The new edition of the most up-to-date, interdisciplinary history of Ohio currently available
Now in its second edition, Ohio: A History of the Buckeye Statesurveys the long and rich history of Ohio from its earliest geological periods to the present day. Designed for undergraduate students and general readers alike, this accessible volume describes the pivotal events in Ohios history while discussing the major social, economic, and political trends that have shaped the state over time. Concise chapters cover Ohio prehistory and the First Ohioans, European contact, the formation of the Northwest Territory, early statehood and national politics, the Civil War, Reconstruction, the two World Wars, the 1950s and 1960s, and more.
Incorporating the latest scholarship from history, archaeology, and political science, the second edition moves the story of Ohio into the second decade of the twenty-first century. Revised chapters contain new data and updated coverage of early Ohio society, major economic developments, early statehood, Ohio and national politics, and Ohio from the 1970s through 2020.Explores the breadth of Ohios past using a clear and engaging narrative styleIncludes thematic chapters focusing on major social, economic, and political trendsDiscusses Ohios influence on national nineteenth-century politicsCovers the geological and topographical history of OhioExamines Ohios transformation into an industrial state from 18651920Contains numerous high-quality maps, drawings, and photographs
Written by two authors with decades of combined academic experience in teaching Ohio history,
Ohio: A History of the Buckeye State, Second Edition remains an essential resource for college-level students enrolled in courses on Ohio History, professionals working in historical societies, museums, and other institutions that focus on the states history, and general readers looking for a highly readable study of Ohios past.
List of Figures viii
Preface xii
Acknowledgments xiii
1 Ohio Before Ohio: State Geology and Topography 1
Geology 2
Topography 7
Importance of Ohio Geology and Topography 13
Further Reading 19
2 The First Ohioans: Pre-European Contact Ohio 20
Paleo-Indian Period (c. ?-c. 11,000 years ago) 21
The Archaic Period (c. 11,000-c. 2,800 years ago) 24
The Woodland Period (c. 2,800-c. 1,000 years ago) 29
Late Precontact Period (c. 1,100-c. 400 years ago) 41
Further Reading 46
3 The Middle Ground: European and Indigenous Interaction in Ohio, Early 1600s to 1763 47
Early Effects of European Contact 49
Ohio as "The Middle Ground" 52
Colonial Wars and Life in Middle Ground Ohio 54
Further Reading 65
4 War and Peace: The End of "Middle Ground" Ohio, 1763 to 1795 67
The Resistance of 1763 68
Lord Dunmore's War 75
The American Revolution 79
The Western Confederacy and the End of the Middle Ground 87
Further Reading 98
5 The Ohio Experiment: Formation of the Northwest Territory, Early American Settlements, and Statehood, 1783-1803 100
Clearing Title and Related Problems 101
Organizing Ohio and the Birth of the Public Land System 102
Early Ohio Settlements 112
From Territory to State 117
Further Reading 123
Early Ohio Statehood: A Thematic Approach 124
6 A Community of Communities: Early Ohio Society 125
Demographics 126
Social Conflict 138
Reform 141
Further Reading 159
7 Revolutions: Early Ohio Economic Developments 160
Early Ohio's Economy 161
Economic Revolutions 166
Further Reading 184
8 From Periphery to Center: Early Statehood and National Politics 185
Early Statehood Politics 186
The War of 1812 192
State and National Politics, 1815-36 199
Political Ascendance and Its Problems 205
Sectional Politics and the End of the Second Party System 207
The Constitution of 1851 209
Further Reading 212
9 Ohio Must Lead! The Civil War and Reconstruction 213
Ohio and Sectional Conflict 215
Ohio and the Civil War 221
Ohio's Civil War Contribution: A Summary 233
The Reconstruction Period, 1865-77 238
Further Reading 244
10 Why Ohio? Late Nineteenth-Century Politics and Presidents 245
Why Ohio? 245
State Politics 247
Ohio's Presidents from Hayes to McKinley 254
Further Reading 276
11 The Making of an Industrial State: 1865-1920 277
Industrialization 278
Location and Transportation 280
Natural Resources 284
Finances, Entrepreneurs, and Innovation 284
Migrants and Immigrants 290
Industrial Work and the Rise of Organized Labor 305
Literary Critiques 313
Further Reading 314
12 Urban Life, Leisure, and Political Activism: 1880-1920 315
Urban Life and Leisure 316
Urban Political Reform 322
Women's Activism 329
Education 335
Conclusion 337
Further Reading 338
13 Reform and the Great War: 1912-1920 339
The 1912 State Constitution 340
The 1912 Elections 342
The Flood of 1913 346
Ohio and the Great War 348
The Influenza Epidemic 355
The Postwar Crisis and the 1920 Election 357
Summary 358
Further Reading 359
14 Boom, Bust, and War: 1920-1945 360
The Economy and Politics in the 1920s 361
Social and Cultural Conflict 365
The Great Depression and the New Deal 369
World War II 380
At War's End 389
Further Reading 389
15 Affluence and Anticommunism 391
The Postwar Boom 392
Migration and the Changing Cities 400
The Cold War and Ohio Politics 406
Conclusion 418
Further Reading 419
16 Rebellion and Reaction: The 1960s 420
The Struggle for Black Equality 421
Carl and Louis Stokes 428
Resurgence of Women's Activism 430
Emerging Environmental Issues 434
Escalation: Vietnam and Politics 438
Campus Unrest and the Kent State Shootings 445
Further Reading 449
17 Falling Behind: Ohio since the 1970s 451
Deindustrialization 454
Dealing with Decline: Ohio's Shifting Politics in the 1970s and 1980s 460
A Rightward Turn: Politics at the turn of the Twenty-first Century 467
Recent Demographics and Epidemics 475
A Battleground No More? Politics since 2016 478
Summing Up: Ohio as America 480
Further Reading 482
Index 483
