I highly recommend “The Pioneers” by author David McCullough. I found the topic area of the 1780s perspective on the Western part of America to be our Midwest interesting, as I am a born and raised Midwesterner. Plus, David McCullough is one of my favorite authors on American history so I knew I was in for a pleasant reading experience.
“The Pioneers” begins in the late 1780s and follows the settlement of the land of the Northwest Territory, primarily the settlement around Marietta, Ohio on the Ohio River. The story centers around several generations of families that were a part of the settlement from the initial inception of the idea of the territory. The story takes us on a journey to the actual physical settlement of the area as a town in the mid-to-late 1800s and the growth of the railroad and telegraph.
The “Pioneers” were primarily from New England, and the story shows how the settlers applied their ideas and cultures to their new home. The story balances the hardship the settlers encountered with the land and the Ohio river to the curiosity the settlers felt about everyday life. A major idea was the commitment to education at all levels. The Ohio University in 1804 and Marietta College in 1832 (both of which exist today) point to the founding settlers commitment to education.
I also liked the side story of the former President, John Quincy Adams and his visit to the Marietta settlement. I can imagine the excitement and amazement the settlers had upon the visit not only by a former President and the son of former President John Adams, a signer on the Declaration of Independence.
The other interesting aspect of this book titled “Pioneers” is that it challenges the idea that I had related to the American Pioneer. I initially grew up with the idea a “Pioneer” was someone that helped establish the frontiers of the west and great plains area of our country in the mid 1800s. This book shows that “Pioneers” were settling this country 100 years earlier and east of the Mississippi River. The book clearly shows our American spirit is one of being a pioneer whether the Northwest Territory, the Great Plains or even Space.
I highly recommend “The Pioneers” by David McCullough. This book is a must for history buffs and will show an interesting slice of American history. David McCullough is a great author of American History.
Me: I am Diane M. Spolar and I live in Willowbrook, Illinois (a suburb outside of Chicago) with my husband, son and cat. I am a CPA by day and a reader by night and on the weekends. I am a lifelong lover of books.
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