Ohio History Journal


OHIO

OHIO

Archaeological and Historical

 

QUARTERLY.

 

 

JUNE, 1887.

 

 

THE BEGINNINGS OF THE COLONIAL SYSTEM

OF THE UNITED STATES.1

THE formation of this society comes at an opportune mo-

ment. In a little more than three years a century will have

elapsed since the first permanent white settlement was made

within the limits of the great region Northwest of the River

Ohio. That settlement was the beginning, not only of this

good State of Ohio, but also of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan,

and Wisconsin, which have all been formed from that North-

west Territory. It was not an accidental settlement that was

made on the 7th of April, 1788, at the mouth of the Mus-

kingum, nor was it any fortuitous collection of men that first

planted themselves on the soil of Ohio. It was the result of

careful deliberation by wise and prudent and patriotic men.

The decade in which that settlement was made was the era of

a greater number of important events affecting the interests

of the United States than any other decade in our National

history. And these events were almost all closely connected

with the founding of the State of Ohio.

Among these events were the adoption of the Articles of

Confederation between the thirteen States; the provisional

treaty of peace with Great Britain in 1782, and the definitive

 

1 An address delivered before the Ohio Archaeological and Historical So-

ciety at its first public meeting, March 12th, 1885.