As part of the Treaty of Paris, in which Great Britain recognized the new United States of America, Britain ceded the land that comprised the immense Northwest Territory, a wilderness empire northwest of the Ohio River containing the future states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. A Massachusetts minister named Manasseh Cutler was instrumental in opening this vast territory to veterans of the Revolutionary War and their families for settlement. Included in the Northwest Ordinance were three remarkable conditions: freedom of religion, free universal education, and most importantly, the prohibition of slavery. In 1788 the first band of pioneers set out from New England for the Northwest Territory under the leadership of Revolutionary War veteran General Rufus Putnam. They settled in what is now Marietta on the banks of the Ohio River.

A book bequeathed from my father-in-law I never would have purchased. The story of the settling of Marietta, Ohio and the upper Ohio (O-Y-O) river. Many things I never knew. Settled by hard working New Englanders who wanted to bring the American ideal, as they saw it, west. They fought slavery, Indians, and ignorance pushing public schools and becoming a gateway to the early west. ( )

When I thought of pioneers in American history, I generally think about the covered wagons, Oregon Trail, etc. This book enlightened me on the brave people who settled in Ohio when it was part of the first Northwest Territory, designated not long after the US became a country. It takes place largely in what is now Marietta, Ohio. I have a new appreciation for those very early pioneers. ( )

Only lasted 54 pages. Turns out I'm really, REALLY not interested in this book. ( )

Closely following the end of the American Revolutionary War, a group of hardy and well-educated veterans set out to settle the Northwest Territory ceded to the US at the end of the war. In The Pioneers, David McCullough retells their story from the signing of the Northwest Ordinance in 1787 to the start of the Gold Rush, focusing on a few families and their Puritan desire for abolition, free education, and religious freedom. As usual, McCullough packs in a lot of historical details through primary sources, but still manages to tell a pretty good story. The Pioneers is an excellent resource for readers looking to understand the beginnings of Western expansion and the politics and lives of Americans during this period. ( )