up businesses, factories, industrialization began in the late 19th mills, banks, schools, libraries, century in the southeast of the state, colleges, and voluntary societies. They with the city of Milwaukee as its major created many Congregational, center. In recent decades, service Presbyterian and Methodist churches that industries, especially medicine and still exist. The Yankees created the education, have become dominant. Republican party in 1854—the first Wisconsin's landscape, largely shaped by local meeting in the country came in the Wisconsin glaciation of the last Ice Ripon. They gave strong support to the Age, makes the state popular for both Civil War effort, as well as to reforms tourism and many forms of outdoor such as abolition, woman suffrage and, recreation. especially, prohibition.Even larger Since its founding, Wisconsin has been numbers of Germans arrived, so that the ethnically heterogeneous, with Yankees state became over one-third German. Most being among the first to arrive from New became farmers. Others moved to York and New England. They dominated the Milwaukee and smaller cities setting up state's heavy industry, finance, breweries and becoming craftsmen, politics and education. Large numbers of machinists and skilled workers who were European immigrants followed them, in high demand as the state including Germans, mostly between 1850 industrialized. The Germans were split and 1900, Scandinavians and smaller along religious lines. Most Germans were groups of Belgians, Dutch, Swiss, Finns, Catholic or Lutheran, with some Irish and others; in the twentieth Lutherans forming the Wisconsin Synod century, large numbers of Poles and and others joining the Missouri Synod. African-Americans came, settling mainly The Catholics and Lutherans created in Milwaukee. their own network of parochial schools, Today, 42.6% of the population is of through grade 8. Smaller numbers of German ancestry, making Wisconsin one of Germans were Methodists, Jews, or the most German-American states in the anticlerical liberals (especially United States. Since 1970 the Hmong have intellectual refugees). Politically they settled in Wisconsin. Numerous ethnic tended toward the Democratic party, but festivals are held throughout Wisconsin 30-40% voted Republican. Whenever the to celebrate its heritage. Republicans seemed to support During the period of the Civil War, prohibition, they shifted somewhat Wisconsin was a Republican and pro-Union toward the Democrats. When nativist stronghold. Ethno-religious issues in Republicans led by governor William the late 19th century caused a brief Hoard passed the Bennett Law in 1889 split in the Republican coalition. that would shut down German language Through the first half of the 20th schools, both Catholic and Lutheran, century, Wisconin's politics were they revolted and helped elect the dominated by Robert La Follette and his Democrats in 1890. In World War I, sons, originally of the Republican German culture came under heavy attack Party, but later of their own in Wisconsin. Senator LaFollette became Progressive Party. Since 1945, the state their protector and Germans strongly has maintained a close balance between supported his wing of the Republican Republicans and Democrats. Republican party after that. Senator Joe McCarthy was a major Scandinavians comprised the third national figure in the early 1950s. largest ethnic block, with Norwegians, Recent leading Republicans include Danes, Swedes, and Finns becoming former Governor Tommy Thompson and farmers and lumberjacks in the western Congressman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr.; and northern districts. A large Danish prominent Democrats include governor Jim settlement in Racine gave the only large Doyle, Senators Herb Kohl and Russ urban presence. The great majority were Feingold, and Congressman Dave Obey. Lutheran, of various synods. The In 1634, Frenchman Jean Nicolet became Scandinavians supported prohibition and Wisconsin's first European explorer, voted Republican; in the early 20th landing at Red Banks, near modern-day century they were the backbone of the Green Bay in search of a passage to the LaFollette movement. Irish Catholics Orient. The French controlled the area came to Milwaukee and Madison and until it was ceded to the British in smaller cities as railroad workers. They 1763. quickly became prominent in local Wisconsin was part of the original U.S. government and in the Democratic party. Northwest Territory from 1788 to 1800. They wrestled with the German Catholics It was then governed as part of Indiana for control of the Catholic church in Territory (1800-1809), Illinois the state. Territory (1809-1818), and Michigan Name Territory (1818-1836). Settlement began "Wisconsin" is thought to be an English when the first two public land offices version of a French adaptation of an opened in 1834. Wisconsin Territory was Indian word. It may come from the Ojibwe organized on July 3, 1836, and it became word Miskwasiniing, meaning "Red-stone the 30th state on May 29, 1848. place," which was probably the name The state mineral is galena, otherwise given to the Wisconsin River, and was known as lead sulfide, which reflects recorded as Ouisconsin by the French and Wisconsin's early mining history. Many changed to its current form by the town names such as Mineral Point recall English. The modern Ojibwe name, a period in the 1820s, 1830s, and 1840s, however, is Wiishkoonsing or when Wisconsin was an important mining Wazhashkoonsing, meaning "muskrat-lodge state. When Indian treaties opened up place" or "little muskrat place." Other southwest Wisconsin to settlement, theories are that the name comes from thousands of miners — many of them words meaning "Gathering of the Waters" immigrants from Cornwall, England — or "Great Rock." Wisconsin originally flocked to the "lead rush" in was applied to the Wisconsin River, and southeastern areas. Wisconsin produced later to the area as a whole when more than half of the nation's lead; Wisconsin became a territory. Belmont was briefly the state capital. 1 A B C D 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97