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

by David McCullough

Book Overview

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough rediscovers an important and dramatic chapter in the American story--the settling of the Northwest Territory by dauntless pioneers who overcame incredible hardships to build a community based on ideals that would come to define our country.

As part of the Treaty of Paris, in which Great Britain recognized the new United States of America, Britain ceded the land that comprised the immense Northwest Territory, a wilderness empire northwest of the Ohio River containing the future states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. A Massachusetts minister named Manasseh Cutler was instrumental in opening this vast territory to veterans of the Revolutionary War and their families for settlement. Included in the Northwest Ordinance were three remarkable conditions: freedom of religion, free universal education, and most importantly, the prohibition of slavery. In 1788 the first band of pioneers set out from New England for the Northwest Territory under the leadership of Revolutionary War veteran General Rufus Putnam. They settled in what is now Marietta on the banks of the Ohio River.

McCullough tells the story through five major characters: Cutler and Putnam; Cutler's son Ephraim; and two other men, one a carpenter turned architect, and the other a physician who became a prominent pioneer in American science. They and their families created a town in a primeval wilderness, while coping with such frontier realities as floods, fires, wolves and bears, no roads or bridges, no guarantees of any sort, all the while negotiating a contentious and sometimes hostile relationship with the native people. Like so many of McCullough's subjects, they let no obstacle deter or defeat them.

Drawn in great part from a rare and all-but-unknown collection of diaries and letters by the key figures, The Pioneers is a uniquely American story of people whose ambition and courage led them to remarkable accomplishments. This is a revelatory and quintessentially American story, written with David McCullough's signature narrative energy.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1501168681
• ISBN13: 9781501168680
• Release Date: May 2019
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.6" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

The Pioneers reemphasizes McCullough's storytelling talents to the understanding of the American exp

Once again, McCullough hits it out of the park! This is a quick and engaging read-particularly for those interested in the first American "northwestern" settlements around and along the Ohio River Valley. McCullough's unique syle of storytelling intertwines the words of the actors themselves with relevant anecdotal offerings to create a lively three dimensional story of the trials and successes, victories and defeats and the bonds and acrimonies forged between those who participated in the westward expansion of our nation. It insightfully unfolds the perseverance and heartaches that invariably accompanied such lifelong friendships and relationships. I recommend it particularly for those who, like myself, hail from the area and have only a passing knowledge of its rich and intriguing history. As a graduate of Anthony Wayne High School, home of the "Fighting Generals". this story elicited a particular resonance in me and brought to life places of significance that I literally grew up around and I dare say it will as well for those who didn't. Bravo!

Good Story of Beginnings of Pennsylvania and Ohio

This book will be greatly enjoyed by people who enjoy history as I did. Wonderful story. I really got involved in this book.

Something New in American History

What a serendipitous meeting of historian and resources to result in the creation of this book! I say this as a native of Marietta, Ohio, who met most of the leading characters of this drama in grade school, yet never began to appreciate their true significance until seeing them come alive in these pages. I love the way McCullough tells this story, using abundant quotations and remembering to at least touch upon what was going on with the ladies. His treatment of the sad fate of the native Americans was brief but sensitive. Nor did he fail to note the ironic about-face of American views on big trees that followed the clearing of the land. All in all, I found The Pioneers to be one of the most informative and enjoyable reading experiences I've had in years. What a delight!