Ohio, often referred to as the "Buckeye State," was admitted to the Union on March 1, 1803 as the 17th state. Known for its diverse geography, from flat plains to rolling hills, Ohio was a crucial battleground during the War of 1812. It later became a key state in helping enslaved people escape to freedom via the Underground Railroad. Ohio also contributed significantly to the late 19th and early 20th century industrial boom, becoming a major center for manufacturing and innovation.
Ohio's Native American History
Prehistoric hunters lived in the Ohio River Valley at least 14,000 years ago. Around A.D. 700, Indigenous people, such as the Adena and Hopewell cultures, known for their elaborate earthworks and mounds, established more permanent settlements. Various Native American tribes later populated the area, including the Chippewa, Ottawa, Delaware, Iroquois, Miamis, Mingo, Shawnees and Wyandots.
In the mid-1700s, European settlers began to arrive, leading to conflicts over land and resources. This culminated in the Northwest Indian War (1785–1795), where a confederation of Native American tribes, led by the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh, resisted U.S. expansion. The war ended with the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, creating established Native lands, but American expansion soon forced tribes from the state.
During the War of 1812, Ohio's Lake Erie harbor in the village of Cleveland became a key base for the American military due to its location and connection of waterways. Significant battles occurred at Fort Meigs, the Battle of the Thames, and the naval Battle of Lake Erie, which became a turning point for the Americans in claiming victory.
In the early 19th century, many Native Americans in Ohio, which means "the great river" in Iroquois, were displaced by treaties and forced relocations, leading to the Indian Removal Act of 1830 that moved tribes such as the Shawnee and Miami west of the Mississippi River.
Ohio's Colonial History
Although the area now known as Ohio was largely uninhabited by Europeans until the mid-18th century, both the French and British empires claimed it. Many historians believe French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle was the first European to explore the region in the 1670s, claiming it for France. However, the British also sought control, contributing to the eruption of the French and Indian War (1754–1763). Following Britain's victory, Ohio became part of the British Empire until the American Revolution.
Post-Revolutionary War, Congress made Ohio part of the Northwest Territory established by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which laid the groundwork for the region's settlement. In 1788, a 48-person expedition sponsored by the Ohio Company, a land speculation company, led to the area's first settlement in what is now known as Marietta.
Soon after, Ohio became the first state carved from the Northwest Territory, joining the Union as the 17th state on March 1, 1803.
Immigration in Ohio
Ohio has experienced several immigration waves throughout its history. In the early 19th century, New England and Mid-Atlantic settlers moved to Ohio, attracted by agricultural and economic opportunities. By the mid-19th century, many German and Irish immigrants arrived, contributing to the state's cultural diversity.
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the arrival of immigrants from Eastern Europe, who came to work in Ohio's booming industries. African Americans from the South also landed in Ohio during the Great Migration, seeking better job opportunities and escaping racial discrimination. Additionally, Ohio’s Amish population is one of the largest in America.
Ohio's Role in Civil War
A free state during the Civil War, Ohio's location along the Ohio River made it a critical stop on the Underground Railroad. The abolitionist sentiment was strong, and many Ohioans actively participated in helping enslaved people escape from the South to freedom in Canada. The state contributed more than 300,000 troops to the Union effort.
Following the war, Ohio established several Black communities and institutions. Wilberforce University, founded in 1856, is the oldest private historically Black university in the nation, named for abolitionist William Wilberforce.
The civil rights movement saw significant activity in Ohio, including events such as the 1966 Hough Uprising in Cleveland that left four African Americans dead, and the 1968 Glenville Shootout that resulted in the deaths of three Black nationalists, three white police officers and one Black civilian.
Kent State Shootings
Four students were killed by members of the Ohio National Guard on May 4, 1970, during an anti-Vietnam War demonstration at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. Nine others were wounded, and the shootings became symbolic of the war’s protest movement, with more than 400 colleges joining strikes or demonstrations in response.
Eight former National Guardsmen involved in the shooting were acquitted of the shootings in 1973.
Ohio Industry and Economy
From its early agricultural roots, Ohio's economy evolved to play a crucial role in America's Industrial Revolution, with cities such as Cleveland, Cincinnati and Akron becoming hubs for manufacturing–particularly steel, rubber and automobiles. The state was one of the country’s top iron and steel producers in the 20th century.
Ohio also has a notable aerospace industry, with companies including NASA's Glenn Research Center and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base playing key roles in aerospace research and development. Additionally, Ohio is home to major finance, health care, and technology corporations.
Ohio's agricultural sector is a leading producer of corn, soybeans and chicken eggs. The state’s top natural resources are natural gas, clay, sand and gravel, shale, sandstone and hitite, a rock salt mined from under Lake Erie, throughout history.
Ohio Quick Facts
Date of Statehood: March 1, 1803
Capital: Columbus
Population: 11,799,448 (2020 U.S. Census)
Size: 44,825 square miles
Nickname(s): The Buckeye State
Motto: With God, All Things Are Possible
Tree: Buckeye
Flower: Red carnation
Bird: Cardinal
Ohio Interesting Facts
- Although Ohio was granted statehood on February 19, 1803, an oversight meant the state’s constitution wasn’t ratified. Upon discovery, Ohio didn't become an "official" state until August 7, 1953. (But Dwight D. Eisenhower backdated the admittance date.)
- Ohio is known as the "Mother of Presidents" as seven U.S. presidents were born in the state: William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William Howard Taft and Warren G. Harding.
- The state's nickname, "The Buckeye State," comes from the buckeye trees common in Ohio; the nuts of these trees are said to look like the eyes of a deer (or buck). The Ohio Legislature made the buckeye tree the official state tree in 1953.
- Ohio’s pennant-shaped state flag is the only one in the U.S. not in the shape of a rectangle.
- The 4-H Club was founded in Clark County, Ohio, in 1902.
- The Ohio Legislature made the red carnation the state’s official state flower in 1904 in honor of McKinley, who was assassinated in 1901, as the former president often wore the flower in his lapel’s buttonhole.
- Famous Ohioans include Orville and Wilbur Wright, Neil Armstrong, Annie Oakley, Thomas Edison, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Dorothy Dandridge, Erma Bombeck, Toni Morrison and LeBron James.
- The Pro Football Hall of Fame is in Canton, Ohio.
- The pawpaw fruit, native to Ohio for 30,000-plus years, is celebrated during the annual Ohio Pawpaw Festival held each September.
- The Ohio Legislature passed a resolution in 1985 to make “Hang on Sloopy,” a 1965 No. hit by Dayton band the McCoys, the state’s official rock song.
- The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened its famous I.M. Pei-designed museum in Cleveland in 1995.
- Thomas Edison, from Erie County, Ohio, holds more than 1,000 patents, including for the light bulb and phonograph. Other famous inventions by Ohioans include chewing gum (Amos Tyler, first patent, 1869), cash register (James Ritty, 1878), vacuum cleaner (Murray Spangler, 1907), automobile self-starter (Charles Kettering, 1911) and traffic signal (Garrett Morgan, 1923).
Sources
Ohio, U.S. Census Bureau, census.gov
Symbols of Ohio, ohiosos.gov
Happy Statehood Day, Ohio! 17 things to know about the 17th state in the Union, Dayton Daily News
Ohio: The 48th State?, ohiohistory.org
Ohio's Statehood, ohio.org
Ohio 220th Anniversary of Statehood (1803): March 1, 2023, census.gov
200th Anniversary of Ohio Statehood, archives.gov
7 interesting facts you should know about Ohio and its history, State Library of Ohio
Along the Ohio Trail, ohio.gov
Ohio: Local History & Genealogy Resource Guide, Library of Congress
Ohio Indigenous Peoples, familysearch.org
Kent State shootings: The 1970 student protests that shook the US, BBC
