Abstracts Sociology

“The Principle Object of Their Affections:” The ChangingNature of Borders and Boundaries in the Lake Erie World,1794-1825

by Andrew Thomas Hall

From 1794 to 1825, a distinct transnational community developed along the American-Canadian border around Lake Erie that matured first through social contact and strengthened with trade. Nationality mattered little, as people of various backgrounds developed unique relationships in a shared border space that existed on the frontier of many societies. The strong social ties strained under the threat of war in 1812, and suffered extensively through a retaliatory conflict along border spaces. Broken kinships followed bifurcated loyalties in the years following the war, leading to a dramatic decline in cross-border interaction. As friends and families broke apart, the fur trade kept transnational contact alive, but only for as long as there were animals to hunt. The development of the Erie Canal in 1825 and the decline of valuable game led to the exodus of major trade groups and the overall collapse of this Lake Erie World. Advisors/Committee Members: Cayton, Andrew (Advisor).