Lesson Six Pacing

UNIT FOUR: THE GROWTH OF MICHIGAN Lesson Six Population Growth: Push and Pull Factors

The BIG Ideas… Natural resources like fertile soil, trees, and minerals helped Michigan grow and develop. Natural resources would have been useless to Michigan without human resources. People moved to Michigan from many different places and helped it grow. Sometimes people moved to Michigan because things such as hard times pushed them out of the place where they were living. Sometimes people moved to Michigan because things pulled them here, like good farmland and jobs.

Natural resources such as fertile soil, trees, iron ore, and copper and the economic activities associated with them are very important to Michigan’s growth. How did the natural resources in Michigan influence its growth and development?

What kinds of resources were even more important to Michigan than natural resources? Human resources, or people, have always been Michigan’s most important resource. Why do you think this is true?  People and their skills made mining and lumbering possible  People manufactured the products in early factories.  People farmed the land.

human resources workers and their skills Example: Truck drivers, doctors, and teachers are human resources.

Movement “Movement” is one of the important themes of geography. Movement provides an example of where history and geography are connected. Historians study the movement of people into Michigan and explore why they came to Michigan and where they settled.

movement the theme of geography that explains how and why people, goods, and ideas move Example: The theme of movement helps us understand how places are connected to other places.

Can you think of some examples of the movement of people to Michigan? Early Native Americans moved into Michigan long ago. French people, and later British people, moved to Michigan to take part in the fur trade. Settlers from the eastern part of the U.S. moved to Michigan and began farms in the early 1800s.

WOODEN SHOES IN WILDERNESS What do you think this title means? Is it a primary source or a secondary source?  This is a story written about a historical event and is a secondary source.

WOODEN SHOES IN WILDERNESS It was late December in The Reverend Albertus Van Raalte had come a long way from Holland. He struggled now through waist-high snow. He was traveling with missionary George Smith and an Ottawa guide. Van Raalte, weakened by days of exploration in western Michigan, could hardly lift his snowshoes. At times he could make no more than fifty steps before stopping to rest. But even as he rested, he scooped through the snow to examine the quality of the underlying soil. The Dutch pastor liked what he found. The fertile soil would be good for farming. The hardwood trees in the area would be ideal for fine furniture manufacturing. The influence of nearby Lake Michigan would permit fruit growing. The unsettled land here around the mouth of the Black River could be purchased cheaply. On New Year’s Day in 1847, Van Raalte selected the site for the city that would be known as Holland. Adapted from: Wooden Shoes in Wilderness.

The title mentions wooden shoes but the selection talks about snowshoes. Why do you think this is true? Why do you think Rev. Van Raalte was examining the soil under the snow? What economic activities did he think would work well in the area? Why do you think he decided to begin the settlement of Holland along a river? Why do you think he decided to call the settlement ‘Holland’? What does the title mean?

This text selection describes how someone moved to Michigan from far away in Holland and helped to begin an early settlement. Holland can be found on a Michigan map. Holland, Michigan

The Growth of Holland Dutch settlers joined Van Raalte and survived the winter of The small settlement had many problems in the following summer including illnesses caused by the many mosquitoes in the area. By the spring of 1848, what the first colonists remembered as the "bitter days" were over and the settlement started to grow. More Dutch settlers continued to arrive from the country of Holland and by 1860; the town’s population was close to 2,000.

What does this map show about Dutch people in Michigan? Many Dutch people remained in western Michigan around the city of Holland where Rev. Van Raalte had begun the early settlement long ago. Source: Ethnicity Maps..

Holland Today

Dutch windmill called DeZwaan in Holland, Michigan

Making Wooden Shoes in Holland Michigan

Nelis Dutch Village in Holland Michigan

Holland Today When people move to a new place they bring their culture with them. Dutch people many years ago brought cultural traditions like wooden shoes and windmills with them. Why do you think these cultural traditions have lasted for so long in the Holland area? Preserving cultural traditions is often very important to people.

culture the way of life of a group of people Example: The People of the Three Fires had cultures that were much alike.

Pull Factors Many other groups moved to Michigan besides the Dutch. They came for many different reasons. Historians talk about “push/pull” factors when they study the movement of people. Pull factors are things that pull people to a place. Furs pulled both the French and the British to Michigan. Can you identify other pull factors that brought people to Michigan?  fertile farm land, cheap farm land, growing towns, jobs in lumber mills

pull factors things that pull people to a new area Example: Jobs in factories were a pull factor for many people who moved to Michigan.

push factors things that push people out of a place Example: When people have a hard life in a place, this can be a push factor that encourages them to move to a new place.

Push Factors Some things push people out of places. For example, the lack of farm land in New York worked as a push factor because people wanted farm land. Sometimes people are forced to move and they are pushed out of a place by others. This happened to many American Indians in Michigan.

Moving to Michigan Identify the different groups that moved to Michigan as well as the push and pull factors that influenced their decision to move.  Highlight each group.  Draw one line under a pull factor.  Two lines under a push factor.

Moving to Michigan The population of Michigan is made up of people from many different places. They migrated, or moved, to Michigan for a variety of reasons. They helped Michigan grow and develop. The French came first in the late 1600s to work in the fur trade. There were not a lot of French people, but they did begin many early Michigan towns. Later in the middle of the 1800s, French people came from Canada to work in the lumbering business. Many settled in lumbering towns like Saginaw and Bay City. British people came to Michigan after the French. In the 1830s, many people of British descent moved from the New England area to Michigan. They settled in many areas of the Lower Peninsula. Most became farmers. In the 1850s, people from the Cornwall area of Britain came to work in Michigan mines.

People of African descent have lived in Michigan from the time of the fur trade. Between 1840 and 1860, many escaped slaves came through Michigan on their way to Canada. They were looking for freedom. Some stayed in Michigan. During the early 1900s, many African Americans left southern states hoping to find jobs and a better life in northern states like Michigan. Many settled in cities like Detroit where they hoped to get jobs in factories. Germans began to come to Michigan around Many left Germany because crops had failed and there was a shortage of food. There were also political, or governmental, problems in Germany. They settled first around Ann Arbor and the Saginaw River Valley. They started towns such as Frankenmuth. In Ireland in the 1840s, there was a famine, which meant there was a serious shortage of food. This was caused when the potato crop failed. Many Irish people left Ireland at this time and came to states like Michigan. Here they settled in Detroit and in an area of southeastern Michigan which became known as the Irish Hills.

Food shortages were also a problem in Poland in the 1860s. As a result, Poles began to come to Michigan looking for better jobs and farmland. They started towns like Posen in the northeastern part of the Lower Peninsula. Later many Poles moved to the Detroit area to work in car factories. In the 1840s, the Dutch government took control of the churches in Holland. This caused many Dutch people to leave their country in search of religious freedom. Many came to Michigan and settled in the western part of our state in cities like Grand Rapids. They also started a town called Holland. In the 1860s, Swedish people settled in the Upper Peninsula to work in mines and lumber camps. They felt the Upper Peninsula was a lot like their native Sweden. They lived in towns like Iron Mountain and Iron River. Finnish people and Italians also came to Michigan beginning in the 1860s. They came mainly to work in mines. Later people from both these groups settled in the Detroit area to work in factories.

Push FactorsPull Factors

Push FactorsPull Factors Food shortages Government problems Lack of freedom Lack of religious freedom Crop failures Lack of jobs Lack of farm land Jobs in the fur trade Jobs in lumber mills Farm land Jobs in mines A better life Freedom Religious freedom Jobs in factories

Moving to Michigan The population of Michigan is made up of people from many different places. They migrated, or moved, to Michigan for a variety of reasons. They helped Michigan grow and develop. The French came first in the late 1600s to work in the fur trade. There were not a lot of French people, but they did begin many early Michigan towns. Later in the middle of the 1800s, French people came from Canada to work in the lumbering business. Many settled in lumbering towns like Saginaw and Bay City. British people came to Michigan after the French. In the 1830s, many people of British descent moved from the New England area to Michigan. They settled in many areas of the Lower Peninsula. Most became farmers. In the 1850s, people from the Cornwall area of Britain came to work in Michigan mines.

People of African descent have lived in Michigan from the time of the fur trade. Between 1840 and 1860, many escaped slaves came through Michigan on their way to Canada. They were looking for freedom. Some stayed in Michigan. During the early 1900s, many African Americans left southern states hoping to find jobs and a better life in northern states like Michigan. Many settled in cities like Detroit where they hoped to get jobs in factories. Germans began to come to Michigan around Many left Germany because crops had failed and there was a shortage of food. There were also political, or governmental, problems in Germany. They settled first around Ann Arbor and the Saginaw River Valley. They started towns such as Frankenmuth. In Ireland in the 1840s, there was a famine, which meant there was a serious shortage of food. This was caused when the potato crop failed. Many Irish people left Ireland at this time and came to states like Michigan. Here they settled in Detroit and in an area of southeastern Michigan which became known as the Irish Hills.

Food shortages were also a problem in Poland in the 1860s. As a result, Poles began to come to Michigan looking for better jobs and farmland. They started towns like Posen in the northeastern part of the Lower Peninsula. Later many Poles moved to the Detroit area to work in car factories. In the 1840s, the Dutch government took control of the churches in Holland. This caused many Dutch people to leave their country in search of religious freedom. Many came to Michigan and settled in the western part of our state in cities like Grand Rapids. They also started a town called Holland. In the 1860s, Swedish people settled in the Upper Peninsula to work in mines and lumber camps. They felt the Upper Peninsula was a lot like their native Sweden. They lived in towns like Iron Mountain and Iron River. Finnish people and Italians also came to Michigan beginning in the 1860s. They came mainly to work in mines. Later people from both these groups settled in the Detroit area to work in factories.

Moving to Michigan Who? When Why? Where did they settle?

Moving to Michigan Chart – Possible Answers Who?When?Why?Where did they settle? French 1600s mid 1800s To work in fur trade and lumbering British 1600s 1800s Fur trade Farming Mining Many areas of including the UP People of African descent 1840s 1900s Looking for freedom Looking for a better life Metro area cities Germans1830sFood and government problems in Irish1840sThere was a famine in Irish Hills Poles1860sFor better jobs and farmlandTowns like Posen Dutch1840sLooking for religious freedom Western part of the state in cities like and Swedish1860sTo work in mines and lumber campsThe Finnish1860sTo work in mines and later factoriesUP Italians1860sTo work in mines and later factoriesUP

Additional Groups of People who have come to Michigan Hispanic people came to Michigan in the 1900s. They were mainly from Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. In the beginning, many helped pick Michigan crops. Later they settled in cities like Detroit, Pontiac, Dearborn, and Allen Park. Many Hispanic people worked in factories. There was a wave of Japanese immigration to Michigan in the 1980s. During this time, many Japanese settled in Oakland County. Many worked for Japanese car parts companies. Michigan has more people of Arab descent than most other states. They have come to Michigan mainly from the countries of Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. People came for a variety of reasons including conflict in southwestern Asia. Most Arabic people live in cities near Detroit such as Dearborn and Southfield. Many Arabic people are Muslims and follow the religion of Islam. Others, like Chaldeans, who come from Iraq, are Christians. Most Arab immigration was in the later part of the 1900s. A few Jewish people came to Michigan as early as the times of the fur trade. Many came between 1880 and In the late1900s Russian Jews immigrated to the Detroit area to escape discrimination in their homeland.

Researching a Cultural Group Let’s research a cultural group who came into our region of Michigan. We can get information from our local historical society, a local museum, our local genealogical society, guest speakers, local ethnic organizations, and the Internet.

A Cultural Group Who Came to Our Region Who? When Why? Where did they settle? How has the group kept its culture alive?

As Americans, we value differences in cultural and ethnic background, race, lifestyle, and beliefs. People from many different places have enriched Michigan and helped it grow. Diversity and the other Core Democratic Values

diversity a core democratic value that means we value differences in people Example: Diversity in Michigan has helped make it a very special place.

Core Democratic Values beliefs and ideas that we share as Americans Example: Freedom and diversity are core democratic values.

This book is set in Michigan and describes how a Russian Jewish family helps their neighbors celebrate Christmas and shares their own Hanukkah traditions during an outbreak of scarlet fever. The Trees of the Dancing Goats by: Patricia Polacco

Lesson Six Assessment

Push and Pull Factors Possible Answers Factors that PULLED people to Michigan. Good farmland Mining jobs Lumbering jobs Jobs in factories Hope for a better life Factors that PUSHED people out of their home countries. Shortage of food/ Famine Governmental/Political problems Lack of religious freedom Lack of jobs Conflict Hard times in places where they lived