Wisconsin Congressional Candidates for Congress Republican and
Democrat 2012

History of Wisconsin - Information that every Candidate for Congress Should Know:

The American Revolution only affected Wisconsin remotely. The area was not yet a state, and there were not many Americans in the region. The fur trade was interrupted in Wisconsin and other areas south of the Great Lakes when George Rogers Clark led an invasion into Illinois in 1778. Other than that incident, Wisconsin and the fur trade remained under British control throughout the war. American victory in the revolution did not immediately bring change to the region either. Scattered French and British traders remained in the area. All of the trading posts were in American hands by 1796, but the British continued to occupy the area control the trade from Canada. .

It took another war with England to bring the western border and the fur trade under American control. The continued British occupation of the area enabled them to control Wisconsin and the surrounding area during the War of 1812. Wisconsin was touched by war when the Winnebago Indians fought in the Battle of the Thames in 1813. During this battle, the Americans beat the Indian forces and killed the great Indian warrior, Tecumseh. In June of 1814, the superintendent of Indian affairs, William Clark, marched to Wisconsin with a small force and built Fort Shelby at Prairie du Chien, marking the first time an American flag flew over Wisconsin soil. However, the accomplishment was short lived; the British conquered the fort a month later. The Treaty of Ghent, which followed the American victory in the War of 1812, stated that Wisconsin and the Northwest was now part of the United States.