by Frances Stanford

Created on: June 26, 2009

The Ordinance of 1787, passed by the US Congress, opened the area of the continent now known as Ohio to settlement. Prior to this time, very few settlers ventured into the Ohio country, but with this regulation they had a guarantee of full citizenship of the United States and the promise of eventual self-government. The first permanent settlement was established at Marietta in 1788 under the leadership of the Ohio Company of Associates. By the end of 1789, there were several settlements along the Ohio River.

The natives in the region were not impressed with the settlements established by the white people because they considered themselves the owners of the land. They raided the outlying settlements and drove many settlers out of their homes to seek shelter in the larger communities. These events gave rise to many military expeditions into the Ohio territory and forts were built midway between Cincinnati and the major Indian settlements along the Maumee River. There were several battles between the Indians and the soldiers with the soldiers suffering some defeats. In 1794, the army launched a series of attacks, burning many of the Indian villages and dictated the peace terms with the chiefs. The US government obtained ownership of the land in the southern two-thirds of Ohio and all of the northeastern area.

The end of hostilities between the Indians and the settlers paved the way for more immigration into the region and by 1800, the population numbered over 40,000. In the last decade of the 18th century settlement tended to be concentrated in the southern region, but pioneers started to move into the northeast at the turn of the 19th century.

Elections were held in the new region in 1798 as has been set out in the Ordinance of 1787. In 1800, Congress passed the Division Act, which divided the Northwest Territory into two separate regions. The area east of the dividing line, which was from the mouth of the Kentucky River to Fort Recovery, was to be known as Ohio Territory and the area west of the line was to be known as Indiana Territory.

An act authorizing a convention to start the process of admitting Ohio as a state was passed in 1802. A convention met in Chillicothe in that year and a state constitution was adopted. Edward Tiffin was elected as the first governor of the state. The state legislature met for the first time on March 1, 1803.

Congress had neglected to pass a bill that formally admitted Ohio into the union as a state. This was not realized until much later and the oversight was not rectified until 1953. At this time Congress passed the bill and President Eisenhower signed it admitting that Ohio became the 17th state of the country on March 1, 1803.

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