WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.080 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today, we were 00:00:02.080 --> 00:00:04.519 putting a state under the microscope, one that 00:00:04.519 --> 00:00:08.939 for many people remains this, well, this complicated 00:00:08.939 --> 00:00:12.460 mix of Rust Belt heritage and maybe flyover country. 00:00:12.539 --> 00:00:15.480 Right, but it's so much more. It's arguably the 00:00:15.480 --> 00:00:18.899 most essential geographical and political hinge 00:00:18.899 --> 00:00:22.140 in the entire United States. Exactly. We're undertaking 00:00:22.140 --> 00:00:26.160 a comprehensive deep dive into Ohio, the Buckeye 00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:28.839 State. It's the perfect subject for this kind 00:00:28.839 --> 00:00:32.600 of intense analysis because Ohio has, well, it's 00:00:32.600 --> 00:00:34.780 always functioned as a sort of microcosm of America. 00:00:35.020 --> 00:00:37.200 A microcosm. How so? Well, you have the historical 00:00:37.200 --> 00:00:39.259 anchor. It's the mother of presidents, the birthplace 00:00:39.259 --> 00:00:42.439 of aviation. But it is also right now a testing 00:00:42.439 --> 00:00:45.039 ground for modern American challenges. So it 00:00:45.039 --> 00:00:46.880 connects the industrial northeast and the agricultural 00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:49.539 Midwest. And its identity is just constantly 00:00:49.539 --> 00:00:52.700 being forged by economic transformation and these 00:00:52.700 --> 00:00:55.159 pretty volatile political shifts. Absolutely. 00:00:55.200 --> 00:00:57.740 Our mission today is to take this massive stack 00:00:57.740 --> 00:01:00.020 of sources detailing everything from ancient 00:01:00.020 --> 00:01:02.340 earthwork. to contemporary voting patterns and 00:01:02.340 --> 00:01:05.560 just distill the key fascinating takeaways. Right. 00:01:05.680 --> 00:01:08.400 We want to uncover the surprising facts that 00:01:08.400 --> 00:01:11.879 really make Ohio the crucial geographical and 00:01:11.879 --> 00:01:14.319 cultural link that it is. And that starts with 00:01:14.319 --> 00:01:17.260 its very name, which grounds the entire state 00:01:17.260 --> 00:01:20.379 identity and its most vital resource, water. 00:01:20.599 --> 00:01:23.819 Okay. The name Ohio is derived from the Seneca 00:01:23.819 --> 00:01:28.700 word ohizio, and it translates powerfully to... 00:01:29.019 --> 00:01:32.959 Good river, great river, or large creek. So right 00:01:32.959 --> 00:01:34.659 from the beginning, it's about the river. It 00:01:34.659 --> 00:01:36.719 tells you that from the start, this place was 00:01:36.719 --> 00:01:39.079 defined by its access to that essential flow 00:01:39.079 --> 00:01:41.739 of life and commerce. It sets the stage perfectly. 00:01:41.920 --> 00:01:44.599 Now, before we jump into the deep past, we have 00:01:44.599 --> 00:01:47.480 to share a few snapshot facts that really captured 00:01:47.480 --> 00:01:50.719 the paradoxical nature of the state's identity. 00:01:50.959 --> 00:01:52.859 Okay. Everyone knows the nickname, the Buckeye 00:01:52.859 --> 00:01:55.530 State. after the tree. But the official state 00:01:55.530 --> 00:01:59.069 beverage since 1965 is something else entirely. 00:01:59.290 --> 00:02:01.010 That would be tomato juice. Tomato juice. It's 00:02:01.010 --> 00:02:03.409 one of those wonderfully peculiar details. And 00:02:03.409 --> 00:02:05.129 it speaks volumes about the historical importance 00:02:05.129 --> 00:02:07.810 of, you know, truck farming and the canning industries 00:02:07.810 --> 00:02:10.770 in Ohio's agricultural past. Especially in the 00:02:10.770 --> 00:02:14.129 northwest region. Exactly. It's a nostalgic nod, 00:02:14.310 --> 00:02:17.110 maybe, to an era that came before the rise of 00:02:17.110 --> 00:02:19.250 steel and automotive production. And then there's 00:02:19.250 --> 00:02:22.139 the state fossil. It's not some massive dinosaur. 00:02:22.599 --> 00:02:27.000 It's Isotilus maximus, a trilobite. A trilobite. 00:02:27.020 --> 00:02:30.039 I mean, think about that. A 450 million year 00:02:30.039 --> 00:02:32.780 old sea creature, a fossil from the Paleozoic 00:02:32.780 --> 00:02:36.280 era, is the official state fossil of a landlocked 00:02:36.280 --> 00:02:38.919 modern industrial state. It just gives you a 00:02:38.919 --> 00:02:40.800 sense of the sheer scope of history we have to 00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:42.719 cover. It really does. It reminds us that this 00:02:42.719 --> 00:02:45.539 industrial heartland was... unimaginably long 00:02:45.539 --> 00:02:48.620 ago, actually beneath a shallow, vibrant sea. 00:02:48.900 --> 00:02:50.759 OK, let's start the clock on that history and 00:02:50.759 --> 00:02:53.240 see how it moves from an ancient sea to a political 00:02:53.240 --> 00:02:57.319 swing state. So when we talk about Ohio history, 00:02:57.580 --> 00:03:00.039 we are not starting with colonial maps. We are 00:03:00.039 --> 00:03:01.680 starting with indigenous settlements stretching 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:04.300 back, what, 12 ,000 years? That's right. The 00:03:04.300 --> 00:03:06.419 sources indicate humans were actively present 00:03:06.419 --> 00:03:08.780 in the Ohio Valley as early as 10 ,000 B .C. 00:03:08.780 --> 00:03:10.719 And we know this from things like Folsom and 00:03:10.719 --> 00:03:13.900 Clovis spear points. Exactly. Sophisticated tools 00:03:13.900 --> 00:03:16.379 from some of the earliest North American inhabitants. 00:03:17.080 --> 00:03:19.900 That continuous human presence shows that the 00:03:19.900 --> 00:03:22.340 Ohio Valley, with its fertile river systems, 00:03:22.599 --> 00:03:25.599 has been a central hub for human activity almost 00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:28.219 since the last great glaciers receded. But what 00:03:28.219 --> 00:03:30.280 really stands out in the archaeological record 00:03:30.280 --> 00:03:33.639 is the establishment of these highly organized, 00:03:33.979 --> 00:03:37.180 very distinct cultures. The Edina and the Hopewell. 00:03:37.680 --> 00:03:39.900 Let's focus on the Adena culture first. Yeah. 00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:42.159 They're emerging somewhere between 1000 and 800 00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:46.000 BC. And this period is a major turning point. 00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:48.539 It is because they made the crucial shift to 00:03:48.539 --> 00:03:51.560 supporting semi -permanent villages. This stability 00:03:51.560 --> 00:03:53.520 wasn't an accident. Right. It was supported by 00:03:53.520 --> 00:03:55.819 the domestication of native plants. They were 00:03:55.819 --> 00:03:58.500 cultivating sunflowers, squash, and probably 00:03:58.500 --> 00:04:00.780 some early varieties of corn. And this shift 00:04:00.780 --> 00:04:03.479 from a purely nomadic hunting and gathering life 00:04:03.479 --> 00:04:06.199 to established communities is what allowed them 00:04:06.199 --> 00:04:08.759 to undertake these massive, deliberate engineering 00:04:08.759 --> 00:04:11.060 feats. The most visible of which is the Great 00:04:11.060 --> 00:04:13.250 Serpent Mount in Adams County. I mean, it's a 00:04:13.250 --> 00:04:15.810 quarter mile long effigy mound shaped like an 00:04:15.810 --> 00:04:18.449 uncoiling snake. It's believed to have astronomical 00:04:18.449 --> 00:04:21.709 alignments. Which just demands a level of complex, 00:04:21.829 --> 00:04:25.170 centralized social organization. Well, it fundamentally 00:04:25.170 --> 00:04:28.029 rewrites any simplistic notion we might have 00:04:28.029 --> 00:04:31.389 of pre -Columbian societies. And the complexity 00:04:31.389 --> 00:04:34.389 only increases with the Hopewell people who evolved 00:04:34.389 --> 00:04:38.089 from the Edina around 100 B .C. The term mound 00:04:38.089 --> 00:04:40.610 builders almost feels too simple for what they 00:04:40.610 --> 00:04:43.839 achieved. It really does. They left behind these 00:04:43.839 --> 00:04:46.839 large and incredibly complex geometric earthworks 00:04:46.839 --> 00:04:49.879 near modern -day Marietta, Newark, and Circleville. 00:04:50.100 --> 00:04:52.899 The Newark earthworks, for example, once covered 00:04:52.899 --> 00:04:55.180 several square miles. And these weren't just 00:04:55.180 --> 00:04:57.560 burial mounds. Not at all. They were used for 00:04:57.560 --> 00:04:59.899 huge social gatherings, religious ceremonies, 00:05:00.199 --> 00:05:03.139 and possibly as massive astronomical observatories. 00:05:03.519 --> 00:05:05.779 But what's truly breathtaking about the Hopewell 00:05:05.779 --> 00:05:07.899 isn't just their local structures. It's their 00:05:07.899 --> 00:05:11.060 continental reach. Yes. They ran a prodigious 00:05:11.060 --> 00:05:13.459 trading society that spanned an astonishing third 00:05:13.459 --> 00:05:15.540 of the North American continent. A third of the 00:05:15.540 --> 00:05:17.680 continent. They weren't just trading local goods. 00:05:17.779 --> 00:05:20.000 They were sourcing copper from the shores of 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:22.759 Lake Superior, mica from the Appalachian Mountains, 00:05:23.019 --> 00:05:25.920 and seashells and shark teeth from the Gulf Coast. 00:05:26.100 --> 00:05:29.120 So this suggests a highly organized network of 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:32.060 exchange and diplomacy. A sophisticated continental 00:05:32.060 --> 00:05:35.459 economy operating centuries before European contact. 00:05:35.720 --> 00:05:38.360 It's incredible. Yet, like the Adena before them, 00:05:38.579 --> 00:05:41.379 the Hopewell ultimately declined and disappeared 00:05:41.379 --> 00:05:44.300 from the Ohio Valley around 600 A .D. And the 00:05:44.300 --> 00:05:46.920 sources note this is a profound cultural shift 00:05:46.920 --> 00:05:50.160 and depopulation event that remains largely unexplained 00:05:50.160 --> 00:05:53.019 by modern archaeology. And that pattern of cultural 00:05:53.019 --> 00:05:55.699 succession and decline just kept going. It did. 00:05:55.759 --> 00:05:57.779 After the Hopewell, you get the Mississippian 00:05:57.779 --> 00:06:00.319 culture, the four ancient people, the Whittlesea 00:06:00.319 --> 00:06:03.079 culture, and the Monongahela culture. But here's 00:06:03.079 --> 00:06:06.540 the second great historical mystery. All of these 00:06:06.540 --> 00:06:09.519 later thriving indigenous cultures also largely 00:06:09.519 --> 00:06:11.579 disappeared in the 17th century. And we know 00:06:11.579 --> 00:06:13.339 the Shawnees may have absorbed some of the Fort 00:06:13.339 --> 00:06:15.959 Ancient people, but the cause was often external. 00:06:16.259 --> 00:06:19.439 That external cause was the Beaver Wars in the 00:06:19.439 --> 00:06:23.060 mid -1600s. This conflict, which was driven by 00:06:23.060 --> 00:06:25.220 the incredibly lucrative European fur trade, 00:06:25.319 --> 00:06:27.819 had catastrophic consequences for the Ohio Valley. 00:06:28.040 --> 00:06:31.519 It led to a second major depopulation. Yes. The 00:06:31.519 --> 00:06:34.089 Iroquois Confederacy, based in present -day New 00:06:34.089 --> 00:06:37.009 York, was heavily armed through its trade relationship 00:06:37.009 --> 00:06:39.910 with the Dutch and the English. So they launched 00:06:39.910 --> 00:06:43.230 these aggressive conquests to seize control of 00:06:43.230 --> 00:06:45.449 the fur hunting grounds. They effectively claimed 00:06:45.449 --> 00:06:48.670 the entire Ohio country as their exclusive beaver 00:06:48.670 --> 00:06:51.449 -trapping territory, pushing out or assimilating 00:06:51.449 --> 00:06:54.110 the nations who were already living there. So 00:06:54.110 --> 00:06:57.170 between that aggressive Iroquois expansion... 00:06:57.389 --> 00:06:59.629 european introduced diseases and all the social 00:06:59.629 --> 00:07:02.610 instability the ohio country was rendered largely 00:07:02.610 --> 00:07:05.629 empty of permanent indigenous settlements by 00:07:05.629 --> 00:07:08.509 the mid to late 17th century right the subsequent 00:07:08.509 --> 00:07:10.970 groups that repopulated the area like the shawnee 00:07:10.970 --> 00:07:13.629 and the delaware were often these multi -ethnic 00:07:13.629 --> 00:07:16.050 societies that migrated back into the region 00:07:16.050 --> 00:07:18.350 later in the 18th century which demonstrates 00:07:18.350 --> 00:07:20.790 remarkable resilience and social flexibility 00:07:20.790 --> 00:07:24.370 and it was into this contested recently vacated 00:07:24.370 --> 00:07:26.970 but strategically vital land that the European 00:07:26.970 --> 00:07:29.110 powers arrived. Initially that meant the French, 00:07:29.170 --> 00:07:31.430 who set up trading posts primarily to control 00:07:31.430 --> 00:07:33.670 the valuable fur trade routes that led back to 00:07:33.670 --> 00:07:36.129 Montreal. And this colonial rivalry, of course, 00:07:36.189 --> 00:07:38.629 culminates in the French and Indian War, which 00:07:38.629 --> 00:07:42.850 began in 1754. And the Treaty of Paris in 1763 00:07:42.850 --> 00:07:46.370 settled that rivalry decisively. France ceded 00:07:46.370 --> 00:07:48.850 control of Ohio and the rest of the Old Northwest 00:07:48.850 --> 00:07:51.170 to Great Britain. But that victory for Britain 00:07:51.170 --> 00:07:54.170 was immediately complicated by managing a restless 00:07:54.170 --> 00:07:56.629 colonial population that was just eager to move 00:07:56.629 --> 00:07:59.720 west. The British response was, from the perspective 00:07:59.720 --> 00:08:02.319 of the American colonists, a policy disaster. 00:08:02.740 --> 00:08:06.360 First came the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which 00:08:06.360 --> 00:08:08.720 strictly forbade any colonial settlement west 00:08:08.720 --> 00:08:11.259 of the Appalachians. It reserved those lands 00:08:11.259 --> 00:08:14.519 as native territory. American settlers and land 00:08:14.519 --> 00:08:17.899 speculators saw this as a direct denial of the 00:08:17.899 --> 00:08:20.490 spoils of war they had just fought for. But the 00:08:20.490 --> 00:08:23.029 British doubled down with the Quebec Act of 1774. 00:08:23.149 --> 00:08:25.449 Right, which annexed the entire Ohio country 00:08:25.449 --> 00:08:27.709 to the province of Quebec. And that move was 00:08:27.709 --> 00:08:29.610 intended to centralize British administration 00:08:29.610 --> 00:08:32.429 of the crucial fur trade, putting the whole Ohio 00:08:32.429 --> 00:08:35.210 Valley under Quebec's authority. For the colonists, 00:08:35.350 --> 00:08:37.690 it was an intolerable restriction on westward 00:08:37.690 --> 00:08:40.379 expansion. And the source material frames it 00:08:40.379 --> 00:08:42.519 as one of the key legislative acts that directly 00:08:42.519 --> 00:08:44.320 contributed to the American Revolution. Absolutely. 00:08:44.440 --> 00:08:47.299 The colonists saw the Ohio Valley as their future, 00:08:47.419 --> 00:08:50.460 and the crown was actively blocking it. So even 00:08:50.460 --> 00:08:52.120 though the Western theater of the Revolutionary 00:08:52.120 --> 00:08:54.559 War never produced a really decisive victor, 00:08:54.580 --> 00:08:57.159 when the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, 00:08:57.700 --> 00:09:00.940 Britain ceded all its claims to the Ohio country 00:09:00.940 --> 00:09:04.000 to the new United States. It was now U .S. territory. 00:09:04.799 --> 00:09:07.659 But the question remained. What kind of territory 00:09:07.659 --> 00:09:09.720 was it going to be? And this is where the political 00:09:09.720 --> 00:09:12.700 DNA of Ohio was really established. The Northwest 00:09:12.700 --> 00:09:15.639 Ordinance of 1787. This established the Northwest 00:09:15.639 --> 00:09:18.580 Territory, and it included a provision that would 00:09:18.580 --> 00:09:21.700 forever define Ohio's identity, the prohibition 00:09:21.700 --> 00:09:24.200 of slavery. The economic and political consequences 00:09:24.200 --> 00:09:26.820 of that provision were just immense. Oh, absolutely. 00:09:27.000 --> 00:09:29.720 It immediately set Ohio on a trajectory that 00:09:29.720 --> 00:09:31.679 was fundamentally different from its southern 00:09:31.679 --> 00:09:34.179 neighbors, Kentucky and Virginia, which relied 00:09:34.179 --> 00:09:36.919 on slave labor. So it guaranteed that the settlement 00:09:36.919 --> 00:09:40.100 of Ohio would be based on free labor, small land 00:09:40.100 --> 00:09:42.440 ownership and industrial development. Rather 00:09:42.440 --> 00:09:45.539 than plantation agriculture. And on top of that, 00:09:45.639 --> 00:09:47.639 the ordinance established the systematic grid 00:09:47.639 --> 00:09:50.600 system for land division, creating those organized, 00:09:50.740 --> 00:09:53.120 rectangular land plots we associate with the 00:09:53.120 --> 00:09:56.139 Midwest, which ensured clear titles and promoted 00:09:56.139 --> 00:09:58.600 orderly settlement. But settlement couldn't be 00:09:58.600 --> 00:10:00.659 entirely orderly because the indigenous groups 00:10:00.659 --> 00:10:03.629 were still there, still powerful and... you know, 00:10:03.649 --> 00:10:05.970 rightly resisting. Which led to the Northwest 00:10:05.970 --> 00:10:09.690 Indian Wars. The U .S. fought a brutal, decade 00:10:09.690 --> 00:10:12.330 -long campaign against the Western Confederacy, 00:10:12.370 --> 00:10:14.690 which was a coalition of Native American tribes. 00:10:15.250 --> 00:10:17.509 And this conflict eventually forced the indigenous 00:10:17.509 --> 00:10:20.610 groups to cede huge amounts of territory, including 00:10:20.610 --> 00:10:23.409 much of present -day Ohio and the Treaty of Greenville 00:10:23.409 --> 00:10:27.129 in 1795. That treaty marks the effective, though 00:10:27.129 --> 00:10:30.429 tragic, end of major Native American land claims 00:10:30.429 --> 00:10:32.629 in the region. And it cleared the way for American 00:10:32.629 --> 00:10:35.049 statehood. And to lead that settlement, we have 00:10:35.049 --> 00:10:37.549 to turn to the father of Ohio, Rufus Putnam. 00:10:37.710 --> 00:10:40.210 He is such an important figure. He wasn't just 00:10:40.210 --> 00:10:42.750 a military man. He was George Washington's chief 00:10:42.750 --> 00:10:45.210 engineer during the Revolution. He was a master 00:10:45.210 --> 00:10:47.690 planner. He was instrumental in drafting and 00:10:47.690 --> 00:10:50.029 successfully lobbying for the Northwest Ordinance. 00:10:50.440 --> 00:10:52.879 Putnam understood that successful settlement 00:10:52.879 --> 00:10:56.379 needed to be organized and principled. He founded 00:10:56.379 --> 00:10:58.679 the Ohio Company of Associates and organized 00:10:58.679 --> 00:11:01.940 Marietta, the first permanent non -military settlement 00:11:01.940 --> 00:11:04.919 in the territory. And he built that crucial fortification, 00:11:05.139 --> 00:11:08.399 Campus Martius. But what truly demonstrates his 00:11:08.399 --> 00:11:11.519 foresight was his commitment to education. Right. 00:11:11.600 --> 00:11:13.700 He wasn't just thinking about survival. He was 00:11:13.700 --> 00:11:16.840 setting up a whole civic society. The sources 00:11:16.840 --> 00:11:19.600 emphasize his plan to set aside substantial amounts 00:11:19.600 --> 00:11:22.519 of land explicitly for the establishment and 00:11:22.519 --> 00:11:24.759 endowment of schools and universities. He even 00:11:24.759 --> 00:11:27.000 created the plan for the Muskingum Academy in 00:11:27.000 --> 00:11:29.700 1798, which would eventually evolve into Marietta 00:11:29.700 --> 00:11:32.620 College. So this focus on education and organized, 00:11:32.840 --> 00:11:36.000 systematic land division combined with the prohibition 00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:39.220 of slavery. It created the core values that defined 00:11:39.220 --> 00:11:42.019 Ohio's early population values of diligence, 00:11:42.360 --> 00:11:45.120 organization, and a powerful sense of civic duty 00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:47.639 that would manifest powerfully in future national 00:11:47.639 --> 00:11:49.820 conflicts. The trajectory from territory to state 00:11:49.820 --> 00:11:52.379 was rapid, though, as we'll see, not entirely 00:11:52.379 --> 00:11:55.440 seamless. Ohio became the 17th state admitted 00:11:55.440 --> 00:11:59.179 to the Union on March 1st, 1803. This made it 00:11:59.179 --> 00:12:01.679 the first post -colonial free state under the 00:12:01.679 --> 00:12:04.419 Northwest Ordinance. It was a huge milestone. 00:12:04.799 --> 00:12:07.700 But there's a... magnificent administrative oversight 00:12:07.700 --> 00:12:09.779 tied to this event. Oh, this is one of my favorite 00:12:09.779 --> 00:12:11.759 bits of trivia. Here is where the administrative 00:12:11.759 --> 00:12:15.820 history gets bizarre. 150 years later, in 1953, 00:12:16.259 --> 00:12:19.480 historians in Congress realized they had never 00:12:19.480 --> 00:12:22.340 passed a formal resolution admitting Ohio to 00:12:22.340 --> 00:12:24.559 the Union. It was a classic bureaucratic oops. 00:12:24.860 --> 00:12:27.039 I mean, Ohio had been functioning perfectly well 00:12:27.039 --> 00:12:28.899 as a state for a century and a half, sending 00:12:28.899 --> 00:12:31.259 senators, electing representatives, ratifying 00:12:31.259 --> 00:12:34.059 amendments. But that final official piece of 00:12:34.059 --> 00:12:37.559 paperwork. was missing. So for Ohio's sesquicentennial 00:12:37.559 --> 00:12:40.799 celebration in 1953, Congress had to pass a bill 00:12:40.799 --> 00:12:43.139 making statehood formally retroactive to the 00:12:43.139 --> 00:12:46.100 original date of March 1st, 1803. It's just a 00:12:46.100 --> 00:12:48.340 great reminder that political realities often 00:12:48.340 --> 00:12:51.519 precede legal formalities. And speaking of formalities, 00:12:51.539 --> 00:12:53.240 the Capitol couldn't even settle down. The state 00:12:53.240 --> 00:12:56.460 had three capitals. Right. Chillicothe from 1803 00:12:56.460 --> 00:12:59.700 to 1810, then Zanesville for two years, then 00:12:59.700 --> 00:13:01.659 back to Chillicothe. Before finally selecting 00:13:01.659 --> 00:13:04.730 Columbus in 1816. And Columbus was specifically 00:13:04.730 --> 00:13:08.389 chosen for its geographic centrality. It underscores 00:13:08.389 --> 00:13:10.529 the early state's commitment to uniting these 00:13:10.529 --> 00:13:13.710 disparate regions, the Ohio River Valley settlements 00:13:13.710 --> 00:13:16.429 in the south and the developing settlements near 00:13:16.429 --> 00:13:19.070 Lake Erie in the north. That desire for central 00:13:19.070 --> 00:13:21.769 administration proved prophetic, didn't it? Given 00:13:21.769 --> 00:13:24.070 how central Ohio remains to national commerce 00:13:24.070 --> 00:13:26.919 today. Absolutely. But that early statehood period 00:13:26.919 --> 00:13:29.019 was immediately challenged by renewed external 00:13:29.019 --> 00:13:31.960 conflict in the War of 1812. And Ohio, given 00:13:31.960 --> 00:13:34.340 its location, found itself directly on the front 00:13:34.340 --> 00:13:37.220 line of the Western theater. The war was inextricably 00:13:37.220 --> 00:13:39.740 linked to the ongoing Native American resistance. 00:13:40.440 --> 00:13:42.700 Tecumseh's war, led by the brilliant Shawnee 00:13:42.700 --> 00:13:45.559 chief Tecumseh, was already underway in 1811. 00:13:45.820 --> 00:13:48.779 So when the U .S. declared war on Britain, The 00:13:48.779 --> 00:13:51.220 British forces sought to align themselves with 00:13:51.220 --> 00:13:53.860 Tecumseh's coalition. They were aiming to roll 00:13:53.860 --> 00:13:56.659 back American expansion. The most critical battle 00:13:56.659 --> 00:13:59.539 for Ohio was the naval engagement on Lake Erie 00:13:59.539 --> 00:14:03.019 near Pudden Bay in 1813. Commodore Oliver Hazard 00:14:03.019 --> 00:14:05.720 Perry's victory. He famously said, we have met 00:14:05.720 --> 00:14:08.539 the enemy. and they are ours. That victory secured 00:14:08.539 --> 00:14:11.159 the northern border, led to a crucial British 00:14:11.159 --> 00:14:14.159 surrender, and soon after, Tecumseh's death. 00:14:14.279 --> 00:14:16.899 And Tecumseh's death really represented the end 00:14:16.899 --> 00:14:19.500 of organized, widespread Native American resistance 00:14:19.500 --> 00:14:22.759 in the Ohio Valley. It did. While some groups 00:14:22.759 --> 00:14:24.980 remained, the majority of the Shawnee were forcibly 00:14:24.980 --> 00:14:27.799 moved west in subsequent years. This pattern 00:14:27.799 --> 00:14:30.320 of forced removal culminated in the final displacement 00:14:30.320 --> 00:14:33.539 by 1842. That's when the U .S. government compelled 00:14:33.539 --> 00:14:35.700 all remaining Native Americans out of the state. 00:14:35.820 --> 00:14:38.139 Which directly links Ohio's history to the broader 00:14:38.139 --> 00:14:41.340 tragic context of Indian removal across the Midwest. 00:14:41.740 --> 00:14:44.000 Now that was a bloody conflict with existential 00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:46.639 stakes. But just two decades later, Ohio found 00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:49.379 itself in this bizarre, almost comical showdown 00:14:49.379 --> 00:14:52.039 over a strip of land. The Toledo War of 1835. 00:14:52.620 --> 00:14:54.500 This is one of the most beloved administrative 00:14:54.500 --> 00:14:56.779 footnotes in American history. It really is. 00:14:57.159 --> 00:15:00.299 Ohio and the Michigan Territory feuded over the 00:15:00.299 --> 00:15:04.559 Toledo Strip, a roughly 468 square mile wedge 00:15:04.559 --> 00:15:07.960 of land. The whole dispute was triggered by conflicting 00:15:07.960 --> 00:15:10.639 state and territorial surveys that have been 00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:13.779 drawn up years apart. It sounds minor, but controlling 00:15:13.779 --> 00:15:15.720 that strip meant controlling the mouth of the 00:15:15.720 --> 00:15:17.940 Maumee River and the critical port that would 00:15:17.940 --> 00:15:20.580 become Toledo. And that port was viewed as essential 00:15:20.580 --> 00:15:23.470 for future connection. and rail commerce connecting 00:15:23.470 --> 00:15:27.330 Lake Erie to the vast Ohio Valley. So both Ohio 00:15:27.330 --> 00:15:30.330 and Michigan mobilized their militias, laws were 00:15:30.330 --> 00:15:33.090 passed and counterpassed, and minor scuffles 00:15:33.090 --> 00:15:35.870 broke out. The skirmishes were largely bloodless, 00:15:35.950 --> 00:15:37.970 which is why it gets the almost war nickname. 00:15:38.230 --> 00:15:41.049 The largest act of violence was reportedly one 00:15:41.049 --> 00:15:43.509 militiaman being stabbed with a penknife during 00:15:43.509 --> 00:15:45.730 a heated argument. But the stakes were high enough 00:15:45.730 --> 00:15:47.980 that Congress had to intervene. And they did 00:15:47.980 --> 00:15:51.480 so brilliantly by tying the resolution to Michigan's 00:15:51.480 --> 00:15:54.340 statehood application. The compromise was a political 00:15:54.340 --> 00:15:57.399 masterstroke. It was. Michigan gained the western 00:15:57.399 --> 00:15:59.899 two -thirds of the Upper Peninsula, a massive 00:15:59.899 --> 00:16:02.320 territory that later proved rich in copper and 00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:04.720 iron ore in exchange for formally giving up its 00:16:04.720 --> 00:16:07.279 claim to the Toledo Strip. So the strategic insight 00:16:07.279 --> 00:16:10.679 here is clear. Ohio prioritized access to the 00:16:10.679 --> 00:16:13.220 port and the Lake Erie trade route. And Michigan, 00:16:13.519 --> 00:16:16.320 eager for statehood and gaining a huge tract 00:16:16.320 --> 00:16:19.299 of Mineral Ricks territory, agreed. It defined 00:16:19.299 --> 00:16:21.820 that northern border forever. Moving forward 00:16:21.820 --> 00:16:24.700 to the Civil War, Ohio's foundational values, 00:16:25.019 --> 00:16:27.399 that legacy of the Northwest Ordinance and its 00:16:27.399 --> 00:16:29.779 industrial base, really came to the forefront. 00:16:30.169 --> 00:16:32.210 The sources are clear on this. Ohio contributed 00:16:32.210 --> 00:16:34.909 more soldiers per capita than any other Union 00:16:34.909 --> 00:16:38.309 state. It was an indispensable industrial and 00:16:38.309 --> 00:16:40.870 agricultural engine for the Union. The Ohio River 00:16:40.870 --> 00:16:43.070 became the vital supply artery that supported 00:16:43.070 --> 00:16:45.409 operations in the Western Theater. But the war 00:16:45.409 --> 00:16:47.470 wasn't fought solely on distant battlefields. 00:16:47.470 --> 00:16:50.409 It came right to the state in 1863 with Morgan's 00:16:50.409 --> 00:16:52.970 raid. That moment must have been terrifying for 00:16:52.970 --> 00:16:55.669 Ohio residents. Confederate cavalry under General 00:16:55.669 --> 00:16:58.149 John Hunt Morgan attacked and ransacked towns 00:16:58.149 --> 00:17:01.029 all along the Ohio River. And this raid, though 00:17:01.029 --> 00:17:03.509 militarily insignificant in the grand scheme 00:17:03.509 --> 00:17:06.109 of things, caused widespread panic because it 00:17:06.109 --> 00:17:08.450 represented the deepest penetration of Confederate 00:17:08.450 --> 00:17:11.250 troops into Union territory during the entire 00:17:11.250 --> 00:17:13.730 war. It shook the confidence of the home front. 00:17:13.950 --> 00:17:16.349 And forced the mobilization of local militias. 00:17:16.549 --> 00:17:19.170 But the state's lasting legacy is really its 00:17:19.170 --> 00:17:21.630 leadership. This addresses the critique about 00:17:21.630 --> 00:17:24.710 why Ohio produced so many leaders. The sources 00:17:24.710 --> 00:17:26.630 highlight that the combination of that early, 00:17:26.809 --> 00:17:29.789 organized, free settlement championed by men 00:17:29.789 --> 00:17:32.109 like Rufus Putnam. Coupled with the constant 00:17:32.109 --> 00:17:34.509 military demands of the frontier, it created 00:17:34.509 --> 00:17:37.230 a unique environment. It fostered a culture of 00:17:37.230 --> 00:17:39.549 organized civic duty and strategic thinking. 00:17:39.769 --> 00:17:42.609 And this environment produced the mother of generals. 00:17:42.829 --> 00:17:45.609 The union's top three military figures, Ulysses 00:17:45.609 --> 00:17:48.019 S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman and Philip 00:17:48.019 --> 00:17:50.720 Sheridan were all Ohio natives. Their organizational 00:17:50.720 --> 00:17:53.900 skills, their strategic aggression, their ability 00:17:53.900 --> 00:17:57.319 to manage massive forces. These were hallmarks 00:17:57.319 --> 00:18:00.200 of their success. Skills perhaps forged in the 00:18:00.200 --> 00:18:02.980 dynamic entrepreneurial environment of 19th century 00:18:02.980 --> 00:18:05.319 Ohio. The history we just covered is directly 00:18:05.319 --> 00:18:08.519 tied to Ohio's geography. I mean, it's not accidental 00:18:08.519 --> 00:18:11.519 that it became an industrial and military powerhouse. 00:18:11.740 --> 00:18:14.240 It's because of its remarkable strategic location. 00:18:14.880 --> 00:18:17.480 Ohio functions as the physical hinge connecting 00:18:17.480 --> 00:18:19.880 the manufacturing and population centers of the 00:18:19.880 --> 00:18:22.619 Northeast to the agricultural and logistical 00:18:22.619 --> 00:18:25.619 hubs of the Midwest. And that position dictates 00:18:25.619 --> 00:18:29.079 massive economic advantages even today. Oh, absolutely. 00:18:29.359 --> 00:18:31.980 Look at the logistics. Ohio has the nation's 00:18:31.980 --> 00:18:34.809 10th largest highway network. But more critically, 00:18:35.049 --> 00:18:37.509 the state is positioned to be within a one -day 00:18:37.509 --> 00:18:40.829 drive of 50 % of North America's total population. 00:18:41.150 --> 00:18:44.069 50%. Yeah. And 70 % of North America's manufacturing 00:18:44.069 --> 00:18:46.589 capacity? That is staggering. It means moving 00:18:46.589 --> 00:18:49.089 goods from Ohio is fundamentally easier than 00:18:49.089 --> 00:18:51.049 from almost anywhere else on the continent. And 00:18:51.049 --> 00:18:53.250 that connectivity is reinforced by its waterways. 00:18:53.410 --> 00:18:56.890 The northern border features 312 miles of Lake 00:18:56.890 --> 00:18:59.309 Erie coastline. Which supports major cargo ports 00:18:59.309 --> 00:19:02.319 like Cleveland and Toledo. These ports were critical 00:19:02.319 --> 00:19:04.740 to the rise of the steel and automotive industries, 00:19:04.819 --> 00:19:07.160 and they remain vital international shipping 00:19:07.160 --> 00:19:10.119 centers. But the southern border holds that major 00:19:10.119 --> 00:19:12.380 legal and geographical quirk we need to talk 00:19:12.380 --> 00:19:14.700 about, especially since it relates to our final 00:19:14.700 --> 00:19:18.480 provocative thought. Right. Ohio borders Kentucky 00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:21.579 and West Virginia via the Ohio River. But the 00:19:21.579 --> 00:19:24.619 state... ironically, barely owns the river itself. 00:19:24.920 --> 00:19:27.640 This is a highly technical kind of archaic legal 00:19:27.640 --> 00:19:29.960 boundary. Can you break it down for us? Sure. 00:19:30.140 --> 00:19:32.279 The U .S. Supreme Court ruled that the boundary 00:19:32.279 --> 00:19:34.839 between Ohio and its southern neighbors is the 00:19:34.839 --> 00:19:38.039 northern low watermark of the Ohio River as it 00:19:38.039 --> 00:19:41.400 existed in 1792. OK, so what does that mean in 00:19:41.400 --> 00:19:44.140 practical terms for you? The listener. It means 00:19:44.140 --> 00:19:46.619 that Kentucky and West Virginia own nearly all 00:19:46.619 --> 00:19:48.980 of the river water. If you are standing on the 00:19:48.980 --> 00:19:51.920 Ohio Riverbank, Kentucky legally owns the water 00:19:51.920 --> 00:19:54.160 almost up to your ankles, depending on the tide 00:19:54.160 --> 00:19:56.799 and seasonal flow. So Ohio only controls the 00:19:56.799 --> 00:20:00.440 small strip of land between that 1792 low watermark 00:20:00.440 --> 00:20:03.740 and the present high watermark. Exactly. It's 00:20:03.740 --> 00:20:05.819 a boundary defined by a surveyor's mark from 00:20:05.819 --> 00:20:08.680 two centuries ago, effectively making Ohio a 00:20:08.680 --> 00:20:10.759 spectator to the management of the great river 00:20:10.759 --> 00:20:13.410 that gave the state its name. That is a fundamental 00:20:13.410 --> 00:20:16.109 tension baked right into the state's geography. 00:20:16.970 --> 00:20:19.509 Moving inward, the state's physical landscape 00:20:19.509 --> 00:20:22.630 is surprisingly diverse. It is, and it's defined 00:20:22.630 --> 00:20:25.509 primarily by glaciation. Much of the state is 00:20:25.509 --> 00:20:28.410 characterized by the glaciated till plains. These 00:20:28.410 --> 00:20:31.029 areas, including the famous Great Black Swamp 00:20:31.029 --> 00:20:34.430 region in the northwest, were smoothed, flattened, 00:20:34.430 --> 00:20:37.049 and enriched by ancient glaciers that retreated 00:20:37.049 --> 00:20:40.150 millennia ago. And that flat, fertile land facilitated 00:20:40.150 --> 00:20:43.650 massive agricultural output, and later, the easy 00:20:43.650 --> 00:20:45.730 laying of rail lines and highways. But travel 00:20:45.730 --> 00:20:47.910 to the southeast? quadrant and you hit a completely 00:20:47.910 --> 00:20:50.930 different terrain, the unglaciated Allegheny 00:20:50.930 --> 00:20:53.029 Plateau. This region was never covered by the 00:20:53.029 --> 00:20:56.430 glaciers. Exactly. It's rugged, steep, heavily 00:20:56.430 --> 00:20:58.849 forested, and geologically identical to West 00:20:58.849 --> 00:21:01.630 Virginia. This creates a distinct socioeconomic 00:21:01.630 --> 00:21:04.069 unit within the state. The Appalachian Regional 00:21:04.069 --> 00:21:07.150 Development Act defines 29 Ohio counties as part 00:21:07.150 --> 00:21:10.319 of Appalachia. And while only about 12 .8 % of 00:21:10.319 --> 00:21:12.559 Ohioans live there, this region has a unique 00:21:12.559 --> 00:21:14.960 Appalachian heritage, often wrestling with different 00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:17.240 economic and infrastructural challenges compared 00:21:17.240 --> 00:21:19.380 to the highly industrialized cities of the Plains. 00:21:19.480 --> 00:21:21.960 We also see a significant hydrological divide 00:21:21.960 --> 00:21:24.559 crossing the state. Right. Rivers in northern 00:21:24.559 --> 00:21:28.200 Ohio drain north into Lake Erie and then the 00:21:28.200 --> 00:21:31.000 St. Lawrence River out to the Atlantic. while 00:21:31.000 --> 00:21:33.440 southern rivers drain into the Ohio and Mississippi 00:21:33.440 --> 00:21:36.140 rivers, eventually reaching the Gulf of Mexico. 00:21:36.339 --> 00:21:39.079 So Ohio is a key continental watershed split, 00:21:39.299 --> 00:21:42.380 sending its water to two different oceans. This 00:21:42.380 --> 00:21:45.079 reliance on water has also driven some incredible 00:21:45.079 --> 00:21:48.059 historical engineering feats. Like during the 00:21:48.059 --> 00:21:51.210 canal building boom between 1820 and 1850. The 00:21:51.210 --> 00:21:53.089 state's efforts were surprisingly successful. 00:21:53.390 --> 00:21:55.609 They spurred the industrial emergence of cities 00:21:55.609 --> 00:21:58.890 like Dayton, Akron, and Cleveland. And to ensure 00:21:58.890 --> 00:22:01.730 a consistent water supply for these canals, massive 00:22:01.730 --> 00:22:04.390 projects were undertaken. Most famous being Grand 00:22:04.390 --> 00:22:07.410 Lake St. Mary's. Upon its completion in 1845, 00:22:07.890 --> 00:22:09.890 it held the distinction of being the largest 00:22:09.890 --> 00:22:12.809 artificial lake in the entire world. It's an 00:22:12.809 --> 00:22:14.829 incredible testament to 19th century American 00:22:14.829 --> 00:22:17.329 engineering ambition. But that same reliance 00:22:17.329 --> 00:22:19.920 on water brought disaster. The Great Flood of 00:22:19.920 --> 00:22:22.559 1913 was the state's greatest natural disaster. 00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:25.319 A massive storm system stalled over the great 00:22:25.319 --> 00:22:29.019 Miami River basin, resulting in at least 428 00:22:29.019 --> 00:22:31.779 fatalities and just devastating communities across 00:22:31.779 --> 00:22:33.799 the state. But the response to that disaster 00:22:33.799 --> 00:22:36.700 was pioneering. It was. It led to the creation 00:22:36.700 --> 00:22:39.180 of the Miami Conservancy District, which was 00:22:39.180 --> 00:22:42.680 the first major comprehensive floodplain engineering 00:22:42.680 --> 00:22:46.079 project in the entire United States. It established 00:22:46.079 --> 00:22:49.059 a model for flood control that was copied worldwide. 00:22:49.559 --> 00:22:52.640 Let's explore the unique climate and fauna quirks. 00:22:53.059 --> 00:22:55.660 Most of Ohio experiences a humid continental 00:22:55.660 --> 00:22:58.359 climate, right? That's right. DFAD, DFB. which 00:22:58.359 --> 00:23:01.539 means distinct seasons, hot summers, and reliable 00:23:01.539 --> 00:23:04.420 cold winters. But the extreme southern bluegrass 00:23:04.420 --> 00:23:07.019 region, particularly around Cincinnati, touches 00:23:07.019 --> 00:23:09.559 the northern periphery of the humid subtropical 00:23:09.559 --> 00:23:11.640 climate. And what this means in terms of nature 00:23:11.640 --> 00:23:13.720 is that this area is a fascinating ecological 00:23:13.720 --> 00:23:16.920 mixing zone. It allows southern flora that normally 00:23:16.920 --> 00:23:19.359 couldn't survive the standard Ohio winter to 00:23:19.359 --> 00:23:21.559 thrive. You see things like blackjack oak, southern 00:23:21.559 --> 00:23:24.039 magnolia, crepe myrtle. And even the rare needle 00:23:24.039 --> 00:23:26.339 palm taking hold in the bluegrass region. And 00:23:26.339 --> 00:23:28.140 it hosts unique flowers. fauna as well. Like 00:23:28.140 --> 00:23:31.079 the eastern hellbender. Which is a giant fully 00:23:31.079 --> 00:23:33.900 aquatic salamander that is currently the state 00:23:33.900 --> 00:23:37.299 endangered amphibian. And you also see the common 00:23:37.299 --> 00:23:40.039 wall lizard of Cincinnati, an established permanent 00:23:40.039 --> 00:23:43.140 example of subtropical fauna that has adapted 00:23:43.140 --> 00:23:45.920 to the urban heat island effect. And while you 00:23:45.920 --> 00:23:48.319 wouldn't necessarily call Ohio earthquake country, 00:23:48.500 --> 00:23:51.180 the sources do remind us of some geological unrest. 00:23:51.819 --> 00:23:55.420 Over 200 earthquakes of 2 .0 magnitude or higher 00:23:55.420 --> 00:23:58.980 have occurred since 1776. Including the most 00:23:58.980 --> 00:24:01.779 substantial known one, the Anna earthquake, which 00:24:01.779 --> 00:24:05.500 hit magnitude 5 .4 in 1937, causing damage across 00:24:05.500 --> 00:24:08.079 western Ohio. Moving from the natural history 00:24:08.079 --> 00:24:11.119 to the industrial history, Ohio transformed with 00:24:11.119 --> 00:24:13.579 lightning speed in the 19th and 20th centuries. 00:24:13.799 --> 00:24:16.240 The early agricultural economy was almost instantly 00:24:16.240 --> 00:24:18.279 supplemented by massive industry, particularly 00:24:18.279 --> 00:24:20.920 steel and oil. Right. Capitalizing on its geographic 00:24:20.920 --> 00:24:23.180 advantages, the Industrial Foundation was laid 00:24:23.180 --> 00:24:25.720 extremely early. Hopewell Furnace, one of the 00:24:25.720 --> 00:24:28.420 first iron manufacturing plants west of the Appalachians, 00:24:28.480 --> 00:24:31.700 opened in 1804. And by 1853, Cleveland was already 00:24:31.700 --> 00:24:33.819 the third largest iron and steel producer in 00:24:33.819 --> 00:24:36.059 the nation. This early momentum was just driven 00:24:36.059 --> 00:24:38.839 by relentless innovation. And Cleveland was the 00:24:38.839 --> 00:24:41.759 epicenter of that innovation. The Cleveland Rolling 00:24:41.759 --> 00:24:44.279 Mill Company, for instance, purchased the first 00:24:44.279 --> 00:24:47.180 Bessemer converter in the U .S. A game changing 00:24:47.180 --> 00:24:50.069 technology that allowed for the cheap. Mass production 00:24:50.069 --> 00:24:54.029 of steel. By 1892, Ohio had cemented its status 00:24:54.029 --> 00:24:57.009 as the second largest steel producing state right 00:24:57.009 --> 00:24:59.089 behind Pennsylvania. And that's not the only 00:24:59.089 --> 00:25:01.869 giant industry born there. Not at all. Cleveland 00:25:01.869 --> 00:25:04.390 was also home to the first standard oil refinery, 00:25:04.589 --> 00:25:08.009 established by John D. Rockefeller. He leveraged 00:25:08.009 --> 00:25:10.069 the logistical advantage of Cleveland's rail 00:25:10.069 --> 00:25:12.650 and water access to control the refining and 00:25:12.650 --> 00:25:14.950 transportation of oil. And created one of the 00:25:14.950 --> 00:25:17.390 largest corporate empires in history. Of course, 00:25:17.410 --> 00:25:19.430 the state's legacy is also defined by innovation 00:25:19.430 --> 00:25:22.549 and transportation. Ohio holds the enduring title 00:25:22.549 --> 00:25:26.109 of the birthplace of aviation. Dayton natives 00:25:26.109 --> 00:25:28.569 Orville and Wilbur Wright invented the first 00:25:28.569 --> 00:25:31.190 successful airplane, making those four brief 00:25:31.190 --> 00:25:34.289 but monumental flights in 1903. And this legacy 00:25:34.289 --> 00:25:37.190 is not merely historical. It remains vital today 00:25:37.190 --> 00:25:39.970 with major installations like the Wright -Patterson 00:25:39.970 --> 00:25:42.569 Air Force Base near Dayton. That industrial might, 00:25:42.650 --> 00:25:44.950 however, faced an existential challenge during 00:25:44.950 --> 00:25:47.660 the Great Depression. The sources show the profound 00:25:47.660 --> 00:25:50.920 human cost. Unemployment peaked statewide at 00:25:50.920 --> 00:25:55.319 a staggering 37 .3 % by 1933. The situation was 00:25:55.319 --> 00:25:58.099 especially dire in industrial centers, with 80 00:25:58.099 --> 00:26:00.619 % unemployment for construction workers in Toledo. 00:26:00.900 --> 00:26:03.599 But even during this period of intense anxiety 00:26:03.599 --> 00:26:06.759 and economic hardship, creativity flourished. 00:26:06.940 --> 00:26:09.420 Cleveland residents Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster 00:26:09.420 --> 00:26:11.720 created Superman. And what's fascinating culturally 00:26:11.720 --> 00:26:14.079 is how their early comics reflected the anxiety 00:26:14.079 --> 00:26:17.349 of the era. They often portrayed the hero fighting 00:26:17.349 --> 00:26:19.549 and defeating the rising specter of the Nazis 00:26:19.549 --> 00:26:22.470 and other threats to democracy. Then that massive 00:26:22.470 --> 00:26:25.049 industrial base was mobilized for global conflict. 00:26:25.390 --> 00:26:28.549 Ohio became the arsenal of democracy. Contributing 00:26:28.549 --> 00:26:31.630 enormously to the war effort. Approximately 839 00:26:31.630 --> 00:26:34.410 ,000 Ohioans served in the U .S. armed forces 00:26:34.410 --> 00:26:36.829 during World War II, a colossal contribution. 00:26:37.230 --> 00:26:38.769 But the transition from the mid -20th century 00:26:38.769 --> 00:26:40.829 to the 21st has been marked by this profound 00:26:40.829 --> 00:26:43.539 economic transformation. Often painfully referred 00:26:43.539 --> 00:26:46.079 to as the shift from the manufacturing heartland 00:26:46.079 --> 00:26:48.759 to the Rust Belt. Deindustrialization has been 00:26:48.759 --> 00:26:51.900 brutal and prolonged. Between 1990 and 2019, 00:26:52.299 --> 00:26:56.380 Ohio lost over 300 ,000 manufacturing jobs. And 00:26:56.380 --> 00:26:58.960 these were often high paying unionized jobs that 00:26:58.960 --> 00:27:01.359 served as the backbone of community wealth in 00:27:01.359 --> 00:27:03.539 cities like Youngstown, Akron and Cleveland. 00:27:03.900 --> 00:27:06.279 But the sources also compel us to look past the 00:27:06.279 --> 00:27:08.819 narrative of pure loss. Right. During that same 00:27:08.819 --> 00:27:11.779 30 year period, Ohio added over one million. 00:27:11.789 --> 00:27:14.970 non -manufacturing jobs. Which signifies a fundamental 00:27:14.970 --> 00:27:17.670 economic pivot toward information, services, 00:27:17.990 --> 00:27:20.069 and advanced technology. The Great Recession 00:27:20.069 --> 00:27:23.750 of 2007 -2010 certainly didn't help. Unemployment 00:27:23.750 --> 00:27:27.930 peaked at 11 .1%, and the state lost 376 ,500 00:27:27.930 --> 00:27:30.309 jobs during that three -year window. To spur 00:27:30.309 --> 00:27:32.609 the necessary shift, the state launched the Third 00:27:32.609 --> 00:27:34.769 Frontier Program. This initiative was specifically 00:27:34.769 --> 00:27:37.329 designed to boost the technology sector, targeting 00:27:37.329 --> 00:27:40.250 high -growth areas like IT, advanced manufacturing, 00:27:40.309 --> 00:27:42.420 and biomedical... sciences and increased private 00:27:42.420 --> 00:27:44.220 investment. And the sources show the program 00:27:44.220 --> 00:27:46.420 has had tangible success. It's attributed with 00:27:46.420 --> 00:27:49.640 creating 9 ,500 jobs with an average salary significantly 00:27:49.640 --> 00:27:52.980 above the state average. Around $65 ,000 and 00:27:52.980 --> 00:27:56.099 achieving a reported 9 .1 return on investment. 00:27:56.319 --> 00:27:59.299 It suggests a successful public -private partnership 00:27:59.299 --> 00:28:02.440 aimed at redefining the state's industrial future. 00:28:02.720 --> 00:28:06.059 So today, Ohio's economy remains vast and diversified. 00:28:06.279 --> 00:28:10.059 Its GDP ranks seventh among all 50 states. It's 00:28:10.059 --> 00:28:12.759 still highly industrial, ranking as the third 00:28:12.759 --> 00:28:15.180 largest manufacturing sector and the second largest 00:28:15.180 --> 00:28:17.160 automobile producer in the country. But the largest 00:28:17.160 --> 00:28:19.759 sector by employment is now trade, transportation 00:28:19.759 --> 00:28:22.480 and utilities. Followed closely by health care 00:28:22.480 --> 00:28:24.759 and education, anchored by institutions like 00:28:24.759 --> 00:28:26.980 the Cleveland Clinic and the Wexner Medical Center 00:28:26.980 --> 00:28:29.940 in Columbus. And this diverse economy is reflected 00:28:29.940 --> 00:28:33.000 in its demographic profile. Ohio is the seventh 00:28:33.000 --> 00:28:35.740 most populous state, approaching 12 million residents. 00:28:36.530 --> 00:28:38.309 Ancestrally, the population is predominantly 00:28:38.309 --> 00:28:42.130 German at 26 .5%, followed by Irish and English. 00:28:42.369 --> 00:28:44.950 But the truly fascinating element of Ohio's demographics 00:28:44.950 --> 00:28:47.849 lies in its unique language concentrations. Which 00:28:47.849 --> 00:28:50.029 are direct artifacts of the immigrant labor waves 00:28:50.029 --> 00:28:52.170 that built the industrial cities. That's right. 00:28:52.289 --> 00:28:54.430 The state holds the distinction of having the 00:28:54.430 --> 00:28:56.650 nation's largest population of Slovene speakers, 00:28:56.970 --> 00:28:59.130 particularly concentrated in Cleveland. Which 00:28:59.130 --> 00:29:01.809 was a massive magnet for Eastern European heavy 00:29:01.809 --> 00:29:04.970 industry workers. It also has the second largest 00:29:04.970 --> 00:29:08.049 population of Slovak speakers and the third largest 00:29:08.049 --> 00:29:10.750 of Serbian speakers. Reflecting that same industrial 00:29:10.750 --> 00:29:13.430 immigration pattern into Youngstown, Akron and 00:29:13.430 --> 00:29:15.990 other manufacturing hubs. And these communities 00:29:15.990 --> 00:29:18.710 retain powerful cultural and linguistic ties. 00:29:19.049 --> 00:29:21.250 We also can't forget the internal migration and 00:29:21.250 --> 00:29:24.230 unique cultural groups. Ohio has the second largest 00:29:24.230 --> 00:29:26.750 commish population in the country. only behind 00:29:26.750 --> 00:29:28.910 Pennsylvania. Which contributes significantly 00:29:28.910 --> 00:29:31.430 to the population that speaks Pennsylvania Dutch, 00:29:31.690 --> 00:29:34.390 a high concentration of Germanic speakers who 00:29:34.390 --> 00:29:36.190 maintain their traditions in rural communities 00:29:36.190 --> 00:29:38.569 across eastern and central Ohio. In terms of 00:29:38.569 --> 00:29:40.650 belief, the state is still broadly Christian 00:29:40.650 --> 00:29:43.930 at 64%, with Catholicism being the largest single 00:29:43.930 --> 00:29:46.720 denomination. However, a critical modern demographic 00:29:46.720 --> 00:29:49.240 shift is that nearly a third of the population, 00:29:49.460 --> 00:29:52.640 30%, identifies as religiously unaffiliated, 00:29:52.700 --> 00:29:55.599 which echoes national trends of increasing secularization. 00:29:57.259 --> 00:29:59.200 This is where the confluence of history, immigration, 00:29:59.359 --> 00:30:02.619 and industry truly shines. Ohio is a major hub 00:30:02.619 --> 00:30:05.259 for the arts, housing over 30 major institutions. 00:30:05.700 --> 00:30:08.400 And the wealth of these institutions is just 00:30:08.400 --> 00:30:11.440 staggering. The Cleveland Museum of Art, for 00:30:11.440 --> 00:30:13.880 instance, is internationally renowned, particularly 00:30:13.880 --> 00:30:16.740 for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian 00:30:16.740 --> 00:30:19.380 art. It's ranked the fourth wealthiest art museum 00:30:19.380 --> 00:30:21.759 in the United States. Its collection alone encompasses 00:30:21.759 --> 00:30:25.740 over 61 ,000 works. Then you have the Cincinnati 00:30:25.740 --> 00:30:28.099 Art Museum in the southern part of the state, 00:30:28.180 --> 00:30:30.400 which is just as impressive. It holds over 100 00:30:30.400 --> 00:30:34.180 ,000 works spanning 6 ,000 years of human history. 00:30:34.359 --> 00:30:37.480 With notable pieces by European masters like 00:30:37.480 --> 00:30:40.519 Botticelli, Rubens and Monet. And Columbus has 00:30:40.519 --> 00:30:43.240 carved out its own unique niche in visual culture. 00:30:43.680 --> 00:30:46.220 It's home to the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library 00:30:46.220 --> 00:30:48.920 Museum. Which stands as the largest research 00:30:48.920 --> 00:30:51.400 library dedicated to cartoon art in the world. 00:30:51.559 --> 00:30:53.859 And when you connect that back to Cleveland being 00:30:53.859 --> 00:30:56.720 the birthplace of Superman, you see a long, deep 00:30:56.720 --> 00:30:59.200 tradition of American visual storytelling in 00:30:59.200 --> 00:31:02.019 Ohio. Beyond visual arts, the performing arts 00:31:02.019 --> 00:31:04.420 are massive here. Cleveland's Playhouse Square 00:31:04.420 --> 00:31:06.460 is the nation's second largest performing arts 00:31:06.460 --> 00:31:10.170 center. Housing 10 distinct theaters. And the 00:31:10.170 --> 00:31:12.670 Cleveland Orchestra is recognized globally as 00:31:12.670 --> 00:31:15.589 one of the historic Big Five U .S. orchestras, 00:31:15.690 --> 00:31:17.829 frequently ranked among the best in the world. 00:31:17.970 --> 00:31:20.369 This isn't just regional culture. It's globally 00:31:20.369 --> 00:31:23.150 significant output. Now let's talk cuisine, because 00:31:23.150 --> 00:31:25.529 this is where local identity is most strongly 00:31:25.529 --> 00:31:29.009 forged, and Ohio has some distinct regional specialties. 00:31:29.190 --> 00:31:31.670 And they showcase its immigrant and agricultural 00:31:31.670 --> 00:31:34.950 past perfectly. We have to start with the unofficial 00:31:34.950 --> 00:31:38.920 state snack. The Buckeyes. Right. These are peanut 00:31:38.920 --> 00:31:41.619 butter fudge balls that are only partially dipped 00:31:41.619 --> 00:31:44.099 in chocolate, deliberately designed to resemble 00:31:44.099 --> 00:31:46.819 the nut of the state tree. Which is highly toxic 00:31:46.819 --> 00:31:49.000 if you actually eat it. It's a sweet, playful 00:31:49.000 --> 00:31:51.299 nod to the state symbol. Then there is the culinary 00:31:51.299 --> 00:31:54.019 debate of the state. Cincinnati -style chili. 00:31:54.240 --> 00:31:56.819 Which is not a bowl of chili in the Texas sense, 00:31:56.980 --> 00:32:00.039 not at all. It is a unique, Greek -inspired meat 00:32:00.039 --> 00:32:03.000 sauce. It's thin. typically featuring Mediterranean 00:32:03.000 --> 00:32:05.839 spices like cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. And 00:32:05.839 --> 00:32:07.640 it's served over spaghetti or hot dogs. Yeah. 00:32:07.759 --> 00:32:10.200 The experience is defined by the ways. That's 00:32:10.200 --> 00:32:12.579 right. If you order it, you specify the number 00:32:12.579 --> 00:32:15.680 of layers you want. A three -way is chili, spaghetti, 00:32:15.880 --> 00:32:18.140 and a mountain of shredded cheddar cheese. A 00:32:18.140 --> 00:32:20.980 four -way adds either chopped onions or red kidney 00:32:20.980 --> 00:32:23.160 beans, and a five -way includes all five ingredients. 00:32:23.519 --> 00:32:26.099 It's an intensely localized tradition. And if 00:32:26.099 --> 00:32:29.059 you are in Cincinnati, you must also try goetta. 00:32:29.500 --> 00:32:32.180 A German immigrant invention. Exactly. It's a 00:32:32.180 --> 00:32:34.660 breakfast sausage made primarily of ground meat 00:32:34.660 --> 00:32:38.140 scraps, spices and pin oats, which serve as an 00:32:38.140 --> 00:32:41.079 economical filler. It's typically served pan 00:32:41.079 --> 00:32:43.579 fried until crisp. It speaks directly to the 00:32:43.579 --> 00:32:46.220 German necessity for thrift and maximizing food 00:32:46.220 --> 00:32:49.440 resources in that 19th century industrial environment. 00:32:49.640 --> 00:32:52.119 And up in Cleveland, their signature sandwich 00:32:52.119 --> 00:32:55.200 is the Polish boy. This is a hefty affair. A 00:32:55.200 --> 00:32:57.460 true celebration of Polish and Eastern European 00:32:57.460 --> 00:33:00.460 industrial immigrant culture. It is a deep fried 00:33:00.460 --> 00:33:04.240 or grilled kielbasa sausage piled high with coleslaw, 00:33:04.440 --> 00:33:07.220 a layer of French fries and drowned in BBQ sauce, 00:33:07.480 --> 00:33:09.960 all on a bun. It's a meal that was designed to 00:33:09.960 --> 00:33:13.039 fuel a steelworker. No doubt. And of course, 00:33:13.059 --> 00:33:16.049 Ohio is a fast food incubator. It's home to the 00:33:16.049 --> 00:33:18.630 first Arby's restaurant and the corporate headquarters 00:33:18.630 --> 00:33:21.490 of both Wendy's and White Castle. From food, 00:33:21.490 --> 00:33:23.650 we transition naturally to music and sports, 00:33:23.890 --> 00:33:26.710 which fundamentally define modern Ohio culture. 00:33:26.930 --> 00:33:29.349 Cleveland is rightly called the cradle of rock 00:33:29.349 --> 00:33:32.789 and roll because disc jockey Alan Freed is credited 00:33:32.789 --> 00:33:35.630 with popularizing and coining the term rock and 00:33:35.630 --> 00:33:38.450 roll. in the early 1950s which is why the rock 00:33:38.450 --> 00:33:40.049 and roll hall of fame is appropriately located 00:33:40.049 --> 00:33:42.509 on the shores of lake erie and the musical talent 00:33:42.509 --> 00:33:45.809 that has emerged from ohio is huge spanning genres 00:33:45.809 --> 00:33:49.450 and generations Big band classics like Dean Martin 00:33:49.450 --> 00:33:52.690 and Doris Day, Funk and Soul with the OJs. Industrial 00:33:52.690 --> 00:33:55.609 rock with Nine Inch Nails and Devo, grunge and 00:33:55.609 --> 00:33:57.710 modern rock from Dave Grohl, and contemporary 00:33:57.710 --> 00:34:00.109 R &B from John Legend. In professional sports, 00:34:00.289 --> 00:34:03.109 Ohio is extremely well represented, home to eight 00:34:03.109 --> 00:34:06.410 major league teams. Two in the NFL, two in MLB, 00:34:06.430 --> 00:34:09.590 an NBA team, an NHL team, and two MLS teams. 00:34:09.889 --> 00:34:12.489 But the state's deepest sports roots are in football. 00:34:12.880 --> 00:34:14.800 That's right. The National Football League was 00:34:14.800 --> 00:34:17.860 originally founded in Canton in 1920, initially 00:34:17.860 --> 00:34:19.940 as the Arlington Professional Football Conference. 00:34:20.280 --> 00:34:23.659 It demonstrates Ohio's central role in the birth 00:34:23.659 --> 00:34:26.860 of the nation's most popular sport. The inaugural 00:34:26.860 --> 00:34:29.860 official league game occurred that same year 00:34:29.860 --> 00:34:32.800 in Dayton. The Dayton Triangles beat the Columbus 00:34:32.800 --> 00:34:36.119 Panhandles. And this legacy is why Canton is 00:34:36.119 --> 00:34:38.599 the permanent enshrined home of the Pro Football 00:34:38.599 --> 00:34:41.139 Hall of Fame. And we can't overlook the cultural 00:34:41.139 --> 00:34:44.019 gravity of college sports. Ohio State Buckeyes 00:34:44.019 --> 00:34:46.239 football has the second highest all -time winning 00:34:46.239 --> 00:34:49.159 percentage in the NCAA and nine undisputed national 00:34:49.159 --> 00:34:52.179 championships. For many residents, college sports 00:34:52.179 --> 00:34:54.260 are a fundamental expression of state identity, 00:34:54.519 --> 00:34:57.159 transcending mere athletics. Now let's turn to 00:34:57.159 --> 00:35:00.199 how this dynamic, diverse, industrial state is 00:35:00.199 --> 00:35:02.579 governed and how its political identity, which 00:35:02.579 --> 00:35:05.300 once mirrored the nation perfectly, is, well, 00:35:05.420 --> 00:35:07.139 it's rapidly shifting. The government structure 00:35:07.139 --> 00:35:09.719 is standard. It follows the familiar federal 00:35:09.719 --> 00:35:12.260 model with the executive, legislative, and judicial 00:35:12.260 --> 00:35:15.000 branches. The General Assembly is bicameral a 00:35:15.000 --> 00:35:18.019 Senate with 33 districts and a House of Representatives 00:35:18.019 --> 00:35:20.840 with 99 members. The judicial branch includes 00:35:20.840 --> 00:35:23.539 the county courts of common pleas, 12 intermediate 00:35:23.539 --> 00:35:26.239 courts of appeals, and the seven justices Ohio 00:35:26.239 --> 00:35:28.699 Supreme Court. And at the local level, we have 00:35:28.699 --> 00:35:31.099 88 counties and two types of municipalities. 00:35:32.119 --> 00:35:34.440 cities and villages with townships also covering 00:35:34.440 --> 00:35:36.900 the entire state. Historically, Ohio's political 00:35:36.900 --> 00:35:39.559 identity is defined by that title, the mother 00:35:39.559 --> 00:35:42.000 of presidents. While Virginia technically produced 00:35:42.000 --> 00:35:45.119 eight presidents, Ohio has seen seven born within 00:35:45.119 --> 00:35:47.900 its borders and six presidents were elected from 00:35:47.900 --> 00:35:51.059 Ohio. William Henry Harrison, Rutherford B. Hayes, 00:35:51.099 --> 00:35:53.599 James A. Garfield, William McKinley, William 00:35:53.599 --> 00:35:56.920 Howard Taft and Warren G. Harding. It's a powerful 00:35:56.920 --> 00:35:59.659 legacy. More crucially, Ohio has traditionally 00:35:59.659 --> 00:36:02.719 been the ultimate bellwether state. Since 1896, 00:36:02.960 --> 00:36:05.019 Ohio has voted for the winning presidential candidate 00:36:05.019 --> 00:36:08.059 in 34 of 39 elections since the Civil War. Only 00:36:08.059 --> 00:36:12.639 missing three outliers 1944, 1960 and 2020. This 00:36:12.639 --> 00:36:14.800 statistic defined national politics for over 00:36:14.800 --> 00:36:17.119 a century. And this is the essential rule that 00:36:17.119 --> 00:36:19.699 held sway over modern politics. No Republican 00:36:19.699 --> 00:36:21.559 has ever won the presidency without winning Ohio. 00:36:22.110 --> 00:36:25.469 Exactly. The state served as a perfect microcosm 00:36:25.469 --> 00:36:28.230 of national trends. It had the necessary mix 00:36:28.230 --> 00:36:31.349 of urban centers, rural agriculture and industrial 00:36:31.349 --> 00:36:34.090 unionized labor to perfectly reflect the American 00:36:34.090 --> 00:36:36.269 electorate. But that status is losing its power. 00:36:36.489 --> 00:36:39.110 This brings us to the modern political shift. 00:36:39.659 --> 00:36:41.800 Long considered the quintessential swing state, 00:36:42.000 --> 00:36:45.099 Ohio has shown a distinct and growing Republican 00:36:45.099 --> 00:36:48.500 lean since the late 2000s, leading analysts to 00:36:48.500 --> 00:36:50.920 seriously question its bellwether status today. 00:36:51.059 --> 00:36:53.079 And this shift is driven by demographics and 00:36:53.079 --> 00:36:55.460 economic restructuring. As manufacturing jobs 00:36:55.460 --> 00:36:57.940 declined in the industrial cities and Appalachian 00:36:57.940 --> 00:37:00.699 counties, working class voters trended more conservative. 00:37:01.059 --> 00:37:03.659 This rural and exurban shift has dramatically 00:37:03.659 --> 00:37:06.019 increased the Republican margin in the state. 00:37:06.199 --> 00:37:08.599 Leading Ohio to vote for the Republican presidential 00:37:08.599 --> 00:37:11.489 candidate. in 2016 and 2020 by margins larger 00:37:11.489 --> 00:37:13.650 than the national average. It is no longer perfectly 00:37:13.650 --> 00:37:16.469 reflecting the nation. Despite this trend, the 00:37:16.469 --> 00:37:18.730 majority of the electorate remains fiercely independent. 00:37:19.070 --> 00:37:21.489 Over 70 percent of registered voters are not 00:37:21.489 --> 00:37:23.849 affiliated with any political party. And this 00:37:23.849 --> 00:37:26.429 huge pool of unaffiliated voters is what still 00:37:26.429 --> 00:37:29.409 draws national attention to Ohio races, because 00:37:29.409 --> 00:37:32.110 if that majority shifts or mobilizes on a specific 00:37:32.110 --> 00:37:35.030 issue, the political landscape can change overnight. 00:37:35.519 --> 00:37:37.719 Shifting to key political and social challenges, 00:37:37.940 --> 00:37:40.699 income inequality is a major issue that tracks 00:37:40.699 --> 00:37:43.159 the state's post -industrial economic restructuring. 00:37:43.260 --> 00:37:45.760 And that inequality has risen significantly since 00:37:45.760 --> 00:37:49.780 the 1970s. The data is stark. Between 2009 and 00:37:49.780 --> 00:37:54.159 2012, the top 1 % saw income growth of 37%, while 00:37:54.159 --> 00:37:57.420 the bottom 99 % saw only 2 .3 % growth. This 00:37:57.420 --> 00:37:59.300 reflects the reality that the gains from the 00:37:59.300 --> 00:38:01.659 high -tech, service -based economy are not being 00:38:01.659 --> 00:38:03.699 distributed evenly across the state's population. 00:38:04.079 --> 00:38:06.519 Furthermore, the tax burden in Ohio falls disproportionately 00:38:06.519 --> 00:38:09.260 on lower income brackets. The bottom 20 % of 00:38:09.260 --> 00:38:11.639 earners contribute a significantly higher percentage 00:38:11.639 --> 00:38:14.599 of their income to taxes 12 .3 % compared to 00:38:14.599 --> 00:38:18.719 the top 1%, who pay only 6 .5%. anxiety fueled 00:38:18.719 --> 00:38:21.019 by these disparities is a persistent, powerful 00:38:21.019 --> 00:38:23.619 political driver across Ohio. Another continuous 00:38:23.619 --> 00:38:26.780 flashpoint has been voter access. A 2020 study 00:38:26.780 --> 00:38:29.639 ranked Ohio as the 17th hardest state for citizens 00:38:29.639 --> 00:38:32.619 to vote in. And this is partly due to the policy 00:38:32.619 --> 00:38:35.360 of purging infrequent voters from the rolls, 00:38:35.559 --> 00:38:38.239 a practice intended to ensure election security. 00:38:38.960 --> 00:38:41.260 That purging policy was challenged all the way 00:38:41.260 --> 00:38:43.860 to the Supreme Court in the case, Husted VA Philip 00:38:43.860 --> 00:38:46.820 Randolph Institute. Critics argued it violated 00:38:46.820 --> 00:38:49.579 the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. 00:38:50.039 --> 00:38:52.579 By making it too difficult for citizens to maintain 00:38:52.579 --> 00:38:54.840 their voting rights. It's a continuous tension 00:38:54.840 --> 00:38:57.400 point between accessibility and administrative 00:38:57.400 --> 00:38:59.960 control that remains a dominant political theme. 00:39:00.260 --> 00:39:03.340 And most recently, Ohioans demonstrated the power 00:39:03.340 --> 00:39:06.460 of direct democracy on abortion rights. In 2023, 00:39:06.920 --> 00:39:09.360 citizens approved a constitutional amendment 00:39:09.360 --> 00:39:11.679 strengthening those rights. Which was a major 00:39:11.679 --> 00:39:14.159 statewide social policy decision made directly 00:39:14.159 --> 00:39:17.280 by voters. It highlighted the power of that large 00:39:17.280 --> 00:39:20.320 unaffiliated voter bloc to override the state's 00:39:20.320 --> 00:39:23.639 increasingly conservative legislative lean. Finally, 00:39:23.659 --> 00:39:26.019 we must mention transportation, which is critical 00:39:26.019 --> 00:39:28.219 for a state defined by logistics and connectivity. 00:39:28.699 --> 00:39:31.039 While Ohio has extensive road and freight rail 00:39:31.039 --> 00:39:33.800 networks, there is one stunning gap that underlines 00:39:33.800 --> 00:39:36.500 modern infrastructural challenges. Columbus is 00:39:36.500 --> 00:39:39.159 the largest city in the entire U .S. with no 00:39:39.159 --> 00:39:41.960 passenger rail service. Union Station in Columbus 00:39:41.960 --> 00:39:45.559 last served passengers way back in 1979. For 00:39:45.559 --> 00:39:47.900 a major metropolitan center in the heart of it 00:39:47.900 --> 00:39:50.530 all, located within a day's drive of half the 00:39:50.530 --> 00:39:53.469 nation's population, that lack of modern passenger 00:39:53.469 --> 00:39:56.849 rail access is a striking failure of interregional 00:39:56.849 --> 00:39:59.110 connectivity. Though for the recreational traveler, 00:39:59.389 --> 00:40:02.949 the sources do offer an alternative. Ohio boasts 00:40:02.949 --> 00:40:05.710 extensive scenic trails, including the massive 00:40:05.710 --> 00:40:09.570 1 ,444 -mile Buckeye Trail loop that circles 00:40:09.570 --> 00:40:12.429 the entire state. What stands out to me is Ohio's 00:40:12.429 --> 00:40:15.449 relentless historical importance, nearly accidental 00:40:15.449 --> 00:40:17.849 by the sheer virtue of its location. It really 00:40:17.849 --> 00:40:20.070 is. It was home to complex ancient earthwork 00:40:20.070 --> 00:40:22.550 societies, the definitive frontier of the U .S. 00:40:22.550 --> 00:40:24.429 that prohibited slavery, the crucible for the 00:40:24.429 --> 00:40:26.969 industrial age. And the literal birthplace of 00:40:26.969 --> 00:40:30.349 both aviation and the NFL. It is truly a microcosm 00:40:30.349 --> 00:40:33.030 of American transformation. Today, it's navigating 00:40:33.030 --> 00:40:35.250 the intense complexities of post -industrial 00:40:35.250 --> 00:40:37.809 life. grappling with critical issues like income 00:40:37.809 --> 00:40:39.969 inequality and shifting political loyalties, 00:40:40.170 --> 00:40:42.630 all while retaining its status as a critical 00:40:42.630 --> 00:40:45.309 geographical and logistical link between the 00:40:45.309 --> 00:40:47.969 Midwest and the Northeast. We've seen how much 00:40:47.969 --> 00:40:50.710 Ohio relies on its physical location, linking 00:40:50.710 --> 00:40:53.030 the Midwest and Northeast and bordering Lake 00:40:53.030 --> 00:40:55.309 Erie. We also detailed how the state was fundamentally 00:40:55.309 --> 00:40:58.429 defined by its history of water conflict. From 00:40:58.429 --> 00:41:02.010 the War of 1812 to the bloodless Kalia War. And 00:41:02.010 --> 00:41:04.650 it's brilliant pioneering response to the Great 00:41:04.650 --> 00:41:07.630 Dayton Flood that led to the first modern flood 00:41:07.630 --> 00:41:09.889 -controlled engineering projects. This raises 00:41:09.889 --> 00:41:11.449 an important question for you, the listener, 00:41:11.570 --> 00:41:14.050 as you consider Ohio's future. Given that the 00:41:14.050 --> 00:41:16.829 state's origins and its name rely entirely on 00:41:16.829 --> 00:41:19.829 water, and given the strange legal reality that 00:41:19.829 --> 00:41:22.429 the state technically barely owns the Ohio River, 00:41:22.550 --> 00:41:24.949 the Great River itself, how much will future 00:41:24.949 --> 00:41:27.670 economic success hinge not just on high -tech 00:41:27.670 --> 00:41:29.889 investment through programs like the Third Frontier, 00:41:29.929 --> 00:41:32.530 but on the continuing... vitality, access and 00:41:32.530 --> 00:41:34.829 political management of that fundamental geographic 00:41:34.829 --> 00:41:37.230 resource. The control of that river is owned 00:41:37.230 --> 00:41:39.250 by its neighbors, but the future of the Buckeye 00:41:39.250 --> 00:41:40.590 State relies on its flow.