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Sandusky Research Paper

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Due to the Sandusky River, which was a major water route connecting Canada to the Mississippi River utilized by early French traders, the area was highly trafficked. As trading posts emerged on the lake in the Sandusky, small communities started appearing to the east of where Toledo is today (Mossing 17). Catholic historian John Gilmary Shea claimed the first traces of Catholic missionaries visiting the territory was the Society of Jesus, more commonly known as the Jesuits, in 1742. The Jesuits are a religious order founded during the Counter-Reformation period (McBrien 177).
At the time, the territory was under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Quebec, Reverend Henry M. De Pont Briand, sixth Bishop of Quebec. Pont Briand requested the Order …show more content…

The village was approximately six miles south of where Fort Sandusky would be built by the English. The chapel and its altar were the first of their kind to be permanently built in the area. However, in the years following, the Western Missions faced turmoil; the Society of Jesus and the loss of Canada by the French broke them up. When Richardie passed away in 1781, there were no other Catholic missionaries to replace him. With the loss of the Jesuit Fathers to foster the Catholic presence and care for the Sandusky Mission, Catholicism nearly disappeared from the area for several years (10). It was not until the Redemptorists and Sanguinists came to the area in 1833 and 1834, respectively, that a resurgence of Catholicism was noted. The Redemptorists are members of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, a Roman Catholic missionary congregation founded by Saint Alphonsus Liguori. The Sanguinists were Missionaries of the Precious Blood, a community of priests within the Roman Catholic Church. Members do not take vows, but are held together by the bond of charity only and by a promise to not leave the community (Mossing …show more content…

However, the English were equally determined, with aide from the Native Americans, to keep their hold on the valley. In February 1794, the English ordered that a fort be built on the Maumee River called Fort Miami. But, following the defeat of the Native Americans at Fallen Timbers by General Anthony Wayne on August 20, 1794, the English power was weakened. Further crippling their forces, the Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigations, more commonly known as the Jay Treaty , was signed in February 1795, and the Treaty of Greenville on August 3, 1795. On July 11, 1796, the stronghold withdrew and American forces took over (Hanley

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