|
1783 Paris Peace Treaty – all land west of Allegheny
Mountains to Mississippi River belong to the United States |
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1787 – 1794 |
|
Rev. Manasseh Cutler – one of the driving forces of
the passage of the Northwest Ordinance Jervis Ephraim, and Charles – sons who went west 1800 – elected to Congress Northwest Ordinance – 1787 – Conditions for
statehood: freedom of religion, emphasis on education, no slavery Bunch of Grapes Gathering: General Rufus Putnam Ohio Company of Associates – Putnam chair 1788 – First pioneers – 48 men in 2 groups – skilled
tradesmen Jervis Cutler – Rev. Cutler’s son Leaders – Major Haffield White and General Rufus
Putnam First fort – Fort Harman – housed 864 people,
originally built to protect Indians from illegal settlers First settlers: Dr. Jabez True – medical doctor Paul Fearing – attorney Mary Owens – first female, nurse General Authur St. Clair – first governor of
Northwest Territory Rev. Manasseh Cutler First families: 36 total people General Benjamin Tupper, wife, 5 children, 2
grandchildren Four other families Dec. 1790 – Rufus Putnam wrote to President
Washington about Indian attack concerns 1791 January 2 - first Indian attack on settlers May 3 – Congress addressed problem Arthur St. Clair put in command of army, hoped for
2,000 troops – mostly men pulled off streets and from jails Indians – Little Turtle, Miami war chief; Blue
Jacket, Shawnee war chief; Tecumseh, scout, Sharnee warrior Nov. 4 – Indians attacked St. Clair ordered retreat, wounded left behind, 1094
killed or wounded out of 1400 1792 New commander – General “Mad Anthony” Wayne August 1794 Overwhelming victory August 1795 Treaty of Greenville – Indians confined to certain
areas |
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1795 - 1814 |
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Ephraim Cutler- June 1795 he and family went to Ohio Children Hezekiah and Mary died on trip west 1799 – Established new settlement in Waterford Sally Parker – second wife, 5 children Brothers Jervis and Charles joined him in Ohio Harman Blennerhassett – very rich, built house on
island Margaret – wife (also his niece) Wrote “The Querist” column that promoted western
independence from the Union Jospeh Banker – shipbuilder 1803 – Ohio became the 17th state – first
in the Northwest Territory 1803 – Chapman family – son Johnny became Johnny
Appleseed 1804 – Ohio University established in Athens, Ohio 1805 - Colonel Aaron Burr visited Blennerhassett who
paid for all of Burr’s plans Wanted to build ships, recruit men and take over Mexico Dr. Samuel Hildreth – stayed in Marietta Worked with Dr. Jabez Tru During fever epidemic in 1807 few of his patients died During this period, Marietta successful in
shipbuilding and rope-works Embargo Act of 1807 stopped shipbuilding |
|
1815 - 1863 |
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1816 – Indiana became a state 1818 – Illinois became a state 1934 - 1935 – Marietta College founded Ephraim Cutler – in state legislature, promoted
public school systems, against slavery 1824 - Rufus Putnam died – supporter of higher
education; helped establish Marietta’s first school, church, and bank;
against slavery Dr. Benjamin Silliman – “prominent and influential
scientific American during the first half of the nineteenth century” (page
234), raised money for art gallery at Yale Marietta one of main stops on Underground Railroad 1852 – Harriet Beecher Stowe – published Uncle Tom’s
Cabin, lived in Cincinnati for 17 years |
NOTE: Page
numbers are from 2019 paperback edition.
1.
Initially
the western territory was thought to be a wonderful, safe, and prosperous
place. Would you have gone out west with
your family?
2.
When
the Indians were attacking the settlers around 1790 and the families were told
to come to the fort for safety, one mother would not leave her house until it
was straightened up (page 95). Did you
understand her actions?
3.
So
many visitors disapproved of how the Indians were treated and forced to move to
remote locations. What might have been
the alternatives?
4.
Did
you enjoy the details presented in the book?
I had a hard time deciding which people to include in my chart!
5.
Besides
Aaron Burr and Johnny Appleseed, were you familiar with any of the people in
the book before reading it?
6.
On
that same topic, have you ever heard of Manasseh Cutler or Rufus Putnam? They were very instrumental in several areas. One newspaper upon Cutler’s death wrote that
he was “a pioneer in a new country, not merely a pioneer in science, but a
pioneer for truth and civilization in every form” (page 201). Why do you think we never heard of them?
7.
The
author mentioned at least twice that Harman Biennerhassett had married his
niece. Did that matter to the story?
8.
On
page 225 McCullough wrote that one thing that amused “first-time visitors was
the range and oddities of local expressions and vocabulary to be heard on all
sides” (page 225). Two expressions
included were “crick” for “creek” and “red up” (obviously misspelled!) for
“tidy up.” Do you use any of these
expressions?
9.
If
you are from, or living in, Pittsburgh, did that add to your enjoyment and
understanding of the book?
10.
Discuss
your reading. Did you enjoy this
book? Are you happy that you read
it? If so, why?
