WISCONSIN BLUE BOOK


of state affairs suggested that the county rather than the munici-
pality would become the dominant unit of local government in the
state. The struggle between these people and the transplanted east-
erners over this issue was not settled until the 1850's when town
government became the pattern.

      1832. Black Hawk War, the Last Military Engagement
                      on Wisconsin Territory


   Although Wisconsin changed hands twice as a result of armed
conflict and although its people have participated in every military
expedition in which this nation has engaged, there have been no
actual battles on Wisconsin territory since the Black Hawk War
of 1832.
   There is little in this engagement to bring credit to the white man.
 The Indians had gradually been pushed westward until by 1830 they
 were almost all on the other side of the Mississippi River. Black
 Hawk was reluctant to go, and even though he finally did go in 1831,
 he reappeared in northern Illinois in 1832 with a thousand of his fol-
 lowers. Sensing before long that other tribes would not join him
 and that the British would not support him, he sought to get out of
 an awkward situation but his efforts to negotiate were interpreted
 as a show of strength and a conflict ensued which ultimately crossed
 into southern Wisconsin and was joined once again on the shores of
 the Wisconsin River. Before the expedition was over, 850 of Black
 Hawk's followers were dead and he was a prisoner, but it seems
 probable that the incident could have been settled without loss of
 life and without adding to the already acute animosities which the
 Indians had toward the white man.

        1848. Wisconsin's Only State Constitution Is Ratified

    In 1846 congress passed the enabling act to permit Wisconsin to
 enter the Union as a state and a convention was forthwith called
 to prepare a Constitution. This document, however, failed to gain
 approval of the electorate when it was submitted to them in 1847
 and a second convention had to be called. Its product was approved
 by the people in March of 1848 and on May 29th of that year Wiscon-
 sin was admitted to the Union.
    It is doubtful that most people have read the Constitution of this
  state, which has remained in effect for 110 years. In the course of
  that time the people have approved 63 changes and rejected 32. Yet
  it remains essentially a true Constitution or basic document with
  little of the detail which makes more recent Constitutions long and
  cumbersome.
    It is interesting to note that while about 17,000 people voted on
  the first attempt to amend this document back in 1854 more than a
  million people voted on an amendment only 94 years later.


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