Michigan

Michigan

MICHIGAN

State of Michigan

ORIGIN OF STATE NAME: Possibly derived from the Fox Indian word mesikami, meaning "large lake." NICKNAME: The Wolverine State. CAPITAL: Lansing. ENTERED UNION: 26 January 1837 (26th). SONG: "Michigan, My Michigan" (unofficial). MOTTO: Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice (If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you). COAT OF ARMS: In the center, a shield depicts a peninsula on which a man stands, at sunrise, holding a rifle. At the top of the shield is the word "Tuebor" (I will defend), beneath it is the state motto. Supporting the shield are an elk on the left and a moose on the right. Over the whole, on a crest, is an American eagle beneath the US motto, E pluribus unum. FLAG: The coat of arms centered on a dark blue field, fringed on three sides. OFFICIAL SEAL: The coat of arms surrounded by the words "The Great Seal of the State of Michigan" and the date " AD MDCCCXXXV" (1835, the year the first state constitution was adopted). BIRD: Robin. FISH: Trout. REPTILE: Painted turtle. FLOWER: Apple blossom. TREE: White pine. GEM: Chlorastrolite. STONE: Petoskey stone. LEGAL HOLIDAYS: New Year's Day, 1 January; Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., 3rd Monday in January; Lincoln's Birthday, 12 February; Washington's Birthday, 3rd Monday in February; Memorial Day, last Monday in May; Independence Day, 4 July; Labor Day, 1st Monday in September; Columbus Day, 2nd Monday in October; Veterans Day, 11 November; Thanksgiving Day, 4th Thursday in November; Christmas Day, 25 December. TIME: 7 AM EST = noon GMT; 6 AM CST = noon GMT.

50 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barnett, LeRoy, ed. Michigan's Early Military Forces: A Roster and History of Troops Activated Prior to the American Civil War. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2003.

Browne, William Paul. Michigan Politics and Government: Facing Change in a Complex State. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1995.

Dunbar, Willis F., and George S. May. Michigan: A History of the Wolverine State. 3rd rev. ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.

Federal Writers' Project. Michigan: A Guide to the Wolverine State. Reprint. New York: Somerset, 1981 (orig. 1941).

Fine, Sidney. Civil Rights and the Michigan Constitution of 1963. Ann Arbor: Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan, 1996.

Folsom, Burton W. Empire Builders: How Michigan Entrepreneurs Helped Make America Great. Traverse City, MI: Rhodes & Easton, 1998.

Fuller, George N., ed. Michigan: A Centennial History of the State. 5 vols. Chicago: Lewis, 1939.

Hershock, Martin John. Liberty and Power in the Old Northwest: Michigan, 1850–1867. N.p., 1996.

The Legislative Process in Michigan: A Student's Guide. Lansing: Legislative Service Bureau, 1995.

Loepp, Daniel. Sharing the Balance of Power: An Examination of Shared Power in the Michigan House of Representatives, 1993–94. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1999.

Moore, Elizabeth. The State We're In: A Citizen's Guide to Michigan State Government. Lansing: League of Women Voters of Michigan, 1995.

Rubenstein, Bruce A. Michigan, A History of the Great Lakes State. Wheeling, Ill.: Harlan Davidson, 1995.