C H A P T E R

Innisfree McKinnonUniversity of Oregon

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Lecture Outline

8The Great Lakes and Corn Belt

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Learning Objectives

• The Heartland• States & Provinces• Environmental Setting

– Glaciation

• Historical Settlement– Source areas for immigrants– Ethnic enclaves in Toronto & Chicago– The Old Northwest and the Northwest

Ordinance– The Great Migration

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Learning Objectives

• Political Economy– Family, corporate, cash-grain, & mixed farms– Industrialization & advantages of the region– Youngstown & postindustrialization

• Culture, People, Places– The Golden Horseshoe of southern Ontario– Chicago and globalization

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• Ohio, shaped similar to a heart called "the heart of it all"

• Often seen as having truly "American" values with fewer "foreign" influences

• Near the geographic center of North America

The Heartland

• Transportation hub• Area seen as

repository of stable, conservative, endearing ideas about the nature of life and society

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• Most areas not previously glaciated are hillier and less fertile

Heart of America's Lowland

• Most of region < 2000 ft. above sea level

• Mostly flat & gentle hills.

• Mostly shaped by periodic glaciation

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The Great Lakes & Waterways

• Extensive natural and man-made waterways

• Allowed water travel from Great Lakes to Mississippi River

• Chicago river reversed in early 20th century for new water route to Mississippi River.

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Climate

• Humid continental climate

• Cooler summers and milder winters on immediate east and south sides of the Great Lakes

• Occasional strong blizzards and snowstorms

• Tornadoes and strong thunderstorms in spring and summer

• Year round precipitation

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Invasive Species

• Often outbreed and outcompete native species

• Few local predators to cull numbers

• May attempt to spread to neighboring regions

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• Northwest Ordinance

• 1785

• Created township and range method of survey

• Land surveyed into square townships of 36 sq. miles

Historical Settlement

• Eastern Woodland Culture

• British control from 1763 to 1783

• 1783 Treaty of Paris formed Old Northwest

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Colonial Great Lakes & Corn Belt

• At Philadelphia Constitutional Convention

• Original 13 colonies gave up claims in Old Northwest

• New territories could apply for admission to United States

• Post ratification of Constitution, states could apply once population > 60,000 Euro-Americans

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• Part of region west of Mississippi obtained as result of Louisiana Purchase in 1803

• Most Native Americans pushed westward out of south-eastern U.S. across Mississippi between 1812 and 1832

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Population & Water

• Rapid population growth enhanced by easy access by water

• Great Lakes, Ohio River, Mississippi River

• Enhanced by construction of locks and dams in rivers and canals

• Enhanced by construction of Erie Canal in 1825

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• Scandinavia

• Canada

Antebellum Immigrants

• Appalachian natives

• New England, New York & Pennsylvania natives

• England & Wales

• Scotland & Ireland

• Germany

• The Netherlands

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– Poles– Greeks & Italians– Hungarians & Czechs– Dutch, Swedes,

Norwegians, Finns, Danes

• Great Migration– 500,000 African

Americans left rural South

– Settled in Chicago, New York, Detroit, Cleveland, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Kansas City

– Impact on culture & heritage

– Many settled in Ontario & Nova Scotia

Postbellum Immigrants

• Europeans

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• Pull Factors• Jobs at much higher

wages• Call to freedom• Opportunity for equality

Push Factors & Pull Factors

• Push Factors• Institutionalized racism• Segregation• Lynchings• Beatings• Limited education and

economic opportunities

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Political Economy

• By end of 19th century, economy highly integrated mix of agriculture, industry, and services

• For two centuries the Great Lakes & Corn Belt was one of most productive farming areas in world

• Factors: fertile soil, adequate water, excellent transportation, favorable government policy, good work ethic, and experience

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Farming

• Family Farm – run by individual family instead of corporation.

• Corporate Farm

• Cash-grain Farm – raise cash crops that are sold directly to food-processing companies

• Mixed Farm – most crops are fed to livestock

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Major Agricultural Activities

• Corn (Iowa and Illinois are nation's lead corn producing states)

• Soybeans (U.S. produces over ¾ of world's soybean crop)

• Hogs (Iowa has about 5 hogs for every Iowan)

• Cattle ranching• Dairy farming

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Corn and Ethanol Production

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Industry Overview

• Historically agricultural sector complimented by equally important industrial sector

• Area was once most productive industrial region of N. America

• After exodus of steel mills & auto plants, area known as the "Rust Belt"

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Rise of Industrial Sector

• Region central for many industrial resources (e.g., coal, iron)

• Region transportation center, first water-based transportation, then rail

• Abundant labor from immigrants, and Americans moving from Appalachia & the Deep South

• Communities identified by primary industrial products produced

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Cost of Globalization

• Industrial production declining

• lower production costs outside the U.S.

• Diversified companies tend to survive

• Highly specialized industrial bases are harder hit

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Tertiary and Quaternary Activities in Great Lakes and Corn Belt

• Tourism and the military not a large part of the economy

• Other tertiary and quaternary activities have prospered in places

• Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

• Government centers

• University communities

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Canada

• This region includes part of Southern Ontario

• The Golden Horseshoe = Oshawa, Toronto, Hamilton, St. Catherine's-Niagara

• Toronto blossomed after World War II

• More than half Toronto's current population born outside Canada.

• London & Windsor are major industrial centers

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United States

• The Rust Belt

• Youngstown, OH = recent flourishing economic center

• Pittsburgh = strong postindustrial economy

• Chicago = transportation center

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• Transportation hub

• Now financial and commercial center

Chicago

• 1850 population ~29,000

• 1900 population ~1,000,000

• Once primary industrial center

• Changing and diverse cultural landscape

• Ethnic enclaves

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Industrial Cities in Economic Decline

• Detroit, MI – Automobile Production• Detroit Mayor proposed that 40 square miles of

city be abandoned due to population loss and abandoned houses.

• Milwaukee, MN• Cleveland, OH• Declining population• Little economic development• Problems transitioning from Industrial to Post-

Industrial

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Industrial Cities in Economic Decline (cont.)

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Detroit

• Problems in racial integration and urban diversity

• Detroit is 2/3 African-American

• Argument that dependence on manufacturing has impeded integration.

• Eminem and Eight Mile Road

• Prediction that integration will increase if quaternary sector expands

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The Future of the Great Lakes/Corn Belt Region

• Strong support as transportation center

• Challenges in economic revival and transition

• Likely still a significant agricultural and manufacturing core region

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End Chapter 8