President Jackson, in a desperate attempt to …

Years: 1835 - 1835
March

President Jackson, in a desperate attempt to prevent armed battle and to avert the resulting political crisis, consults his Attorney General Benjamin Butler for his legal opinion on the border dispute.

At the time, Ohio is a growing political power in the Union, with nineteen U.S. Representatives and two Senators.

In contrast, Michigan, still being a territory, has only a single non-voting delegate.

Ohio is a crucial swing state in presidential elections, and it would be devastating to the fledgling Democratic Party to lose Ohio's electoral votes.

Therefore, Jackson calculates that his party's best interest would be served by keeping the Toledo Strip a part of Ohio.

The response that Jackson receives from Butler is unexpected: the Attorney-General holds that until Congress dictates otherwise, the land rightfully belongs to Michigan.

This presents a political dilemma for Jackson that spurs him to take action that is to greatly influence the outcome of the "war".

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