Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West on + 1173 more book reviews
David McCullough was a historian and Pulitzer Prize winner who died earlier this year (August 7, 2022) at age eighty-nine. He received the Pulitzer for his books on John Adams and Harry Truman and he wrote many other histories ranging from the Wright Brothers to the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. I have only read two of his books prior to this one (The Wright Brothers and The Great Bridge) but hopefully at some point I will get to some of his others.
THE PIONEERS was not really what I was expecting. I went into this one kind of blind without really knowing specifically what the book was about. I thought it would probably be about the settling of the Far West but I was surprised when it was really about the settling of the Northwest Territory (what is now Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin)âthe book is not about the entire Northwest Territory but focuses on Ohio and specifically on the town of Marietta on the banks of the Ohio River. The book provided a lot of information including skirmishes with the Indians which included the Shawnee warrior Tecumseh. But the focus of the book was on the original settlers of Ohio who had to clear the land of its dense forest and make a life for themselves in the wilderness. The settlers that made up most of the narrative were people I had never heard of such as Manasseh Cutler and Rufus Putnam who were instrumental in getting the young Congress to pass the Northwest Ordinance which opened the land to settlers. Part of this ordinance prohibited slavery in the territory. Included in the narrative were some events that I really found interesting. For one, the book discusses how Aaron Burr, after his duel with Alexander Hamilton, fled down the Ohio and was part of a conspiracy which tried to get the western states to secede from the east. Burr was later tried for treason over this. Other tidbits included Charles Dickens trip to America and his trip to Cincinnati by steamboat. Dickens really disliked the American people.
Overall, I found most of this to be interesting and it really told a part of American history that I was mostly unfamiliar with. I sometimes thought the narrative was a little scattered with so many different personages playing a role in the storyâit was a little had to keep track of them all. I didn't think this was as well written as the other books I have read by McCullough but it is still worth reading for the history gained. And it definitely gave me some ideas for followup reading. I especially want to read more about Aaron Burr.
THE PIONEERS was not really what I was expecting. I went into this one kind of blind without really knowing specifically what the book was about. I thought it would probably be about the settling of the Far West but I was surprised when it was really about the settling of the Northwest Territory (what is now Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin)âthe book is not about the entire Northwest Territory but focuses on Ohio and specifically on the town of Marietta on the banks of the Ohio River. The book provided a lot of information including skirmishes with the Indians which included the Shawnee warrior Tecumseh. But the focus of the book was on the original settlers of Ohio who had to clear the land of its dense forest and make a life for themselves in the wilderness. The settlers that made up most of the narrative were people I had never heard of such as Manasseh Cutler and Rufus Putnam who were instrumental in getting the young Congress to pass the Northwest Ordinance which opened the land to settlers. Part of this ordinance prohibited slavery in the territory. Included in the narrative were some events that I really found interesting. For one, the book discusses how Aaron Burr, after his duel with Alexander Hamilton, fled down the Ohio and was part of a conspiracy which tried to get the western states to secede from the east. Burr was later tried for treason over this. Other tidbits included Charles Dickens trip to America and his trip to Cincinnati by steamboat. Dickens really disliked the American people.
Overall, I found most of this to be interesting and it really told a part of American history that I was mostly unfamiliar with. I sometimes thought the narrative was a little scattered with so many different personages playing a role in the storyâit was a little had to keep track of them all. I didn't think this was as well written as the other books I have read by McCullough but it is still worth reading for the history gained. And it definitely gave me some ideas for followup reading. I especially want to read more about Aaron Burr.
Thomas F. (hardtack) -
Although I am a great fan of McCullough's work, I found the first chapters very unlike most of his writing. In fact, I found it somewhat pedantic. Fortunately, it soon became a much easier read, and the characters he wrote about much more interesting. This work covers the 'Ohio' area from the time of the first white settlers to its creation as a state and into the early years of the Civil War. However, the Civil War portion was very short as McCullough probably rightly thought it better covered in many other books.
I learned quite a lot about this area and its development, and many of the things I learned were fascinating. Just as an example....
In 1802, as a portion of the Northwest Territory called 'Ohio' began the procedure to become a state, a convention was called to undertake the first step, create a state constitution.
"In the election selecting Rufus Putnam and Ephrain Culter as delegates to the convention, a black servant of Colonel Israel Putnam, Christopher Malbone, also known as Kit Putnam, was permitted to cast his ballot in the District of Marietta. It was considered to have been the first vote cast by a free black African in the Northwest Territory."
It should be remembered, as it was only by a very close vote, and despite the efforts of President Thomas Jefferson, the Northwest Territory was created by Congress as an area where slavery in any form was forbidden.
I learned quite a lot about this area and its development, and many of the things I learned were fascinating. Just as an example....
In 1802, as a portion of the Northwest Territory called 'Ohio' began the procedure to become a state, a convention was called to undertake the first step, create a state constitution.
"In the election selecting Rufus Putnam and Ephrain Culter as delegates to the convention, a black servant of Colonel Israel Putnam, Christopher Malbone, also known as Kit Putnam, was permitted to cast his ballot in the District of Marietta. It was considered to have been the first vote cast by a free black African in the Northwest Territory."
It should be remembered, as it was only by a very close vote, and despite the efforts of President Thomas Jefferson, the Northwest Territory was created by Congress as an area where slavery in any form was forbidden.
Tammy W. (hummerlover) reviewed The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West on + 3 more book reviews
Easy read. Love all the background stories on the Westward expansion. If you enjoy history, this is a good read.
