Ohio Country facts for kids
The Ohio Country was a special area in North America during the 1700s. It was located west of the Appalachian Mountains and north of the Ohio River and Allegheny River. This region stretched all the way to Lake Erie. Today, this area includes parts of West Virginia, Western Pennsylvania, all of Ohio, and a small part of southeastern Indiana.
Many different groups wanted control of the Ohio Country. In the 1600s, Native American tribes like the Iroquois fought over it, especially for hunting and the fur trade. Later, in the early 1700s, New France (which was controlled by France) said this land was theirs. It was part of their big territory called La Louisiane.
France and Great Britain then fought a big war over this land, called the French and Indian War (1753–1763). This war was part of an even bigger war happening around the world, the Seven Years' War. Great Britain won, and France gave up its land east of the Mississippi River to the British in the 1763 Treaty of Paris.
After this, there were more smaller wars in the area, like Pontiac's War and Lord Dunmore's War. In 1783, the Ohio Country became part of the new United States. This happened after the American Revolutionary War ended with the Treaty of Paris. It was one of the first "frontier" areas for the U.S. Many states claimed parts of it, but in 1787, these claims were settled. The Ohio Country then became part of the larger Northwest Territory. Most of this land later became the state of Ohio in 1803.
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Early Native American History
In the 1600s, the land north of the Ohio River was home to Native American tribes like the Shawnee. Around 1660, during a conflict called the Beaver Wars, the Iroquois nations took control of the Ohio Country. They pushed out the Shawnee and other tribes. For many years, the Ohio Country was mostly used by the Iroquois for hunting.
In the 1720s, other Native American groups started moving back to the Ohio Country. They were moving away from European colonists who were settling further east. By 1724, Delaware Indians and some Shawnee had built a village called Kittanning. More Shawnee bands returned later. Some Seneca and other Iroquois also moved to the Ohio Country. They wanted to avoid the fighting between the British and French near Lake Ontario. The Tuscarora tribe also moved here and joined the Iroquois, making them the "Six Nations."
In the late 1740s, both the British and French wanted to control the Ohio Country. In 1749, the British government in Virginia gave a lot of this land to the Ohio Company. The plan was for British colonists to settle there. This would help the British gain control by having more people living on the land.
French and British Fight for Control
When Europeans arrived, both Great Britain and France claimed the Ohio Country. They sent fur traders to do business with the Native Americans living there. The Iroquois also claimed the area because they had conquered it.
The competition between these two European nations, the Iroquois, and the Ohio Native Americans led to the French and Indian War (1754–1760). At first, the Ohio Native Americans stayed neutral. But then, they mostly sided with the French. They got supplies and guns from the French and attacked their enemies.
The British eventually won the war. They drove the French from Fort Duquesne, which was at the meeting point of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. The British built Fort Pitt there, which later became the city of Pittsburgh. After losing, France gave up control of the entire Ohio region to Britain in the 1763 Treaty of Paris. They did not ask their Native American allies about this decision.
After the war, the British government tried to stop European settlers from moving into the Ohio Country. They issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763. This rule said the land was for Native American peoples and that colonists could not settle there.
Ohio Country During the American Revolution
On June 22, 1774, the British Parliament passed the Quebec Act. This act added the Ohio Country to the province of Quebec. American colonists in the Thirteen Colonies were very angry about this. They saw it as one of the "Intolerable Acts" that helped start the American Revolution.
Even with the new rules, settlers from Virginia and Pennsylvania started moving across the Allegheny Mountains. This led to conflicts with the Shawnee. The Shawnee called these settlers the "Long Knives." Because of this threat, the Shawnee and other Ohio Country tribes decided to side with the British during the American Revolutionary War. They hoped to get rid of the American colonists from their lands for good.
In 1778, after some victories by General George Rogers Clark, Virginia set up the first government in the region. They called it Illinois County. This county covered all the land west of the Ohio River that Virginia claimed. The Native Americans fought hard to keep their land. In 1782, the Ohio nations and the British met and planned a successful attack against the Americans at the Battle of Blue Licks.
In 1783, the Treaty of Paris officially ended the American Revolutionary War. Britain gave its claims in the Ohio Country to the new United States. The U.S. government quickly opened this area for settlement by American pioneers. Many Revolutionary War veterans were given land here instead of pay for their service.
The United States made agreements like the Treaty of Fort Stanwix and Treaty of Fort McIntosh. These treaties set boundaries between American land and tribal lands. However, the Shawnee and other tribes continued to fight against Americans moving onto their historic lands. This fighting led to the Northwest Indian War.
States Claim Parts of the Ohio Country
Many eastern states wanted parts of the Ohio Country because it was considered very valuable. Their claims often overlapped:
- Connecticut claimed a strip of land across the northern part of the region. This was called the Connecticut Western Reserve.
- New York claimed a flexible part of the region. They believed they had power over the Iroquois tribes.
- Pennsylvania claimed land as an extension of its colonial borders.
- Virginia claimed the entire region and more. This was based on its original colonial charter. Virginia also claimed Illinois County because they had conquered it.
Becoming Part of the Northwest Territory
Between 1780 and 1786, these states gave up their claims to the United States government. In July 1787, most of the Ohio Country became part of the Northwest Territory. This new territory also included the southern part of what is now Michigan and western Illinois. In 1803, most of the former Ohio Country, specifically the land north and west of the Ohio River, became the state of Ohio and joined the United States.
See also
In Spanish: Territorio del Ohio para niños
