alternatehistory.com

We've had about three threads on this subject, but none have gotten past page one. While I understand Meepy has written a short timeline on the matter, I am curious about other possible interpretations.

The Toledo War was a virtually bloodless dispute between Michigan and Ohio over the area known as the Toledo Strip. As a result of a poor understanding of the geography of the Great Lakes, varying interpretations of law and some weird surveying both Ohio and the Territory of Michigan came to claim the area. When Michigan applied for statehood, Ohio blocked the measure by stating that Michigan's boundaries contradicted their own. The situation escalated to the point where both areas sent their soldiers to the disputed area and a team sent to settle the issue was kidnapped.

The crisis was later diffused by Jackson who gave Michigan the upper peninsula in return for accepting Ohio's ownership of Toledo.


What if, however, the situation degrades further before Jackson can intervene and the militias start firing on each other? Perhaps Ohio tries to enforce the boundary at the Harris Line (The southern extremity of Lake Michigan. Toward the end, the Ohio government started getting angry and tried to re-establish a previously rejected border.) and/or Michigan tries to re-establish the border even lower.

What does the federal government do if there is bloodshed and each side is trying to occupy the other's territory? How does this influence state disputes in the future?
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