TheMidwestern United States(also referred to asthe Midwestor theAmerican Midwest) is one of the fourcensus regionsdefined by theUnited States Census Bureau.It occupies the northern central part of theUnited States.[1]It was officially named theNorth Central Regionby the U.S. Census Bureau until 1984.[2]It is between theNortheastern United Statesand theWestern United States,withCanadato the north and theSouthern United Statesto the south.
Midwestern United States
The Midwest, American Midwest | |
|---|---|
 This map reflects the Midwestern United States as defined by theCensus Bureau.[1] | |
| Subregions | |
| Country | United States |
| States | as defined by theCensus Bureau.[1]Regional definitions might vary slightly among sources. |
| Largestmetropolitan areas | |
| Largest cities | |
| Area | |
• Total | 750,522 sq mi (1,943,840 km2) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 68,985,454 |
| • Density | 92/sq mi (35/km2) |
| Demonym | Midwesterner |
The U.S. Census Bureau's definition consists of 12 states in the north central United States:Illinois,Indiana,Iowa,Kansas,Michigan,Minnesota,Missouri,Nebraska,North Dakota,Ohio,South Dakota,andWisconsin.The region generally lies on the broadInterior Plainbetween the states occupying theAppalachian Mountain rangeand the states occupying theRocky Mountain range.Major rivers in the region include, from east to west, theOhio River,the UpperMississippi River,and theMissouri River.[3]The2020 United States censusput the population of the Midwest at 68,995,685.[4]The Midwest is divided by the U.S. Census Bureau into two divisions. TheEast North Central Divisionincludes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin, all of which are also part of theGreat Lakes region.TheWest North Central Divisionincludes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, and South Dakota, several of which are located, at least partly, within theGreat Plainsregion.
Chicagois the most populous city in the American Midwest and the third-most populous in the United States. Chicago and itssuburbs,colloquially known asChicagoland,form the largestmetropolitan areawith 10 million people, making it the fourth-largest metropolitan area inNorth America,afterGreater Mexico City,theNew York metropolitan area,andGreater Los Angeles.Other large Midwestern cities includeColumbus,Indianapolis,Detroit,Milwaukee,Kansas City,Omaha,Minneapolis,Wichita,Cleveland,Cincinnati,St. Paul,St. Louis,andDes Moines.Large midwestern metropolitan areas includeMetro Detroit,Minneapolis–St. Paul,Greater St. Louis,Greater Cincinnati,theKansas City metro area,theColumbus metro area,andGreater Cleveland.
The region's economy is a mix of heavy industry and agriculture, with extensive areas forming part of the United States'Corn Belt.Finance and services such as medicine and education are becoming increasingly important. Its central location makes it a transportation crossroads for river boats, railroads, autos, trucks, and airplanes. Politically, the region is composed ofswing states,and therefore is heavily contested and often decisive in elections.[5][6]
The West
editThe termWestwas applied to the region inBritish Americaand in the early years of the United States, when the colonial territories had not extended far from the Atlantic coast and thePacific seaboardwas generally unknown. By the early 19th century, anything west ofAppalachiawas consideredAmerican frontier.Over time the American frontier moved to west of theMississippi River.During the colonial period, the upper-Mississippi watershed including the valleys of theMissouri Riverand theIllinois River,which were settled in the 17th and 18th century and calledIllinois Country.[7]In 1787 theNorthwest Ordinancewas enacted, creating theNorthwest Territory,which was bounded by the Great Lakes and the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.[8]Some entities in the Midwest have "Northwest" in their names for historical reasons, such asNorthwestern Universityin Illinois.[9]
One of the earliest late-19th-century uses ofMidwestwas in reference to Kansas and Nebraska to indicate that they were the civilized areas of the west.[10]Another term applied to the same region isHeartland.[11]
Prehistory
editPrecolumbian
editAmong theNative Americans,Paleo-Americanscultures were the earliest in North America, with a presence in the Great Plains and Great Lakes areas from about 12,000 BCE to around 8,000 BCE.[12]
Following the Paleo-American period is theArchaicperiod (8,000 BCE to 1,000 BCE), theWoodland Tradition(1,000 BCE to 100 CE), and the Mississippian Period (900 to 1500 CE). Archeological evidence indicates thatMississippian culturetraits probably began in theSt. Louis, Missouriarea and spread northwest along the Mississippi and Illinois rivers and entered the state along theKankakee Riversystem. It also spread northward into Indiana along theWabash,Tippecanoe,andWhiteRivers.[13]
Mississippian peoples in the Midwest were mostly farmers who followed the rich, flat floodplains of Midwestern rivers. They brought with them a well-developed agricultural complex based on three major crops—maize,beans,andsquash.Maize, or corn, was the primary crop of Mississippian farmers. They gathered a wide variety of seeds, nuts, and berries, and fished and hunted for fowl to supplement their diets. With such an intensive form ofagriculture,this culture supported large populations.[14]
The Mississippi period was characterized by amound-buildingculture. The Mississippians suffered a tremendous population decline about 1400, coinciding with the global climate change of theLittle Ice Age.Their culture effectively ended before 1492.[15]
Great Lakes Native Americans
editThe major tribes of the Great Lakes region included theHuron,Ottawa,Ojibwe,Potawatomi,Ho-Chunk,Menominee,Sauk,Meskwaki,Neutrals,and theMiami.Most numerous were the Huron and Ho-Chunk. Fighting and battle were often launched between tribes, with the losers forced to flee.[16]
Most are of theAlgonquian languagefamily. Some tribes—such as theStockbridge-Munseeand theBrothertown—are also Algonkian-speaking tribes who relocated from the eastern seaboard to the Great Lakes region in the 19th century. TheOneidabelong to theIroquoislanguage group and theHo-Chunkof Wisconsin are one of the few Great Lakes tribes to speak aSiouanlanguage.[17]American Indians in this area did not develop a written form of language.[citation needed]
In the 16th century, the natives of the area used projectiles and tools of stone, bone, and wood to hunt and farm. They madecanoesfor fishing. Most of them lived in oval or conicalwigwamsthat could be easily moved away. Various tribes had different ways of living. The Ojibwas were primarily hunters and fishing was also important in the Ojibwas economy. Other tribes such as Sac, Fox, and Miami, both hunted and farmed.[18]
They were oriented toward the open prairies where they engaged in communal hunts forbuffalo (bison).In the northern forests, the Ottawas and Potawatomis separated into small family groups for hunting. The Winnebagos and Menominees used both hunting methods interchangeably and built up widespread trade networks extending as far west as the Rockies, north to the Great Lakes, south to theGulf of Mexico,and east to the Atlantic Ocean.[19] The Hurons reckoned descent through the female line, while the others favored the patrilineal method. All tribes were governed underchiefdomsor complex chiefdoms. For example, Hurons were divided into matrilineal clans, each represented by a chief in the town council, where they met with a town chief on civic matters. But Chippewa people's social and political life was simpler than that of settled tribes.[20]
The religious beliefs varied among tribes. Hurons believed inYoscaha,a supernatural being who lived in the sky and was believed to have created the world and the Huron people. At death, Hurons thought the soul left the body to live in a village in the sky. Chippewas were a deeply religious people who believed in the Great Spirit. They worshiped the Great Spirit through all their seasonal activities, and viewed religion as a private matter: Each person's relation with his personal guardian spirit was part of his thinking every day of life. Ottawa and Potawatomi people had very similar religious beliefs to those of the Chippewas.[13]
In the Ohio River Valley, the dominant food supply was not hunting but agriculture. There were orchards and fields of crops that were maintained by indigenous women. Corn was their most important crop.[21]
Great Plains Indians
edit
The Plains Indians are theindigenous peopleswho live on the plains and rolling hills of the Great Plains of North America. Their colorful equestrian culture and famous conflicts with settlers and the US Army have made the Plains Indians archetypical in literature and art for American Indians everywhere.[citation needed]
Plains Indians are usually divided into two broad classifications, with some degree of overlap. The first group were fully nomadic, following the vast herds ofbuffalo.Some tribes occasionally engaged in agriculture, growing tobacco and corn primarily. These included theBlackfoot,Arapaho,Assiniboine,Cheyenne,Comanche,Crow,Gros Ventre,Kiowa,Lakota,Lipan,Plains Apache(or Kiowa Apache),Plains Cree,Plains Ojibwe,Sarsi,Shoshone,Stoney,andTonkawa.[citation needed]
The second group of Plains Indians (sometimes referred to as Prairie Indians) were the semi-sedentary tribes who, in addition to hunting buffalo, lived in villages and raised crops. These included theArikara,Hidatsa,Iowa,Kaw (or Kansa),Kitsai,Mandan,Missouria,Nez Perce,Omaha,Osage,Otoe,Pawnee,Ponca,Quapaw,Santee,Wichita,andYankton.[22]
The nomadic tribes of the Great Plains survived onhunting;some of their major hunts centered on deer and buffalo. Some tribes are described as part of the "Buffalo Culture" (sometimes called, for theAmerican bison). Although the Plains Indians hunted other animals, such aselkorantelope,bison was their primary game food source. Bison flesh, hide, and bones frombison huntingprovided the chief source of raw materials for items that Plains Indians made, including food, cups, decorations, crafting tools, knives, and clothing.[citation needed][23][24]
The tribes followed the bison's seasonal grazing and migration. The Plains Indians lived inteepeesbecause they were easily disassembled and allowed the nomadic life of following game. When Spanish horses were obtained, the Plains tribes rapidly integrated them into their daily lives. By the early 18th century, many tribes had fully adopted ahorse culture.Before their adoption of guns, the Plains Indians hunted withspears,bows,andbows and arrows,and various forms ofclubs.The use of horses by the Plains Indians made hunting (and warfare) much easier.[25]
Among the most powerful and dominant tribes were theDakotaorSioux,who occupied large amounts of territory in the Great Plains of the Midwest. The area of theGreat Sioux Nationspread throughout the South and Midwest, up into the areas of Minnesota and stretching out west into the Rocky Mountains. At the same time, they occupied the heart of prime buffalo range, and also an excellent region for furs they could sell to French and American traders for goods such as guns. The Sioux (Dakota) became the most powerful of the Plains tribes and the greatest threat to American expansion.[26][27]
The Sioux comprise three major divisions based on Siouan dialect and subculture:[citation needed]
- IsáŋyathiorIsáŋathi( "Knife" ): residing in the extreme east of the Dakotas, Minnesota and northern Iowa, and are often referred to as theSanteeorEastern Dakota.
- IháŋktȟuŋwaŋandIháŋktȟuŋwaŋna( "Village-at-the-end" and "little village-at-the-end" ): residing in theMinnesota Riverarea, they are considered the middle Sioux, and are often referred to as theYanktonand theYanktonai,or, collectively, as theWičhíyena(endonym) or theWestern Dakota(and have been erroneously classified asNakota[28]).
- Thítȟuŋwaŋor Teton (uncertain): the westernmost Sioux, known for their hunting and warrior culture, are often referred to as theLakota.
Today, the Sioux maintain many separate tribal governments scattered across several reservations, communities, and reserves in the Dakotas, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Montana in the United States, as well asManitobaand southernSaskatchewanin Canada.[citation needed]
History
editEuropean exploration and early settlement
editThe Middle Ground theory
editThe theory of the middle ground was introduced in Richard White's seminal work:The Middle Ground: Indians, Empires, and Republics in the Great Lakes Region, 1650–1815originally published in 1991. White defines the middle ground like so:
The middle ground is the place in between cultures, peoples, and in between empires and the non state world of villages. It is a place where many of the North American subjects and allies of empires lived. It is the area between the historical foreground of European invasion and occupation and the background of Indian defeat and retreat.
— Richard White, The Middle Ground: Indians, Empires, and Republics in the Great Lakes Region, 1650–1815, p. XXVI
White specifically designates "the lands bordering the rivers flowing into the northern Great Lakes and the lands south of the lakes to the Ohio" as the location of the middle ground.[29]This includes the modern Midwestern states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan as well as parts of Canada.
The middle ground was formed on the foundations of mutual accommodation and common meanings established between the French and the Indians that then transformed and degraded as both were steadily lost as the French ceded their influence in the region in the aftermath oftheir defeatin theSeven Years' Warand theLouisiana Purchase.[30]
Major aspects of the middle ground include blended culture, thefur trade,Native alliances with both the French and British, conflicts and treaties with the United States bothduring the Revolutionary Warandafter,[31][32]and its ultimate clearing/erasure throughout the nineteenth century.[33]
New France
editEuropean settlement of the area began in the 17th century following French exploration of the region and became known asNew France,including theIllinois Country.The French period began with the exploration of theSaint Lawrence RiverbyJacques Cartierin 1534 and ending with their cessation of the majority of their holdings in North America to theKingdom of Great Britainin theTreaty of Paris (1763).[34]
Mapping of the Mississippi River
edit
In 1673 theGovernor of New FrancesentJacques Marquette,a Catholic priest and missionary, andLouis Jolliet,afur trader,to map the way to the Northwest Passage to the Pacific. They traveled through Michigan's upper peninsula to the northern tip of Lake Michigan. On canoes, they crossed the massive lake and landed at present-dayGreen Bay, Wisconsin.They entered the Mississippi River on 17 June 1673.[35]
Marquette and Jolliet were the first to map the northern portion of the Mississippi River. They confirmed that it was easy to travel from the St. Lawrence River through the Great Lakes all the way to the Gulf of Mexico by water, that the native peoples who lived along the route were generally friendly, and that the natural resources of the lands in between were extraordinary. New France officials led by LaSalle followed up and erected a 4,000-mile (6,400 km) network of fur trading posts.[36]
Fur trade
edit
Thefur tradewas an integral part of early European and Indian relations. It was the foundation upon which their interactions were built and was a system that would evolve over time.
Goods often traded included guns, clothing, blankets, strouds, cloth, tobacco, silver, and alcohol.[37][38]
France
edit
The French and Indian exchange of goods was called an exchange of gifts rather than a trade. These gifts held greater meaning to the relationship between the two than a simple economic exchange because the trade itself was inseparable from the social relations it fostered and the alliance it created.[39]In the meshed French and Algonquian system of trade, theAlgonquianfamilial metaphor of a father and his children shaped the political relationship between the French and the Natives in this region. The French, regarded as the metaphoric father, were expected to provide for the needs of the Algonquians and, in return, the Algonquians, the metaphoric children, would be obligated to assist and obey them. Traders coming into Indian villages facilitated this system of symbolic exchange to establish or maintain alliances and friendships.[40]
Marriage also became an important aspect of the trade in both the Ohio River valley and the Frenchpays d'en hautwith the temporary closing of the French fur trade from 1690 to 1716 and beyond.[41][42]French fur traders were forced to abandon most posts and those remaining in the region became illegal traders who potentially sought these marriages to secure their safety.[41][43]Another benefit for French traders marrying Indian women was that the Indian women were in charge of the processing of the pelts necessary to the fur trade.[44]Women were integral to the fur trade and their contributions were lauded, so much so that the absence of the involvement of an Indian Woman was once cited as the cause for a trader's failure.[45]When the French fur trade re-opened in 1716 upon the discovery that their overstock of pelts had been ruined, legal French traders continued to marry Indian women and remain in their villages.[46]With the growing influence of women in the fur trade also came the increasing demand of cloth which very quickly grew to be the most desired trade good.[47]
Britain
editEnglishtraders entered the Ohio country as a serious competitor to the French in the fur trade around the 1690s.[48]English (and later British) traders almost consistently offered the Indians better goods and better rates than the French, with the Indians being able to play that to their advantage, thrusting the French and the British into competition with each other to their own benefit.[48][49]The Indian demand for certain kinds of cloth in particular fueled this competition.[50]This, however, changed following theSeven Years' WarwithBritain's victoryover France and the cession of New France to Great Britain.[51]
The British attempted to establish a more assertive relationship with the Indians of thepays d'en haut,eliminating the practise of gift giving which they now saw as unnecessary.[51]This, in combination with an underwhelming trade relationship with a surplus of whiskey, increase in prices generally, and a shortage of other goods led to unrest among the Indians that was exacerbated by the decision to significantly reduce the amount of rum being traded, a product that British merchants had been including in the trade for years. This would eventually culminate inPontiac's War,which broke out in 1763.[52]Following the conflict, the British government was forced to compromise and loosely re-created a trade system that was an echo of the French one.[53]
American settlement
edit
While French control ended in 1763 after their defeat in the Seven Years' War, most of the several hundred French settlers in small villages along the Mississippi River and its tributaries remained, and were not disturbed by the new British administration. By the terms of theTreaty of Paris,Spain was givenLouisiana;the area west of the Mississippi.St. LouisandSte. Genevievein Missouri were the main towns, but there was little new settlement. France regained Louisiana from Spain in exchange forTuscanyby the terms of theTreaty of San Ildefonsoin 1800. Napoleon had lost interest in re-establishing aFrench colonial empire in North Americafollowing theHaitian Revolutionand together with the fact that France could not effectively defendLouisianafrom a possible British attack, he sold the territory to the United States in theLouisiana Purchaseof 1803. Meanwhile, the British maintained forts and trading posts in U.S. territory, refusing to give them up until 1796 by theJay Treaty.[54]American settlement began either via routes over the Appalachian Mountains or through the waterways of the Great Lakes.Fort Pitt(nowPittsburgh) at the source of the Ohio River became the main base for settlers moving into the Midwest.Marietta, Ohioin 1787 became the first settlement in Ohio, but not until the defeat of Native American tribes at theBattle of Fallen Timbersin 1794 was large-scale settlement possible. Large numbers also came north from Kentucky into southern Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.[55]
The region's fertile soil producedcornand vegetables; most farmers were self-sufficient. They cut trees and claimed the land, then sold it to newcomers and then moved further west to repeat the process.[56]
Squatters
edit
Settlers without legal claims, called "squatters", had been moving into the Midwest for years before 1776. They pushed further and further down the Ohio River during the 1760s and 1770s and sometimes engaged in conflict with the Native Americans.[57][58]British officials were outraged. These squatters were characterized by British GeneralThomas Gageas "too Numerous, too Lawless, and Licentious ever to be restrained", and regarded them as "almost out of Reach of Law and government; Neither the Endeavors of Government, or Fear of Indians has kept them properly within Bounds."[59]The British had a long-standing goal of establishing aNative American buffer statein the American Midwest to resist American westward expansion.[60][61]
With victory in the American Revolution the new government considered evicting the squatters from areas that were now federally owned public lands.[62]In 1785, soldiers under GeneralJosiah Harmarwere sent into the Ohio country to destroy the crops and burn down the homes of any squatters they found living there. But overall the federal policy was to move Indians to western lands (such as theIndian Territoryin modern Oklahoma) and allow a very large numbers of farmers to replace a small number of hunters. Congress repeatedly debated how to legalize settlements. On the one hand, Whigs such asHenry Claywanted the government to get maximum revenue and also wanted stable middle-class law-abiding settlements of the sort that supported towns (and bankers). Jacksonian Democrats such asThomas Hart Bentonwanted the support of poor farmers, who reproduced rapidly, had little cash, and were eager to acquire cheap land in the West. Democrats did not want a big government, and keeping revenues low helped that cause. Democrats avoided words like "squatter" and regarded "actual settlers" as those who gained title to land, settled on it, and then improved upon it by building a house, clearing the ground, and planting crops. A number of means facilitated the legal settlement of the territories in the Midwest:land speculation,federal public land auctions,bountyland grantsin lieu of pay to military veterans, and, later,preemption rightsfor squatters. The "squatters" became "pioneers" and were increasingly able to purchase the lands on which they had settled for the minimum price thanks to various preemption acts and laws passed throughout the 1810s-1840s. In Washington, Jacksonian Democrats favored squatter rights while banker-oriented Whigs were opposed; the Democrats prevailed.[63][64][65][66]
Native American wars
editIn 1791, GeneralArthur St. Clairbecame commander of theUnited States Armyand led apunitive expeditionwith two Regular Army regiments and some militia. Near modern-dayFort Recovery,his force advanced to the location of Native American settlements near the headwaters of theWabash River,but on November 4 they were routed in battle by a tribal confederation led byMiamiChiefLittle Turtleand Shawnee chiefBlue Jacket.More than 600 soldiers and scores of women and children were killed in the battle, which has since borne the name "St. Clair's Defeat".It remains the greatest defeat of a U.S. Army by Native Americans.[67][68][69]
The British demanded the establishment of aNative American barrier stateat theTreaty of Ghentwhich ended theWar of 1812,but American negotiators rejected the idea because Britain had lost control of the region in theBattle of Lake Erieand theBattle of the Thamesin 1813, whereTecumsehwas killed by U.S. forces. The British then abandoned their Native American allies south of the lakes. The Native Americans ended being the main losers in theWar of 1812.Apart from the shortBlack Hawk Warof 1832, the days of Native American warfare east of the Mississippi River had ended.[70]
Lewis and Clark
edit
In 1803, PresidentThomas Jeffersoncommissioned theLewis and Clark Expeditionthat took place between May 1804 and September 1806. Launching fromCamp Duboisin Illinois, the goal was to explore theLouisiana Purchase,and establish trade and U.S. sovereignty over the native peoples along theMissouri River.The Lewis and Clark Expedition established relations with more than two dozen indigenous nations west of the Missouri River.[71] The Expedition returned east toSt. Louisin the spring of 1806.
Party politics
edit
The Midwest has been a key swing district in national elections, with highly contested elections in closely divided states often deciding the national result. From 1860 to 1920, both parties tried to find their presidential and vice presidential candidates from the region.[72]
One of the two major political parties in the United States, theRepublican Party,originated in the Midwest in the 1850s;Ripon, Wisconsin,had the first local meeting whileJackson, Michigan,had the first statewide meeting of the new party. Its membership included manyYankeesout of New England and New York who had settled the upper Midwest. The party opposed the expansion of slavery and stressed the Protestant ideals of thrift, a hard work ethic, self-reliance, democratic decision making, and religious tolerance.[73]
In the early 1890s, the wheat-growing regions were strongholds of the short-livedPopulist movementin the Plains states.[74]
Starting in the 1890s, the middle class urbanProgressive movementbecame influential in the region (as it was in other regions), with Wisconsin a major center. Under theLa Follettes,Wisconsin fought against the Republican bosses and for efficiency, modernization, and the use of experts to solve social, economic, and political problems.[75]
Theodore Roosevelt's1912 Progressive Partyhad the best showing in this region, carrying the states of Michigan, Minnesota, and South Dakota. In 1924, La Follette, Sr.'s1924 Progressive Partydid well in the region, but carried only his home base of Wisconsin.[76][77]
The Midwest—especially the areas west of Chicago—has always been a stronghold ofisolationism,a belief that America should not involve itself in foreign entanglements. This position was largely based on the manyGerman AmericanandSwedish-Americancommunities. Isolationist leaders included the La Follettes, Ohio'sRobert A. Taft,andColonel Robert McCormick,publisher of theChicago Tribune.[78][79]
Yankees and ethnocultural politics
edit
Yankee settlers from New England started arriving in Ohio before 1800, and spread throughout the northern half of the Midwest. Most of them started as farmers, but later the larger proportion moved to towns and cities as entrepreneurs, businessmen, and urban professionals. Since its beginnings in the 1830s, Chicago has grown to dominate the Midwestern metropolis landscape for over a century.[80]
Historian John Bunker has examined the worldview of the Yankee settlers in the Midwest:
Because they arrived first and had a strong sense of community and mission, Yankees were able to transplant New England institutions, values, and mores, altered only by the conditions of frontier life. They established a public culture that emphasized the work ethic, the sanctity of private property, individual responsibility, faith in residential and social mobility, practicality, piety, public order and decorum, reverence for public education, activists, honest and frugal government, town meeting democracy, and he believed that there was a public interest that transcends particular and stick ambitions. Regarding themselves as the elect and just in a world rife with sin, air, and corruption, they felt a strong moral obligation to define and enforce standards of community and personal behavior....This pietistic worldview was substantially shared by British, Scandinavian, Swiss, English-Canadian and Dutch Reformed immigrants, as well as by German Protestants and many of theForty-Eighters.[81]
Midwestern politics pitted Yankees against the German Catholics and Lutherans, who were often led by the Irish Catholics. These large groups, Buenker argues:
Generally subscribed to the work ethic, a strong sense of community, and activist government, but were less committed to economic individualism and privatism and ferociously opposed to government supervision of the personal habits. Southern and eastern European immigrants generally leaned more toward the Germanic view of things, while modernization, industrialization, and urbanization modified nearly everyone's sense of individual economic responsibility and put a premium on organization, political involvement, and education.[82][83]
Development of transportation
editWaterways
edit
Three waterways have been important to the development of the Midwest. The first and foremost was theOhio River,which flowed into theMississippi River.Development of the region was halted until 1795 by Spain's control of the southern part of the Mississippi and its refusal to allow the shipment of American crops down the river and into the Atlantic Ocean.[84]This was changed with the 1795 signing ofPinckney's Treaty.[84]
The second waterway is the network of routes within the Great Lakes. The opening of theErie Canalin 1825 completed an all-water shipping route, more direct than the Mississippi, toNew Yorkand the seaport of New York City. In 1848, TheIllinois and Michigan Canalbreached thecontinental dividespanning theChicago Portageand linking the waters of the Great Lakes with those of theMississippi Valleyand theGulf of Mexico.Lakeport and river cities grew up to handle these new shipping routes. During theIndustrial Revolution,the lakes became a conduit foriron orefrom theMesabi Rangeof Minnesota tosteel millsin theMid-Atlantic States.TheSaint Lawrence Seaway,completed in 1959, opened the Midwest to the Atlantic Ocean.[85]
The third waterway, theMissouri River,extended water travel from the Mississippi almost to the Rocky Mountains.[citation needed]
In the 1870s and 1880s, the Mississippi River inspired two classic books—Life on the MississippiandAdventures of Huckleberry Finn—written by native Missourian Samuel Clemens, who used the pseudonymMark Twain.His stories became staples of Midwestern lore. Twain's hometown ofHannibal, Missouri,is a tourist attraction offering a glimpse into the Midwest of his time.[citation needed]
Inland canals in Ohio and Indiana constituted another important waterway, which connected with Great Lakes and Ohio River traffic. The commodities that the Midwest funneled into theErie Canaldown the Ohio River contributed to the wealth of New York City, which overtookBostonandPhiladelphia.[86]
Railroads and the automobile
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During the mid-19th century, the region got its first railroads, and the railroad junction in Chicago became the world's largest. During the century, Chicago became the nation's railroad center. By 1910, over 20 railroads operated passenger service out of six different downtown terminals. Even today, a century afterHenry Ford,sixClass I railroads(Union Pacific,BNSF,Norfolk Southern,CSX,Canadian National,andCanadian Pacific) meet in Chicago.[87][88]
In the period from 1890 to 1930, many Midwestern cities were connected by electricinterurbanrailroads, similar to streetcars. The Midwest had more interurbans than any other region. In 1916, Ohio led all states with 2,798 miles (4,503 km), Indiana followed with 1,825 miles (2,937 km). These two states alone had almost a third of the country's interurban trackage.[89]The nation's largest interurban junction was in Indianapolis. During the decade of the early 1900s, that city's 38 percent growth in population was attributed largely to the interurban.[90]
Competition with automobiles and buses undermined the interurban and other railroad passenger business. By 1900,Detroitwas the world center of the auto industry, and soon practically every city within 200 miles (320 km) was producing auto parts that fed into its giant factories.[91]
In 1903, Henry Ford founded theFord Motor Company.Ford's manufacturing—and those of automotive pioneersWilliam C. Durant,theDodgebrothers,Packard,andWalter Chrysler—established Detroit's status in the early 20th century as the world's automotive capital. The proliferation of businesses created a synergy that also encouraged truck manufacturers such as Rapid andGrabowsky.[92]
The growth of the auto industry was reflected by changes in businesses throughout the Midwest and nation, with the development of garages to service vehicles and gas stations, as well as factories for parts and tires. Today, greater Detroit remains home toGeneral Motors,Chrysler,and the Ford Motor Company.[93][citation needed]
American Civil War
editSlavery prohibition and the Underground Railroad
edit
The Northwest Ordinance region, comprising the heart of the Midwest, was the first large region of the United States that prohibitedslavery(theNortheastern United Statesemancipatedslaves into the 1830s). The regional southern boundary was the Ohio River, the border of freedom and slavery in American history and literature (seeUncle Tom's CabinbyHarriet Beecher StoweandBelovedbyToni Morrison).
The Midwest, particularly Ohio, provided the primary routes for theUnderground Railroad,whereby Midwesterners assisted slaves to freedom from their crossing of the Ohio River through their departure onLake Erieto Canada. Created in the early 19th century, the Underground Railroad was at its height between 1850 and 1860. One estimate suggests that by 1850, 100,000 slaves had escaped via the Underground Railroad.[94]
The Underground Railroad consisted of meeting points, secret routes, transportation, and safe houses and assistance provided by abolitionist sympathizers. Individuals were often organized in small, independent groups; this helped to maintain secrecy because individuals knew some connecting "stations" along the route, but knew few details of their immediate area. Escaped slaves would move north along the route from one way station to the next. Although the fugitives sometimes traveled on boat or train, they usually traveled on foot or by wagon.[95]
The region was shaped by the relative absence of slavery (except for Missouri), pioneer settlement, education inone-room free public schools,democratic notions brought byAmerican Revolutionary Warveterans,Protestantfaiths and experimentation, and agricultural wealth transported on the Ohio Riverriverboats,flatboats,canal boats,andrailroads.[citation needed]
Bleeding Kansas
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The first violent conflicts leading up to theAmerican Civil Waroccurred between two neighboring Midwestern states, Kansas and Missouri, involvinganti-slaveryFree-Statersand pro-slavery "Border Ruffian"elements, that took place in theKansas Territoryand the western frontier towns of Missouri roughly between 1854 and 1858. At the heart of the conflict was the question of whether Kansas would enter theUnionas a free state or slave state. As such,Bleeding Kansaswas aproxy warbetweenNorthernersandSouthernersover the issue ofslavery.The term "Bleeding Kansas" was coined byHorace Greeleyof theNew-York Tribune.
The immediate cause of the events was theKansas–Nebraska Act of 1854.The Act created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, opened new lands that would help settlement in them, repealed theMissouri Compromise,and allowed settlers in those territories to determine throughpopular sovereigntywhether to allow slavery within their boundaries. It was hoped the Act would ease relations between the North and the South, because the South could expand slavery to new territories, but the North still had the right to abolish slavery in its states. Instead, opponents denounced the law as a concession to theslave powerof the South.[citation needed]
An ostensiblydemocraticidea, popular sovereignty stated that the inhabitants of each territory or state should decide whether it would be a free or slave state; however, this resulted in immigrationen masseto Kansas by activists from both sides. At one point, Kansas had two separate governments, each with its own constitution, although only one was federally recognized. On January 29, 1861, Kansas was admitted to theUnionas a free state, less than three months before theBattle of Fort Sumterofficially began the Civil War.[96]
On May 21, 1856, theFree Soiltown ofLawrence, Kansas,was sacked by an armed pro‐slavery force from Missouri. A few days later, theSacking of LawrenceledabolitionistJohn Brownand six of his followers to execute five men along thePottawatomie CreekinFranklin County, Kansas,in retaliation.[97]The so-called "Border War" lasted from May through October between armed bands of pro‐slavery and Free Soil men. The U.S. Army had two garrisons in Kansas, the First Cavalry Regiment atFort Leavenworthand theSecond Dragoonsand Sixth Infantry atFort Riley.[98]The skirmishes endured until a new governor, John W. Geary, managed to prevail upon the Missourians to return home in late 1856.
National reaction to the events in Kansas demonstrated how deeply divided the country had become. The Border Ruffians were widely applauded in the South, even though their actions had cost the lives of numerous people. In the North, the murders committed by Brown and his followers were ignored by most, and lauded by a few.[99]The election ofAbraham Lincolnin November 1860 was the final trigger forsecessionby the Southern states.[100]
The U.S. federal government was supported by 20 mostly-Northern free states in which slavery already had been abolished, and by five slave states that became known as theborder states.All of the Midwestern states but one, Missouri, banned slavery. Though most battles were fought in the South, skirmishes between Kansas and Missouri continued until culmination with theLawrence Massacreon August 21, 1863, in whichQuantrill's Raidersraided and plundered Lawrence, killing more than 150 and burning all the business buildings and most of the dwellings.[101]
Immigration and industrialization
edit
By the time of theAmerican Civil War,Europeanimmigrantsbypassed theEast Coast of the United Statesto settle directly in the interior:German immigrantsto Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri;Irish immigrantsto port cities on the Great Lakes, like Cleveland and Chicago;Danes,Czechs,Swedes,andNorwegiansto Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and theDakotas;andFinnstoUpper Michiganand northern/central Minnesota and Wisconsin.Poles,Hungarians,and Jews settled in Midwestern cities.[citation needed]
The U.S. was predominantly rural at the time of the Civil War. The Midwest was no exception, dotted with small farms all across the region. The late 19th century sawindustrialization,immigration,andurbanizationthat fed theIndustrial Revolution,and the heart of industrial domination and innovation was in theGreat Lakes statesof the Midwest, which only began its slow decline by the late 20th century.[citation needed]
A flourishing economy brought residents from rural communities andimmigrantsfrom abroad. Manufacturing and retail and finance sectors became dominant, influencing the American economy.[102]
In addition to manufacturing, printing, publishing, and food processing also play major roles in the Midwest's largest economy. Chicago was the base of commercial operations for industrialistsJohn Crerar,John Whitfield Bunn,Richard Teller Crane,Marshall Field,John Farwell,Julius Rosenwald,and many other commercial visionaries who laid the foundation for Midwestern and global industry.[citation needed]Meanwhile,John D. Rockefeller,creator of theStandard OilCompany, made his billions in Cleveland. At one point during the late 19th century, Cleveland was home to more than 50% of the world's millionaires, many living on the famousMillionaire's Rowon Euclid Avenue.
In the 20th century,African Americanmigration from theSouthern United Statesinto the Midwestern states changed Chicago, St. Louis, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Detroit, Omaha, Minneapolis, and many other cities in the Midwest, as factories and schools enticed families by the thousands to new opportunities. Chicago alone gained hundreds of thousands of black citizens from theGreat Migrationand theSecond Great Migration.[citation needed]
TheGateway Archmonument in St. Louis, clad in stainless steel and built in the form of a flattenedcatenary arch,[103]is the tallest man-made monument in the United States,[104]and the world's tallest arch.[104]Built as a monument to thewestward expansion of the United States,[103]it is the centerpiece of theGateway Arch National Park,which was known as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial until 2018, and has become an internationally famous symbol of St. Louis and the Midwest.[citation needed]
German Americans
edit
As the Midwest opened up to settlement via waterways and rail in the mid-1800s, Germans began to settle there in large numbers. The largest flow of German immigration to America occurred between 1820 and World War I, during which time nearly six million Germans immigrated to the United States. From 1840 to 1880, they were the largest group of immigrants.[105]
The Midwestern cities ofMilwaukee,Cincinnati,St. Louis,andChicagowere favored destinations of German immigrants. By 1900, the populations of the cities ofCleveland,Milwaukee,Hoboken,and Cincinnati were all more than 40 percent German American.DubuqueandDavenport, Iowa,had even larger proportions; inOmaha,Nebraska, the proportion of German Americans was 57 percent in 1910. In many other cities of the Midwest, such asFort Wayne, Indiana,German Americans were at least 30 percent of the population.[106][107]Many concentrations acquired distinctive names suggesting their heritage, such as the "Over-the-Rhine"district in Cincinnati and"German Village"inColumbus,Ohio.[108]
A favorite destination was Milwaukee, known as "the German Athens". Radical Germans trained in politics in the old country dominated the city'sSocialists.Skilled workers dominated many crafts, while entrepreneurs created the brewing industry; the most famous brands includedPabst,Schlitz,Miller,andBlatz.[109]
While half of German immigrants settled in cities, the other half established farms in the Midwest. From Ohio to the Plains states, a heavy presence persists in rural areas into the 21st century.[110][111][112]
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, German Americans showed a high interest in becoming farmers, and keeping their children and grandchildren on the land. Western railroads, with large land grants available to attract farmers, set up agencies inHamburgand other German cities, promising cheap transportation, and sales of farmland on easy terms. For example, theSanta Fe Railroadhired its own commissioner for immigration, and sold over 300,000 acres (1,200 km2) to German-speaking farmers.[113]
Politics 1860s–1920s
editThe Midwest was a battleground for political and economic issues after the Civil War, with voters splitting along ethnic and religious lines rather than class. Thetemperance,Greenback,andpopulistmovements gained attention in the region, withpietistssupporting the Republicans and ritualists backing the Democrats.Prohibitionwas a major issue in the Midwest, with both theWomen's Christian Temperance Unionand theAnti-Saloon Leagueoriginating in the region. The18th Amendmentwas ratified by most Midwestern state legislatures, but the Midwest also became a center of resistance to Prohibition, with ethnic, urban Catholic and German Lutheran voters supporting repeal while native-born, rural pietistic Protestant Midwesterners opposed it.[114][115]
Women
editThe presence of women in the Midwest public stage in the late 19th and early 20th centuries aligned with the growing movements for women's rights and prohibition. Women's activism was often presented as an extension of their domestic cleaning role. Activists at the local and state level used theWoman's Christian Temperance Union's crusade against alcohol, as a way to push for the right to vote. Midwestern states began allowing women to vote before the19th Amendmentwas passed, and the leader of the campaign for the suffrage amendment wasCarrie Chapman Cattfrom Iowa. The 1970s feminist movement also had Midwestern roots, withBetty Friedanfrom Illinois writingThe Feminine Mystiquein 1963. Economic necessity and the desire for a career also drove women to work outside the home, and certain occupations such as teaching and nursing became feminized.[116]
Workers and Populists
edit
The Midwest saw labor unrest and rebellion against the capitalist economic order, with strikes in Chicago in 1887 and 1894. Labor leaders organized a protest meeting atHaymarket Squarein Chicago in 1886, where a bomb was thrown among police and eight anarchists were convicted of conspiracy for murder, an event known as theHaymarket affair.ThePullman Strike of 1894was a shutdown of most rail traffic in the Midwest and West. It turned violent and was broken by federal troops.Eugene V. Debs,leader of the strikingAmerican Railway Union,went to prison where he converted to Socialism. His version of socialism appealed to some immigrant groups but was too radical for most Midwesterners.[117]
Farmers distrusted big business and adopted cooperative arrangements, such as those offered by theGrangein the 1870s or theFarmers' Alliancein the 1890s. They wanted cooperatives controlled by farmers to handle farm products, a reduction in rail freight rates, and the coining of silver money to raise prices. The Alliance turned to political action with the creation of thePopulist Partyin 1892. It had local success in the wheat belt and silver mining areas. This venture as a third party was short-lived and they fused with the Democrats in 1896 and voted for DemocratWilliam Jennings Bryan.Leftwing rural politics continued in the 20th century in the Dakotas and Minnesota with theFarmer-Labor party[118]
1920s
editThe secondKu Klux Klanexperienced a short surge in the Midwest in the early 1920s, fueled by anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic fears. The KKK in the 1920s was a local membership organization, but its autonomous locals were not coordinated and it had little impact on legislation. Members wanted enforcement of vice laws, especially Prohibition, which many immigrants violated. The Klan reached its peak of visibility in Indiana, where the governor supposedly had connections to the secret group. However, the hundreds ofIndiana Klanchapters collapsed overnight due to a scandal involving the kidnapping and rape and death of a young woman by its state leader. The Klan represented a conformist impulse. Middletown (actually the city ofMuncie, Indiana) was the base for apioneering sociological studyconducted byRobert S. Lynd.The book revealed a powerful business class that promoted civic boosterism, patriotism, and straight-ticket voting, while discouraging political activism and dissent.[119]
Progressive Era
editThe negative effects of industrialization triggered the political movement of progressivism, which aimed to address its negative consequences through social reform and government regulation.Jane AddamsandEllen Gates Starrpioneered the settlement house outreach to newly arrived immigrants by establishingHull Housein Chicago in 1889. Settlement houses provided social services and played an active role in civic life, helping immigrants prepare for naturalization and campaigning for regulation and services from city government.[120]Midwestern mayors—especiallyHazen S. PingreeandTom L. Johnson,led early reforms against boss-dominated municipal politics, whileSamuel M. Jonesadvocated public ownership of local utilities.Robert M. La Follette,the most famous leader of Midwestern progressivism, began his career by winning election against his state's Republican party in 1900. The machine was temporarily defeated, allowing reformers to launch the "Wisconsin idea"of expanded democracy. This idea included major reforms such as direct primaries, campaign finance controls, civil service to replace patronage, restrictions on lobbyists, state income and inheritance taxes, child labor restrictions, pure food, and workmen's compensation laws. La Follette promoted government regulation of railroads, public utilities, factories, and banks. Although La Follette lost influence in the national party in 1912, the Wisconsin reforms became a model for progressivism in other states.[121]
Geography
edit
According to Brian Page and Richard Walker:[122]The sequence of settlement that helped define the subregions of the Midwest was roughly as follows:
1800-20, from Pittsburgh down the Ohio Valley to St. Louis at the junction of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers;
1820-40, the southern Great Lakes shores, from northern Ohio to Milwaukee;
1840-60, infill of the Prairie heartland across to eastern Iowa and southern Minnesota;
post-Civil War, the penetration of the northern woodlands and eastern plains from the central Midwest.
The vast central area of the U.S., into Canada, is a landscape of low, flat to rolling terrain in theInterior Plains,ideal for farming and growing food. Most of its eastern two-thirds form theInterior Lowlands.The Lowlands gradually rise westward, from a line passing through eastern Kansas, up to over 5,000 feet (1,500 m) in the unit known as theGreat Plains.Most of the Great Plains area is now farmed.[123]
While these states are for the most part relatively flat, consisting either of plains or of rolling and small hills, there is a measure of geographical variation. In particular, the following areas exhibit a high degree of topographical variety: the eastern Midwest near the foothills of theAppalachian Mountains;theGreat Lakes Basin;the heavily glaciated uplands of theNorth Shore of Lake Superiorin Minnesota, part of the ruggedly volcanicCanadian Shield;theOzark Mountainsof southern Missouri; and the deeply erodedDriftless Areaof southwest Wisconsin, southeast Minnesota, northeast Iowa, and northwest Illinois.[citation needed]
Proceeding westward, theAppalachian Plateautopography gradually gives way to gently rolling hills, and then (in central Ohio) to flat lands converted principally to farms and urban areas. This is the beginning of the vast Interior Plains of North America. As a result,prairiescover most of the Great Plains states. Iowa and much of Illinois lie within an area called theprairie peninsula,an eastward extension of prairies that bordersconiferand mixed forests to the north, andhardwooddeciduousforests to the east and south.[citation needed]
Geographers subdivide the Interior Plains into the Interior Lowlands and the Great Plains on the basis of elevation. The Lowlands are mostly below 1,500 feet (460 m) above sea level whereas the Great Plains to the west are higher, rising inColoradoto around 5,000 feet (1,500 m). The Lowlands, then, are confined to parts of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan,Tennessee,andKentucky.Missouri andArkansashave regions of Lowlands elevations, contrasting with their Ozark region (within the Interior Highlands). Eastern Ohio's hills are an extension of the Appalachian Plateau.[citation needed]
The Interior Plains are largely coincident with the vastMississippi RiverDrainage System (other major components are theMissouriand Ohio Rivers). These rivers have for tens of millions of years been eroding downward into the mostly horizontal sedimentary rocks ofPaleozoic,Mesozoic,andCenozoicages. The modern Mississippi River system has developed during the Pleistocene Epoch of the Cenozoic.[citation needed]
Rainfall decreases from east to west, resulting in different types of prairies, with thetallgrass prairiein the wetter eastern region, mixed-grass prairie in the centralGreat Plains,andshortgrass prairietowards therain shadowof the Rockies. Today, these three prairie types largely correspond to thecorn/soybeanarea, thewheatbelt, and the western rangelands, respectively.[citation needed]
Much of theconiferous forestsof the Upper Midwest were clear-cut in the late 19th century, and mixedhardwood forestshave become a major component of the new woodlands since then. The majority of the Midwest can now be categorized asurbanizedareas or pastoralagriculturalareas.[citation needed]
Definitions
edit
The first recorded use of the termMidwesternto refer to a region of the central U.S. occurred in 1886;Midwestappeared in 1894, andMidwesternerin 1916.[124][125]One of the earliest late-19th-century uses ofMidwestwas in reference to Kansas and Nebraska to indicate that they were the civilized areas of the west.[10]The termMidwesternhas been in use since the 1880s to refer to portions of the central United States. A variant term,Middle West,has been used since the 19th century and remains relatively common.[126][127]
Traditional definitions of the Midwest include the Northwest OrdinanceOld Northweststates and many states that were part of theLouisiana Purchase.The states of the Old Northwest are also known asGreat Lakes statesand are east-north central in the United States. The Ohio River runs along the southeastern section, and the Mississippi River runs north to south near the center. Many of the Louisiana Purchase states in the west-north central United States are also known as theGreat Plainsstates, and the Missouri River is a major waterway joining with the Mississippi. The Midwest lies north of the36°30′ parallel,which the 1820Missouri Compromiseestablished as the dividing line between futureslave and non-slave states.[128]
The Midwest Region is defined by theU.S. Census Bureauas these 12 states:[1]
- Illinois:Old Northwest, Mississippi River (Missouri River joins near the state border), Ohio River, and Great Lakes state
- Indiana:Old Northwest, Ohio River, and Great Lakes state
- Iowa:Louisiana Purchase, Mississippi River, and Missouri River state
- Kansas:Louisiana Purchase, Great Plains, and Missouri River state
- Michigan:Old Northwest and Great Lakes state
- Minnesota:Old Northwest, Louisiana Purchase, Mississippi River, part ofRed River Colonybefore 1818, Great Lakes state
- Missouri:Louisiana Purchase, Mississippi River (Ohio River joins near the state border), Missouri River, andborderstate
- Nebraska:Louisiana Purchase, Great Plains, and Missouri River state
- North Dakota:Louisiana Purchase, part of Red River Colony before 1818, Great Plains, and Missouri River state
- Ohio:Old Northwest (HistoricConnecticut Western Reserve), Ohio River, and Great Lakes state. Thesoutheasternpart of the state is part of northernAppalachia
- South Dakota:Louisiana Purchase, Great Plains, and Missouri River state
- Wisconsin:Old Northwest, Mississippi River, and Great Lakes state
Various organizations define the Midwest with slightly different groups of states. For example, theCouncil of State Governments,an organization for communication and coordination among state governments, includes in its Midwest regional office eleven states from the above list, omitting Missouri, which is in the CSG South region.[129]TheMidwest Regionof theNational Park Serviceconsists of these twelve states plus the state ofArkansas.[130]TheMidwest Archives Conference,a professional archives organization, covers the above twelve states, plusKentucky.[131]A 2023Emerson College/Middle West Reviewpoll includes the above twelve states, plusOklahomaandWyoming.[132][133]
| State | 2020 census | 2010 census | Change | Area | Density |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Iowa
|
3,190,369 | 3,046,355 | +4.73% | 55,857.09 sq mi (144,669.2 km2) | 57/sq mi (22/km2) |
 Kansas
|
2,937,880 | 2,853,118 | +2.97% | 81,758.65 sq mi (211,753.9 km2) | 36/sq mi (14/km2) |
 Missouri
|
6,154,913 | 5,988,927 | +2.77% | 68,741.47 sq mi (178,039.6 km2) | 90/sq mi (35/km2) |
 Nebraska
|
1,961,504 | 1,826,341 | +7.40% | 76,824.11 sq mi (198,973.5 km2) | 26/sq mi (10/km2) |
 North Dakota
|
779,094 | 672,591 | +15.83% | 69,000.74 sq mi (178,711.1 km2) | 11/sq mi (4/km2) |
 South Dakota
|
886,667 | 814,180 | +8.90% | 75,810.94 sq mi (196,349.4 km2) | 12/sq mi (5/km2) |
| Great Plains | 15,910,427 | 15,201,512 | +4.66% | 427,993.00 sq mi (1,108,496.8 km2) | 37/sq mi (14/km2) |
 Illinois
|
12,812,508 | 12,830,632 | −0.14% | 55,518.89 sq mi (143,793.3 km2) | 231/sq mi (89/km2) |
 Indiana
|
6,785,528 | 6,483,802 | +4.65% | 35,826.08 sq mi (92,789.1 km2) | 189/sq mi (73/km2) |
 Michigan
|
10,077,331 | 9,883,640 | +1.96% | 56,538.86 sq mi (146,435.0 km2) | 178/sq mi (69/km2) |
 Minnesota
|
5,706,494 | 5,303,925 | +7.59% | 79,626.68 sq mi (206,232.2 km2) | 72/sq mi (28/km2) |
 Ohio
|
11,799,448 | 11,536,504 | +2.28% | 40,860.66 sq mi (105,828.6 km2) | 289/sq mi (111/km2) |
 Wisconsin
|
5,893,718 | 5,686,986 | +3.64% | 54,157.76 sq mi (140,268.0 km2) | 109/sq mi (42/km2) |
| Great Lakes | 53,085,258 | 51,725,489 | +2.63% | 322,528.93 sq mi (835,346.1 km2) | 165/sq mi (64/km2) |
| Total | 68,995,685 | 66,927,001 | +3.09% | 750,521.93 sq mi (1,943,842.9 km2) | 92/sq mi (35/km2) |
Major metropolitan areas
edit| Rank (Midwest) |
Rank (USA) |
MSA | Population[134] | State(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Chicago | 9,449,351 | Illinois Indiana Wisconsin |
|
| 2 | 14 | Detroit | 4,392,041 | Michigan | 
|
| 3 | 16 | Minneapolis–Saint Paul | 3,690,261 | Minnesota Wisconsin |
 
|
| 4 | 21 | St. Louis | 2,820,253 | Missouri Illinois |
|
| 5 | 30 | Cincinnati | 2,249,797 | Ohio Kentucky Indiana |
|
| 6 | 31 | Kansas City | 2,192,035 | Missouri Kansas |
|
| 7 | 32 | Cleveland | 2,185,825 | Ohio | 
|
| 8 | 33 | Columbus | 2,138,926 | Ohio | 
|
| 9 | 34 | Indianapolis | 2,089,653 | Indiana | 
|
| 10 | 40 | Milwaukee | 1,574,731 | Wisconsin | 
|
| 11 | 51 | Grand Rapids | 1,150,015 | Michigan | 
|
| 12 | 57 | Omaha | 967,604 | Nebraska Iowa |
|
| 13 | 74 | Dayton | 814,049 | Ohio | 
|
| 14 | 81 | Des Moines | 709,466 | Iowa | 
|
| 15 | 85 | Akron | 702,219 | Ohio | 
|
| 16 | 87 | Madison | 680,796 | Wisconsin | 
|
| 17 | 90 | Wichita | 647,610 | Kansas | 
|
| 18 | 96 | Toledo | 606,240 | Ohio | 
|
Economy
editFarming and agriculture
edit
Agricultureis one of the biggest drivers of local economies in the Midwest, accounting for billions of dollars worth of exports and thousands of jobs. The area consists of some of the richest farming land in the world.[135]The region's fertile soil combined with the steel plow has made it possible for farmers to produce abundant harvests of grain and cereal crops, includingcorn,wheat,soybeans,oats,andbarley,to become known today as the nation's "breadbasket".[136]Henry A. Wallace,a pioneer of hybrid seeds, declared in 1956 that the Corn Belt developed the "most productive agricultural civilization the world has ever seen".[137]Today, the U.S. produces 40 percent of the world crop.[138]
The very dense soil of the Midwest plagued the first settlers who were using woodenplows,which were more suitable for loose forest soil. On the prairie, the plows bounced around and the soil stuck to them. This problem was solved in 1837 by an IllinoisblacksmithnamedJohn Deerewho developed asteelmoldboard plow that was stronger and cut the roots, making the fertile soils of the prairie ready for farming.[citation needed]Farms spread from the colonies westward along with the settlers. In cooler regions, wheat was often the crop of choice when lands were newly settled, leading to a "wheat frontier" that moved westward over the course of years. Also very common in the antebellum Midwest was farming corn while raisinghogs,complementing each other especially since it was difficult to get grain to market before the canals and railroads. After the "wheat frontier" had passed through an area, more diversified farms includingdairyandbeef cattlegenerally took its place.[citation needed]The introduction and broad adoption of scientific agriculture since the mid-19th century contributed to economic growth in the United States.
This development was facilitated by theMorrill Actand theHatch Act of 1887which established in each state aland-grant university(with a mission to teach and study agriculture) and a federally funded system ofagricultural experiment stationsandcooperative extensionnetworks which placeextension agentsin each state.Iowa State Universitybecame the nation's first designated land-grant institution when theIowa Legislatureaccepted the provisions of the 1862 Morrill Act on September 11, 1862, making Iowa the first state in the nation to do so.[139]Soybeanswere not widely cultivated in the United States until the early 1930s, and by 1942, the U.S. became the world's largest soybean producer, partially because of World War II and the "need for domestic sources of fats, oils, and meal". Between 1930 and 1942, the United States' share of world soybean production skyrocketed from 3 percent to 46.5 percent, largely as a result of increase in the Midwest, and by 1969, it had risen to 76 percent.[140] Iowa and Illinois rank first and second in the nation in soybean production. In 2012, Iowa produced 14.5 percent, and Illinois produced 13.3 percent of the nation's soybeans.[141]
Thetallgrass prairiehas been converted into one of the most intensive crop producing areas in North America. Less than one tenth of one percent (<0.09%) of the original landcover of the tallgrass prairie biome remains.[142]States formerly with landcover in native tallgrass prairie such as Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Missouri have become valued for their highly productive soils.
TheCorn Beltis a region of the Midwest where corn has, since the 1850s, been the predominant crop, replacing the native tall grasses. The "Corn Belt" region is defined typically to include Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, southern Michigan, western Ohio, eastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, southern Minnesota, and parts of Missouri.[143]As of 2008[update],the top four corn-producing states were Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, and Minnesota, together accounting for more than half of the corn grown in the United States.[144]The Corn Belt also sometimes is defined to include parts of South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Kentucky.[145]The region is characterized by relatively level land and deep, fertile soils, high in organic matter.[146]
Iowa produces the largest corn crop of any state. In 2012, Iowa farmers produced 18.3 percent of the nation's corn, while Illinois produced 15.3 percent.[141]In 2011, there were 13.7 million harvested acres of corn for grain, producing 2.36 billion bushels, which yielded 172.0 bu/acre, with US$14.5 billion of corn value of production.[147]
Wheatis produced throughout the Midwest and is the principalcerealgrain in the country. The U.S. is ranked third in production volume of wheat, with almost 58 million tons produced in the 2012–2013 growing season, behind only China and India (the combined production of all European Union nations is larger than China)[148]The U.S. ranks first in crop export volume; almost 50 percent of total wheat produced is exported.[citation needed]TheU.S. Department of Agriculturedefines eight official classes of wheat:durumwheat, hard red spring wheat, hard red winter wheat, soft red winter wheat, hard white wheat, soft white wheat, unclassed wheat, and mixed wheat.[149]Winter wheat accounts for 70 to 80 percent of total production in the U.S., with the largest amounts produced in Kansas (10.8 million tons) and North Dakota (9.8 million tons). Of the total wheat produced in the country, 50 percent is exported, valued at US$9 billion.[150]
Midwestern states also lead the nation in other agricultural commodities, includingpork(Iowa),beefandveal(Nebraska),dairy(Wisconsin), andchicken eggs(Iowa).[141]
Financial
edit
Chicagois the largest economic and financial center of the Midwest, and has the third largestgross metropolitan productin North America—approximately $689 billion, after the regions of New York City and Los Angeles. Chicago was named the fourth most important business center in the world in the MasterCard Worldwide Centers of Commerce Index.[152]The 2021Global Financial Centres Indexranked Chicago as the fourth most competitive city in the country and eleventh in the world, directly behind Paris and Tokyo. TheChicago Board of Trade(established 1848) listed the first ever standardized "exchange traded" forward contracts, which were calledfutures contracts.[153]As a world financial center, Chicago is home to major financial andfutures exchangesincluding theCME Groupwhich owns theChicago Mercantile Exchange( "the Merc" ),Chicago Board of Trade(CBOT), theNew York Mercantile Exchange(NYMEX), theDow Jones Indexes,and the Commodities Exchange Inc. (COMEX).[154]Other major exchanges include theChicago Board Options Exchange(CBOE), the largest options exchange in theWestern Hemisphere;and theChicago Stock Exchange.In addition, Chicago is also home to the headquarters of theFederal Reserve Bank of Chicago(the Seventh District of the Federal Reserve).
Outside of Chicago, many other Midwest cities are host to financial centers as well. Federal Reserve Bank districts are also headquartered inCleveland,Kansas City,Minneapolis,andSt. Louis.Major United States bank headquarters are located throughout Ohio includingHuntington Bancsharesin Columbus,Fifth Third Bankin Cincinnati, andKeyCorpin Cleveland. Insurance Companies such asElevance Healthin Indianapolis,Nationwide Insurancein Columbus,American Family Insurancein Madison, Wisconsin,Berkshire Hathawayin Omaha,State Farm Insurancein Bloomington, Illinois,Reinsurance Group of AmericainChesterfield, Missouri,Cincinnati Financial CorporationandAmerican Modern Insurance Groupof Cincinnati, andProgressive InsuranceandMedical Mutual of Ohioin Cleveland also spread throughout the Midwest.
Manufacturing
edit
Navigable terrain, waterways, and ports spurred an unprecedented construction oftransportationinfrastructurethroughout the region. The region is a global leader in advanced manufacturing and research and development, with significant innovations in both production processes and business organization.John D. Rockefeller'sStandard Oilset precedents for centralized pricing, uniform distribution, and controlled product standards through Standard Oil, which started as a consolidated refinery in Cleveland.Cyrus McCormick's Reaper and other manufacturers of agricultural machinery consolidated intoInternational Harvesterin Chicago.Andrew Carnegie's steel production integrated large-scale open-hearth andBessemer processesinto the world's most efficient and profitable mills. The largest, most comprehensive monopoly in the world,United States Steel,consolidated steel production throughout the region. Many of the world's largest employers began in the Great Lakes region.
Advantages of accessible waterways, highly developed transportation infrastructure, finance, and a prosperous market base makes the region the global leader in automobile production and a global business location.Henry Ford's movable assembly line and integrated production set the model and standard for major car manufactures. The Detroit area emerged as the world's automotive center, with facilities throughout the region.Akron, Ohiobecame the global leader in rubber production, driven by the demand for tires. Over 200 million tons ofcargoare shipped annually through the Great Lakes.[156][157][158]
Demographics
editRace and ethnicity
edit| Race (2022)[159] | Population | Share of population |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 68,787,600 | 100.0% |
| White (Non-Hispanic) | 50,186,628 | 73.0% |
| Black (Non-Hispanic) | 6,797,609 | 9.9% |
| Asian (Non-Hispanic) | 2,383,156 | 3.5% |
| Native American (Non-Hispanic) | 268,845 | 0.4% |
| Pacific Islander (Non-Hispanic) | 41,630 | 0.1% |
| Multiracial (Non-Hispanic) | 2,901,606 | 4.2% |
| Some other race (Non-Hispanic) | 293,288 | 0.4% |
| Hispanic or Latino (Of any race) | 5,914,837 | 8.6% |
According to the 2022 American Community Survey, 22.6% of the Midwest's population reportGermanancestry, 10.6% reportIrishancestry, 9.4% reportEnglishancestry, 5.9% reportMexicanancestry, 4.8% identify their ancestry asAmerican,4.3% report Polish ancestry, and 2.6% report Norwegian ancestry.[160][161]The Midwest is home to the largest concentration ofGerman-Americanswithin the US, with this group making up over 30% of the population inNorth Dakota,South Dakota,Wisconsin,Iowa,andNebraska.In addition to German-Americans, theupper Midwestis home to a large population ofScandinavian Americans.In Minnesota, 11.8% of the population identifies withNorwegianancestry, while 6.4% reportSwedishancestry.[162]In North Dakota, 22% of the population reports Norwegian ancestry, the highest rate in the country.[163]
While the Midwest historically had a very smallBlackpopulation,[164]this changed in the early 20th century as numerous African Americans left theSouthfor major urban areas in the North and West, fleeing racial persecution and seeking new economic opportunities in a population movement known as theGreat Migration.[165]This drastically changed the demographics of many Midwestern cities that had previously been almost entirely populated by White Americans, leading tosegregationand discrimination against the growing Black population,racial violence,and "white flight"tosuburbanareas. From 1910 to 1970, Black Americans increased from 2% ofChicago'spopulation to 33%, and became almost half of the population inDetroit.[166][167]As a result of theGreat Migration,Black Americans currently make up 10% of the Midwest's population, with over 96% being concentrated in urban areas, including major cities like Chicago, Detroit,Cleveland,andMilwaukee,as well as medium sized cities likeGaryandFlint.[168]At the same time, most of the rural Midwest has remained overwhelmingly White, with almost two-thirds of the 1,055 counties in the Midwest being over 95% White.
Illinoisis the most populous and racially diverse state in the Midwest,[169]and out of all 50 states, it is also ranked as the most representative of the overalldemographics of the United Stateson several metrics, including religion, race/ethnicity, and urban/rural divide.[170]
Socioeconomics
editAs of 2022, the median household income in the Midwest is $70,283, slightly lower than the national average of $74,755. 12.2% of the region's population lives below the poverty line, including roughly 16% of children under 18, and 10% of seniors over 65. The average household size in the Midwest is 2.4 people[171]
Age and sex
editAs of 2022, the median age in the Midwest is 39.2 years, with 22% of the population being under 18, and 18% being over 65. The age distribution in the Midwest broadly matches the US as a whole. In terms ofsex,50.3% of the region's population are female, and 49.7% are male. Half of the population over the age of 15 are married, while half are unmarried[171]
Culture
editFollowing the sociologicalMiddletown studiesof 1929, which were based onMuncie, Indiana,[172]commentators took Midwestern cities and the Midwest generally to be "typical" of the United States. Earlier, the rhetorical questionWill it play in Peoria?had become a stock phrase, usingPeoria, Illinoisto signal whether something would appeal to mainstream America.[173]As of 2010 the Midwest has a higheremployment-to-population ratiothan theNortheastern United States,theSouthern United States,or theWestern United States.[174]
Religion
edit
Like the rest of the United States, the Midwest is predominantlyChristian.[175]
The majority of Midwesterners areProtestants,with rates from 48 percent in Illinois to 63 percent in Iowa.[176]However, theCatholic Churchis the single largest denomination, varying between 18 percent and 34 percent of the state populations.[177][178]Lutheransare prevalent in theUpper Midwest,especially in Michigan, Minnesota,the Dakotas,and Wisconsin with their large German and Scandinavian populations.[179]Southern Baptistscompose about 15 percent of Missouri's population,[180]but much smaller percentages in other Midwestern states.
JudaismandIslamare collectively practiced by 2 percent of the population, with higher concentrations in major urban areas. 35 percent of Midwesterners attend religious services every week, and 69 percent attend at least a few times a year. People with no religious affiliation make up 22 percent of the Midwest's population.[181]
Education
edit
Many Midwestern universities are members of theAssociation of American Universities(AAU), a bi-national organization founded in Chicago of leadingresearch universities.Of the 69 members from the U.S. and Canada, 17 are located in the Midwest. These include private schoolsCase Western Reserve University,theUniversity of Chicago,Northwestern University,University of Notre Dame,andWashington University in St. Louisand public institutions, theUniversity of Illinois Urbana–Champaign,Indiana University Bloomington,theUniversity of Iowa,theUniversity of Kansas,theUniversity of Michigan,Michigan State University,theUniversity of Minnesota,theUniversity of Missouri,theOhio State University,Purdue University,and theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison.[183]
Other notable majorresearch-intensivepublic universities include theUniversity of Cincinnati,theUniversity of Illinois at Chicago,Iowa State University,Kansas State University,theUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln,Ohio University,Southern Illinois University,andWayne State University.[184]
Numerous state university systems have established regional campuses statewide. The numerous state teachers colleges were upgraded into state universities after 1945.[185]
Other notable private institutions includeBeloit College,John Carroll University,Saint Louis University,Butler University,Loyola University Chicago,DePaul University,Creighton University,Drake University,Marquette University,University of Dayton,andXavier University.Local boosters, usually with a church affiliation, created numerous colleges in the mid-19th century.[186]In terms of national rankings, the most prominentliberal arts collegestoday includeAugustana College,Carleton College,Denison University,DePauw University,Earlham College,Grinnell College,Hamline University,Kalamazoo College,Kenyon College,Knox College,Macalester College,Lawrence University,Oberlin College,St. Olaf College,College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University,Mount Union University,Wabash College,Wheaton College,andThe College of Wooster.[187]
Music
edit
The heavy German immigration played a major role in establishing musical traditions, especially choral and orchestral music.[188]Czech and German traditions combined to sponsor the polka.[189]
The Southern Diaspora of the 20th century saw more than twenty million Southernersmove throughout the country,many of whom moved into major Midwestern industrial cities such as Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, and St. Louis.[190]Along with them, they brought jazz to the Midwest, as well asblues,bluegrass,androck and roll,with major contributions tojazz,funk,andR&B,and even new subgenres such as theMotownSound andtechnofrom Detroit[191]orhouse musicfrom Chicago. In the 1920s, South Side Chicago was the base forJelly Roll Morton(1890–1941). Kansas City developed its own jazz style.[192]
The electrifiedChicago bluessound exemplifies the genre, as popularized by record labelsChessandAlligatorand portrayed in filmThe Blues Brothers.[193]
Rock and rollmusic was first identified as a new genre in 1951 byClevelanddisc jockeyAlan Freedwho began playing this music style while popularizing the term "rock and roll" to describe it.[194]By the mid-1950s, rock and roll emerged as a defined musical style in the United States, deriving most directly from therhythm and bluesmusic of the 1940s, which itself developed from earlierblues,boogie woogie,jazz,andswing music,and was also influenced bygospel,country and western,and traditionalfolk music.Freed's contribution in identifying rock as a new genre helped establish theRock and Roll Hall of Fame,located in Cleveland.Chuck Berry,a Midwesterner from St. Louis, influenced many other rock musicians.[195]
Since the founding of rock 'n' roll music, an uncountable number of rock, soul, R&B, hip-hop, dance, blues, and jazz acts have emerged from Chicago onto the global and national music scene. Detroit has greatly contributed to the international music scene as a result of being the original home of the legendaryMotown Records.Notable soul and R&B musicians associated with Motown that had their origins in the area includeAretha Franklin,the Supremes,Mary Wells,Four Tops,the Jackson 5,Smokey Robinson & the Miracles,Stevie Wonder,the Marvelettes,the Temptations,andMartha and the Vandellas.These artists achieved their greatest success in the 1960s and 1970s.
Midwest music fans loved country music,heavy metal,arena rock,heartland rock,and TOP 40. In the 1970s and 1980s, native Midwestern musicians such asBob Seger,John MellencampandWarren Zevonfound great success with a style of rock music that came to be known asheartland rock,characterized by lyrical themes that focused on and appealed to the Midwestern working class. Other successful Midwestern rock artists emerged during this time, includingREO Speedwagon(Illinois),Styx(Illinois), andKansas.
Prince,The Time,Morris Day,Jesse Johnson,Alexander O'Neal,The Family(USA), St.Paul(Paul Peterson),Apollonia 6,Vanity 6,Sheila E., andJimmy Jam and Terry LewisrecordedMinneapolis sound.[196]
House Music,the first form ofElectronic Dance Music,had its beginning in Chicago in the early 1980s, and by the late 1980s and the early 1990s house music had become popular on an international scale. House artists such asFrankie Knuckles,Marshall Jeffersonreleased many house music records. With the creation of house music in the city of Chicago, the first form of the globally popular electronic dance music genre was created.Technohad its start in Detroit in the late 1980s and early 1990s with techno pioneers such asJuan Atkins,Derrick May,andKevin Saunderson.The genre, while popular in America, became much more popular overseas such as in Europe.[197]
Numerousclassicalcomposerslive and have lived in midwestern states, includingEasley Blackwood,Kenneth Gaburo,Salvatore Martirano,andRalph Shapey(Illinois);Glenn MillerandMeredith Willson(Iowa);Leslie Bassett,William Bolcom,Michael Daugherty,andDavid Gillingham(Michigan);Donald Erb(Ohio);Dominick ArgentoandStephen Paulus(Minnesota).
Sports
edit
Professional sports leagues such as theNational Football League(NFL),Major League Baseball(MLB),National Basketball Association(NBA),Women's National Basketball Association(WNBA),National Hockey League(NHL),Major League Soccer(MLS), andNational Women's Soccer League(NWSL), have team franchises in following Midwestern cities:
- Chicago:Bears(NFL),Cubs,White Sox(MLB),Bulls(NBA),Sky(WNBA),Blackhawks(NHL),Fire FC(MLS),Red Stars(NWSL)
- Cincinnati:Bengals(NFL),Reds(MLB),FC Cincinnati(MLS)
- Cleveland:Browns(NFL),Guardians(MLB),Cavaliers(NBA)
- Columbus:Blue Jackets(NHL),Crew SC(MLS)
- Detroit:Lions(NFL),Tigers(MLB),Pistons(NBA),Red Wings(NHL)
- Green Bay:Packers(NFL)
- Indianapolis:Colts(NFL),Pacers(NBA),Fever(WNBA)
- Kansas City:Chiefs(NFL),Royals(MLB),Sporting(MLS),Current(NWSL)
- Milwaukee:Brewers(MLB),Bucks(NBA)
- Minneapolis–Saint Paul:Vikings(NFL),Twins(MLB),Timberwolves(NBA),Lynx(WNBA),Wild(NHL),United FC(MLS)
- St. Louis:Cardinals(MLB),Blues(NHL),City SC(MLS)
Popular teams include theSt. Louis Cardinals(11World Series titles),Cincinnati Reds(5World Series titles),Chicago Bulls(6NBA titles), theDetroit Pistons(3NBA titles),Milwaukee Bucks(2NBA titles), theMinnesota Lynx(4WNBA titles), theGreen Bay Packers(4Super Bowl titles,13 total NFL championships), theChicago Bears(1Super Bowl title,9 total NFL championships), theCleveland Browns(4 AAFC championships, 4 NFL championships), theKansas City Chiefs(3Super Bowl titles,4 total NFL championships),Kansas City Royals(2World Series titles), theDetroit Red Wings(11Stanley Cup titles), theDetroit Tigers(4 World Series titles), theChicago Blackhawks(6 Stanley Cup titles), and theColumbus Crew(3 MLS Cups).[citation needed]
InNCAAcollege sports, theBig Ten Conferenceand theBig 12 Conferencefeature the largest concentration of top Midwestern Division I football and men's and women's basketball teams in the region, including theCincinnati Bearcats,Illinois Fighting Illini,Indiana Hoosiers,Iowa Hawkeyes,Iowa State Cyclones,Kansas Jayhawks,Kansas State Wildcats,Michigan Wolverines,Michigan State Spartans,Minnesota Golden Gophers,Nebraska Cornhuskers,Northwestern Wildcats,Ohio State Buckeyes,Purdue Boilermakers,and theWisconsin Badgers.[citation needed]
Other notable Midwestern college sports teams include theAkron Zips,Ball State Cardinals,Butler Bulldogs,Creighton Bluejays,Dayton Flyers,Grand Valley State Lakers,Indiana State Sycamores,Kent State Golden Flashes,Marquette Golden Eagles,Miami RedHawks,Milwaukee Panthers,Missouri Tigers,Missouri State Bears,Northern Illinois Huskies,North Dakota State Bison,Notre Dame Fighting Irish,Ohio Bobcats,South Dakota State Jackrabbits,Toledo Rockets,Western Michigan Broncos,Wichita State Shockers,andXavier Musketeers.Of this second group of schools, Butler, Dayton, Indiana State, Missouri State, North Dakota State, and South Dakota State do not play top-level college football (all playing in the second-tierDivision I FCS), and Creighton, Marquette, Milwaukee, Wichita State and Xavier do not sponsor football at all.[198]
TheMilwaukee Milehosted its first automobile race in 1903, and is one of the oldest tracks in the world, though as of 2019 is presently inactive. TheIndianapolis Motor Speedway,opened in 1909, is a prestigious auto racing track which annually hosts the internationally famousIndianapolis 500-Mile Race(part of theIndyCar series), theBrickyard 400(NASCAR), and theIndyCar Grand Prix(IndyCar series). TheRoad AmericaandMid-Ohioroad courses opened in the 1950s and 1960s respectively. Other motorsport venues in the Midwest areIndianapolis Raceway Park(home of theNHRA U.S. Nationals),Michigan International Speedway,Chicagoland Speedway,Kansas Speedway,Gateway International Raceway,and theIowa Speedway.TheKentucky Speedwayis just outside the officially defined Midwest, but is linked with the region because the track is located in theCincinnati metropolitan area.[citation needed]
Notable professional golf tournaments in the Midwest include theMemorial Tournament,BMW ChampionshipandJohn Deere Classic.[citation needed]
Cultural overlap
editThis sectionneeds additional citations forverification.(September 2011) |
Differences in the definition of the Midwest mainly split between the Great Plains region on one side, and the Great Lakes region on the other. Although some point to the small towns and agricultural communities in Kansas, Iowa, the Dakotas, and Nebraska of the Great Plains as representative of traditional Midwestern lifestyles and values, others assert that the industrial cities of the Great Lakes—with their histories of 19th century and early 20th century immigration, manufacturing base, and strong Catholic influence—are more representative of the Midwestern experience. In South Dakota, for instance,West River(the region west of the Missouri River) shares cultural elements with the western United States, whileEast Riverhas more in common with the rest of the Midwest.[199]
Two other regions,Appalachiaand the Ozark Mountains, overlap geographically with the Midwest—Appalachia in Southern Ohio and the Ozarks in Southern Missouri. The Ohio River has long been a boundary between North andSouthand between the Midwest and theUpper South.All of the lower Midwestern states, especially Missouri, have major Southern components and influences, as they neighbor the Southern region. Historically, Missouri was aslavestate before the American Civil War (1861–1865) due to theMissouri Compromise.
Western Pennsylvania,which contains the cities ofErieandPittsburgh,shares history with the Midwest, and overlaps with Appalachia and theNortheastas well.[200]
Kentuckyis not considered part of the Midwest; it is a northern region ofthe South,although certain northern parts of the state could have possibly been grouped with the Midwest in a geographical context, even though it is geographically in the Southeast overall.[201]Kentucky is categorized as Southern by the U.S. Census Bureau due to its industries and especially from a historical and cultural standpoint with the majority of the state having a thoroughly majority Southern accent, demographic, history, and culture in line with her sister states of Virginia and Tennessee and even the areas that have certain Midwestern influences tend to be mixed with the native Southern culture of the area.[202][203]
In addition to intra-American regional overlaps, theUpper Peninsula of Michiganhas historically had strong cultural ties to Canada, partly as a result of early settlement byFrench Canadians.Moreover, theYooper accentshares some traits withCanadian English,further demonstrating transnational cultural connections. Similar but less pronounced mutual Canadian-American cultural influence occurs throughout the Great Lakes region.[citation needed]
Linguistic characteristics
editThis sectionneeds additional citations forverification.(September 2008) |
The accents of the region are generally distinct from those of theAmerican Southand of the urban areas of theAmerican Northeast.To a lesser degree, they are also distinct from the accent of theAmerican West.[citation needed]
The accent characteristic of most of the Midwest is popularly considered to be that of "standard" American English orGeneral American.This accent is typically preferred by many national radio and television producers. Linguist Thomas Bonfiglio argues that, "American English pronunciation standardized as 'network standard' or, informally, 'Midwestern' in the 20th century." He identifies radio as the chief factor.[204][205]
Currently, many cities in the Great Lakes region are undergoing theNorthern cities vowel shiftaway from the standard pronunciation of vowels.[206]
The dialect of Minnesota, western Wisconsin, much of North Dakota and Michigan's Upper Peninsula is referred to as theUpper Midwestern Dialect(or "Minnesotan" ), and hasScandinavianandCanadianinfluences.[citation needed]
Missouri has elements of three dialects, specifically:Northern Midland,in the extreme northern part of the state, with a distinctive variation in St. Louis and the surrounding area; Southern Midland, in the majority of the state; andSouthern,in the southwestern and southeastern parts of the state, with a bulge extending north in the central part, to include approximately the southern one-third.[207]
Health
editThe rate of potentially preventable hospitalizations in the Midwestern United States fell from 2005 to 2011 for overall conditions, acute conditions, and chronic conditions.[208]
Euchre
editEuchre,a trick-taking card game, remains popular in the Midwest and parts of the Upper South, particularly in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania.[209]
Politics
editThis sectionneeds additional citations forverification.(December 2014) |
The Midwestern United States is a politically divided region, with the Democratic Party being stronger in theGreat Lakes Regionand the Republican Party being stronger in theGreat Plainsregions. The Upper Midwestern states of Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin reliably voted Democratic in every presidential election from 1992 to 2012. Meanwhile, Minnesota has the longest Democratic voting streak in the nation, having last voted for a Republican presidential candidate in 1972. Recently, Republicans have made serious inroads in Iowa and Ohio, two states that were previously considered swing states.
Missouri has been won by Republicans in every presidential election since 2000, despite itsformer bellwether status.Indiana has been won by Republicans in every presidential election since 1940, except for Lyndon Johnson in1964and Barack Obama in2008.[210]The Great Plains states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas have voted for the Republican candidate in every presidential election since 1940, except for DemocratLyndon B. Johnsonin1964.The unicameralNebraska Legislatureis officially nonpartisan.[211]
All Midwestern states use primary elections to select delegates for both the Democratic and Republican national conventions, except for Iowa. TheIowa caucusesin early January of leap years are the first votes in thepresidential nominating processfor both major parties, and attract enormous media attention.[212]
East North Central
editAs of 2023, the state government ofIllinoiscurrently has a Democratic GovernorJ.B. PritzkerandDemocraticsupermajorities in both houses of theIllinois General Assembly.Illinois also has 2 Democratic U.S. senators and a 14–3 Democratic majorityU.S. House delegation.
As of 2023, Wisconsin has a Democratic GovernorTony Eversand a Republican-controlledWisconsin Legislature.Wisconsin also has 1 Democratic and 1 Republican Senator and a 6-2 Republican majorityU.S. House delegation.Wisconsin is considered apurple state,as Donald Trump and Joe Biden won the state by less than 1 percentage point in2016and2020.
Except in2016and2024,Michiganhas consistently voted for the Democratic presidential candidate since 1992, though their margins of victory have often been relatively narrow. Democrats won full control of Michigan's state government in the2022 midtermsfor the first time since 1983, though they only hold the minimum number of seats required for a majority in each of the two chambers of the legislature. As of 2023, Michigan has 2 Democratic U.S. Senators and a 7-6 bare Democratic majorityU.S. House of Representatives delegation.
Indiana is considered a Republican stronghold, having voting for that party's presidential candidate in every election since 1940, except forJohnsonin 1964 andBarack Obamain 2008. As of 2023, the Republican party controls both U.S. Senate seats, has a 7–2 majorityU.S. House congressional delegation,and has a state-level trifecta (the governorship and both houses of theIndiana General Assembly).
As of 2024, Ohio currently has a Republican GovernorMike DeWineand Republican majorities in theOhio General Assembly.Ohio also has 1 Democratic and 1 Republican U.S. Senator and a 10-5 Republican majority U.S. House delegation. Ohio has been a battleground state in presidential elections, and no Republican has won the office without winning Ohio.Donald Trumpwon Ohio by about 8 percentage points in both the2016and2020presidential elections, signaling a shift towards the right for the state's federal electorate. The2022 midtermsresulted in strong Republican support at the state level, and moderate Republican support at the federal level, with Republican governor Mike DeWine winning reelection in alandslideand Republican authorJD Vancewinning electionto the U.S. Senateby about 6 percentage points.
West North Central
editThe Great Plains states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas have been strongholds for the Republicans for many decades. These four states have gone for the Republican candidate in every presidential election since 1940, except forLyndon B. Johnson's landslide overBarry Goldwaterin1964.Although North Dakota and South Dakota have often elected Democrats to Congress, after the 2012 election both states' congressional delegations are majority Republican. Nebraska has elected Democrats to the Senate and as governor in recent years, but both of its senators have been Republican since the retirement ofBen Nelsonin 2012. Kansas has elected a majority of Democrats as governor since 1956, but has not elected a Democratic senator since 1932. From 1997 to 2010 and again since 2019, Kansas has had at least one Democratic House member (two in 2007 and '08).
Iowa had a Democratic governor from 1999 untilTerry Branstadwas re-elected in the mid-term elections in 2010, and has had both one Democratic and one Republican senator since the early 1980s until the 2014 election when RepublicanJoni Ernstdefeated DemocratBruce Braleyin a tightly contested race.[213]Between 1988 and 2012, Iowa also voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in all elections except 2004, but in 2016 and 2020Donald Trumpwon the state by about 9 and 8 percentage points, respectively. Since the 2016 elections, Republicans have held a majority in both houses of theIowa General Assembly.Following the2022 elections,Iowa is considered ared stateas Republicans hold all but one statewide office, both U.S. Senate seats, all four U.S. House seats, and Republican governorKim Reynoldswasreelectedby a margin of nearly 20 points.
Minnesota voters have not voted for a Republican candidate for president since 1972, longer than any other state. Minnesota was the only state (along with Washington, D.C.) to vote for its native sonWalter MondaleoverRonald Reaganin 1984. However, recent Democratic victories have often been fairly narrow, such as the2016 presidential election.The Democratic Party narrowly controls theMinnesota state legislatureas well asthe governor's officeas of 2023. The Minnesota congressional delegation has 2 Democratic Senators buta 4-4 evenly split U.S. House delegation.
Missouri was historically considered a bellwether state, having voted for the winner in every presidential election from 1904 to 2004 except for1956,when it backed losing DemocratAdlai Stevenson.Democrats generally only hold sway in the large cities at the opposite ends of the state, Kansas City and St. Louis, with the Republicans winning the rest of the state. Since the 2012 elections, Republicans have had a 6–2 majority in the state'sU.S. House delegation,with African-American Democrats representing the two major cities. Missouri has had a Republican governor since the 2016 elections, as well as both U.S. Senators being Republican since the2018 United States Senate elections.As of 2023, Republicans have supermajorities in both houses of theMissouri General Assembly.
See also
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Further reading
edit- Sisson, Richard, Christian Zacher, and Andrew Cayton, eds.The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia(Indiana University Press, 2006), 1916 pp of articles by scholars on all topics covering the 12 states.online
- Aley, Ginette et al. eds.Union Heartland: The Midwestern Home Front during the Civil War(2013)
- Barlow, Philip, and Mark Silk.Religion and Public Life in the Midwest: America's Common Denominator?(2004)
- Billington, Ray Allen. "The Origins of Middle Western Isolationism".Political Science Quarterly(1945): 44–64.in JSTOR
- Buley, R. Carlyle.The Old Northwest: Pioneer Period 1815–18402 vol (1951), Pulitzer Prize;online
- Buss, James Joseph.Winning the West with Words, Language and Conquest in the Lower Great Lakes(U of Oklahoma Press, 2011)online
- Campbell, Rex R. et al.A Revolution in the Heartland: Changes in Rural Culture, Family and Communities, 1900–2000(University of Missouri: Department of Rural Sociology, 2004)online
- Cayton, Andrew R. L.Midwest and the Nation(1990)online
- Cayton, Andrew R. L. and Susan E. Gray, Eds.The Identity of the American Midwest: Essays on Regional History(2001)
- Cordier, Mary Hurlbut.Schoolwomen of the Prairies and Plains: Personal Narratives from Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska, 1860s-1920s(1997)online
- Cronon, William.Nature's Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West(1992), influential study 1850–1900online
- Fry, John. "'Good Farming – Clear Thinking – Right Living': Midwestern Farm Newspapers, Social Reform, and Rural Readers in the Early Twentieth Century".Agricultural History78#1 ( 2004): 34–49.online
- Garland, John H.The North American Midwest: A Regional Geography(1955)
- Gjerde, John.Minds of the West: Ethnocultural Evolution in the Rural Middle West, 1830–1917(1999)online
- High, Stephen C.Industrial Sunset: The Making of North America's Rust Belt, 1969–1984(Toronto, 2003)
- Hoganson, Kristin L.The Heartland: An American History(Penguin Random House, 2019)online reviews
- Jensen, Richard.The Winning of the Midwest: Social and Political Conflict, 1888–1896(1971)online
- Jordan, Philip D.Ohio Comes of Age: 1873–1900 Volume 5(1968)online
- Lauck, Jon K.The Good Country: A History of the American Midwest, 1800–1900(2022)online
- Lauck, Jon K. "Trump and The Midwest: The 2016 Presidential Election and The Avenues of Midwestern Historiography"Studies in Midwestern History(2017) vol 3#1online
- Lauck, Jon K. and Catherine McNicol Stock, eds.The Conservative Heartland: A Political History of the Postwar American Midwest(UP of Kansas, 2020)online review
- Longworth, Richard C.Caught in the Middle: America's Heartland in the Age of Globalism(2008)online
- Meyer, David R. "Midwestern Industrialization and the American Manufacturing Belt in the Nineteenth Century",The Journal of Economic History,49#4 (1989) pp. 921–937.in JSTOR
- Miller, John E.Small Town Dreams: Stories of Midwestern Boys Who Shaped America(UP of Kansas, 2014)online.
- Nelson, Daniel.Farm and Factory: Workers in the Midwest 1880–1990(1995),
- Nordin, Dennis S., and Roy V. Scott.From Prairie Farmer to Entrepreneur: The Transformation of Midwestern Agriculture.(2005)online
- Nye, Russel B.Midwestern Progressive Politics(1959)online
- Page, Brian, and Richard Walker. "From settlement to Fordism: the agro-industrial revolution in the American Midwest".Economic Geography(1991): 281–315.in JSTOR
- Scheiber, Harry N. ed.The Old Northwest; studies in regional history, 1787–1910(1969) 16 essays by scholars on economic and social topics.online
- Scranton, Philip. "Multiple industrializations: urban manufacturing development in the American Midwest, 1880–1925."Journal of Design History12.1 (1999): 45-63.
- Shannon, Fred A. "The Status of the Midwestern Farmer in 1900"The Mississippi Valley Historical Review37#3. (1950), pp. 491–510.in JSTOR
- Shortridge, James R.The Middle West: Its Meaning in American Culture(1989)online
- Slade, Joseph W. and Judith Lee.The Midwest: The Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Regional Cultures(2004)online
- Sleeper-Smith, Susan.Indigenous Prosperity and American Conquest: Indian Women of the Ohio River Valley, 1690–1792(The Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture; 2018)online
- Teaford, Jon C.Cities of the heartland: The rise and fall of the industrial Midwest(Indiana UP, 1993).online
- Tucker, Spencer, ed.American Civil War: A State-by-State Encyclopedia(2 vol., 2015) 1019pponline
- White, Richard.The Middle Ground: Indians, Empires, and Republics in the Great Lakes Region, 1650–1815(Cambridge UP; 1991)online
- Wuthnow, Robert.Remaking the Heartland: Middle America Since the 1950s(Princeton UP, 2011)online
Historiography and memory
edit- Brown, David S.Beyond the Frontier: The Midwestern Voice in American Historical Writing(2009)online
- Frederick; John T., ed.Out of the Midwest: A Collection of Present-Day Writing(1944) prose and poetry.[1]
- Garry, Patrick. "Cherished Lives and Lasting Values: Memoirs of the Rural Midwest."Middle West Review10.1 (2023): 183-194. Reviews ten autobiographical memoirs of Midwest.excerpt
- Good, David F. "American History through a Midwestern Lens".Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft38.2 (2012): 435+online
- Hoganson, Kristin L.The Heartland: An American History(2019)online reviews
- Hurt, R. Douglas. "Writing Midwestern State Histories."Middle West Review10#1 (2023): 195-201.excerpt
- Lauck, Jon K.The Lost Region: Toward a Revival of Midwestern History(University of Iowa Press; 2013) 166 pages; criticizes the neglect of the Midwest in contemporary historiography and argues for a revival of attention.online
- Lauck, Jon K. "Trump and The Midwest: The 2016 Presidential Election and The Avenues of Midwestern Historiography."Studies in Midwestern History3.1 (2017): 1-24.online
Primary sources
edit- Grant, H. Roger, ed.Railroads in the Heartland: Steam and Traction in the Golden Age of Postcards(1997) over 100 historic photographs from 1905-1915.online
External links
edit
Mediafrom Commons
Travel informationfrom Wikivoyage
Datafrom Wikidata