The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West

After the War of 1812, there was a large increase in the number of settlers coming west, “numbering in the thousands” (195). In 1815, Ohio’s population reached 500,000 and Cincinnati was the fastest-growing city in the country. Indiana obtained statehood in 1816, while Illinois did so in 1818. Despite a deadly accident on a steamboat in which a boiler exploded, there was no letup of steam traffic on the western rivers.

The capital of Ohio was moved to Columbus, in the center of the state. E. Cutler returned there in December 1819 with the goals of establishing and funding a public school system. While he had support from Barker and others, he faced challenges. He wrote often to his wife Sally about his frustrations. However, he persevered and got a bill regulating schools passed in the House on January 28, 1820.

It was not until the fall of 1823, when E. Cutler was elected to the Senate, that he was able to continue his quest for public education. On December 6, 1824, bills creating a statewide system of public education and a tax to support it passed. E. Cutler had made a deal to support the creation of a canal from Lake Erie to the Ohio River in exchange for the education bill.