Yes, our latest license plates proclaim the state of Ohio to now be 200 years old (March 1803 - 2003) -- but that's not entirely so.
;^)
March 3, 2003: Confetti and balloons fly as the Bicentennial Statehood Day ceremony at the Ross County Courthouse comes to a close in Chillicothe on Saturday.
Image Credit: The Associated Press
According to Dad (and he does know these things), the region of the Northwest Territory called the Ohio Valley was brought into the United States of America as her 17th state back on March 1, 1803, but the final paperwork remained unsigned for just over 150 years.
Just a technicality?
As such, Ohio is actually the 50th state to enter The Union, and this would mean presidents Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Harrison, McKinley, Taft, and Harding were not U.S. citizens when voted into office.
Anyway, I did a little searching today, and found OHIO NIFTY, BUT NOT YET 50!
Randy Buchman remembers the "great surprise" in 1953 as Ohio was preparing to celebrate its 150th birthday.
"I was working at the Ohio Historical Society," he recalls. "During the preparation for the celebration of the sesqui-centennial of our state, the Ohio Historical Society and Sesqui-centennial Commission wanted to re-enact the carrying of the Congressional resolution creating Ohio from Washington to Chillicothe, the first state capital.
Relates Buchman: "That's when we discovered that the joint resolution creating Ohio was never passed!"
The process for statehood at that point consisted of three major steps: (1) congress approving the proposed constitution, (2) the President signing the bill accepting the constitution, and (3) Congress passing a joint resolution to recognize the new state.
"The first two steps have been done, but not the third," explains Buchman, who now serves as Defiance city historian. "Since Ohio was the first state created out of the public domain, there was considerable confusion in the process. The first three states admitted after the original 13 - Kentucky, Tennessee and Vermont - had all been separated from existing states."
After much excitement and debate, a resolution was passed by Congress in 1953 and signed by President Dwight Eisenhower, making Ohio a state retroactive to 1803.
Cheers,
Dan
Off Topic » in reply to Happy 100th anniversary, Dan!
re: Many thanx for the note, Jacob . . .