Reform

Even before Ohio became a state in 1803, Ohioans actively sought to reform their society and government. Among the area's first white residents were Moravian missionaries, who sought to convert the Delaware Indians to Christianity. Soldiers returning from Lord Dunmore's War issued the Fort Gower Resolutions, which supported colonial representation in the British Parliament. During the nineteenth century, Ohioans participated in numerous reform movements. Among the more popular ones were the temperance and abolitionist movements. The reform impulse continued during the twentieth century, as Ohioans joined the Progressive Movement, the women's rights movement, and the Civil Rights Movement, among several others. Ohioans have always sought ways to improve their own lives. They also have tried to enhance the lives of others within the state and outside of its borders.

To learn more about reform throughout Ohio's history, please browse these entries at your leisure.

There are 448 entries matching this topic. They are listed below in alphabetical order.

(Last Name Unknown), Lewis: Lewis was an escaped slave who sought freedom in Columbus, Ohio. . . .
(Last Name Unknown), Poindexter: Poindexter was a slave owned by a Mr. Anderson in Kentucky. In 1854, Judge S.F. Norris in the Clermont County, Ohio Court of Common Pleas awarded Poindexter his freedom. . . .
(Last Name Unknown), Watkins: Watkins was a free African-American man who was accused of being a runaway slave in Cincinnati, Ohio. . . .
1913 Ohio Statewide Flood: The Flood of 1913 is known as the greatest natural disaster in Ohio history. At least 428 people died during the Flood of 1913, and more than twenty thousand homes were totally destroyed. . . .
Abolitionists: Abolitionists were people who sought to end the institution of slavery. . . .
Administrative Reorganization Code of 1921: Following World War I, many Americans, including numerous Ohioans, sought a more efficient and smaller government at the state and federal levels. The Administrative Reorganization Code of 1921 addressed these concerns by reordering the Ohio state government. . . .
African Americans: Numerous African Americans have resided in Ohio. Today, African-American Ohioans continue to enhance Ohio's cultural and social landscape. . . .
African Union Baptist Church (Cincinnati, Ohio): The African Union Baptist Church, originally known as the First African Baptist Church and now known as the Union Baptist Church, was the first African-American church in Cincinnati, Ohio. . . .
Akron School Law: Ohio's current school system is based upon the Akron School Law. . . .
Alma College: Alma College and its successor, Franklin College, were important educational institutions in Ohio during the nineteenth century. . . .
Amalgamated Association of Miners of the United States: In 1882, miners in Ohio established the Ohio Miners' Amalgamated Association. In 1883, the Ohio Miners' Amalgamated Association became the Amalgamated Association of Miners of the United States, a national union. . . .
American Anti-Slavery Society: The American Anti-Slavery Society was one of the most prominent abolitionist organizations in the United States of America during the early nineteenth century. . . .
American Civil Liberties Union: The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a non-governmental agency dedicated to the preservation of individual liberties guaranteed by United States Constitution's Bill of Rights and by the 13th, 14th, 15th and 19th Amendments to the Constitution. . . .
American Colonization Society: Formed in 1817, the American Colonization Society was one of the first organizations in the country to work for the end of slavery. . . .
American Federation of Labor: Established in 1886, the American Federation of Labor is an umbrella organization for other unions. . . .
American Miners' Association: In 1861, a group of miners met at Belleville, Illinois, and established the American Miners' Association. . . .
American Party: The American Party, also known as the Know-Nothing Party, was a prominent United States political party during the late 1840s and the early 1850s. . . .
Anderson (Erie County), Elijah: Elijah Anderson was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Erie County, Ohio. . . .
Anderson (Gallia County), Elijah: Elijah Anderson was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Gallia County, Ohio. . . .
Anti-Saloon League of America: The Anti-Saloon League of America was one of the most prominent prohibition organizations in the United States of America in the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. . . .
Anti-Slavery Sewing Society: Elizabeth Coleman and Sarah Ernst organized African-American women into the Anti-Slavery Sewing Society in Cincinnati, Ohio. . . .
Antimason Party: The Antimason Party came into existence in 1827 purportedly to reclaim government from a secret organization known as the Masons. . . .
Appleby, Calvin W.: Calvin W. Appleby was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Conneaut, Ohio. . . .
Ashley, James: James Ashley was a prominent political and business leader in Northwest Ohio in the mid-nineteenth century, . . .
Awl, William: In 1833, the Ohio legislature appointed Awl as the physician of the Ohio Penitentiary. Two years later, Awl helped organize the Ohio Medical Association. . . .
Bailey, Gamaliel: Gamaliel Bailey was a physician and an editor of anti-slavery newspapers in the years before the American Civil War. . . .
Baker v. Carr: The United States Supreme Court heard the Baker v. Carr case in 1962. In their ruling, the justices established the "one man, one vote" doctrine. . . .
Barnes, Jacob: Jacob Barnes was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Mahoning County, Ohio. . . .
Battle of Lumbarton: In 1857, the Battle of Lumbarton occurred between federal marshals, who were enforcing the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, and anti-slavery Ohioans. . . .
Beecher, Henry W.: Henry Ward Beecher was a political and social reformer and a prominent clergyman in nineteenth century America. . . .
Beecher, Lyman: Lyman Beecher was a prominent theologian, educator and reformer in the years before the American Civil War. . . .
Benedict, Aaron: Aaron Benedict was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Alum Creek. Ohio. . . .
Benton, Lyman: Lyman Benton was a politician and abolitionist in Geauga County, Ohio. . . .
Berlin Crossroads, Ohio: Established in Ohio during the early nineteenth century, Berlin Crossroads was a predominantly African-American community. . . .
Berry, Wilford: Wilford Berry was the first Ohioan executed following the reestablishment of the death penalty in the United States of America in 1981. . . .
Bing Act of 1921: In 1921, the Ohio legislature enacted the Bing Act. This law required all children between six and eighteen years of age in the state of Ohio to attend school. . . .
Birney, James: James Birney was an abolitionist, an opponent of slavery, in the years before the American Civil War. . . .
Bisbee, Elizabeth: Elizabeth Bisbee was an early women's rights activist in Ohio. She established a newspaper, the Alliance, in Columbus before the American Civil War. . . .
Black Fork Settlement, Ohio: Established in Ohio during the early nineteenth century, the Black Fork Settlement was a predominantly African-American community. . . .
Black String Band: The "Black String Band" was an organization created to protect abolitionist John Brown while he was planning his raid on the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Virginia. . . .
Bleeding Kansas: Bleeding Kansas was a mini civil war between pro- and anti-slavery forces that occurred in Kansas from 1856 to 1865. . . .
Bloomer, Amelia J.: Amelia Jenks Bloomer was a prominent women's rights advocate during the nineteenth century. . . .
Blue Laws: Blue laws are laws that prohibit certain types of activities on Sundays. While these laws have existed throughout American history, most people associate them with the late 1800s and the early 1900s, when the Progressives were a powerful group, seeking to reform the United States socially, politically, and economically. . . .
Bootlegging: Bootlegging refers to the illegal manufacture, transportation, or sale of alcohol. . . .
Bowles, John R.: John R. Bowles was chaplain of the 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War and, perhaps, was the first African-American public school teacher in Ohio. . . .
Boys' Industrial School: In 1857, the Ohio government established the Ohio Reform School, the predecessor to the Boys' Industrial School. . . .
Brannock Bill: Enacted by the Ohio Legislature in 1905, the Brannock Bill provided local communities with limited authority to control the sale of alcoholic beverages within their jurisdictions. . . .
Brown Jr., Elias: Ohioan Elias Brown, Jr., was a free African American who was almost tricked into becoming a slave. . . .
Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954): Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas was one of the more important court cases in the history of civil rights in the United States. . . .
Brown, Christopher: Christopher Brown assisted runaway slaves along the Underground Railroad in Ohio. . . .
Brown, George: George Brown was a free African-American man who was accused of being a runaway slave in Cincinnati, Ohio. . . .
Brown, Hallie Q.: Hallie Quinn Brown was an African-American author, educator, and equal rights advocate during the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. . . .
Brown, John: John Brown's obsession with ending slavery eventually led him to violence and his eventual death. . . .
Brown, Olympia: Olympia Brown was a woman's rights advocate during the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. . . .
Brumbaugh Act: The Brumbaugh Act of 1902 created a formal definition for high schools that set them apart from elementary schools. . . .
Buchanan-Clark Bible Bill: In 1925 the Ohio General Assembly passed the Buchanan-Clark Bible Bill, whic required Ohio's public school teachers to read ten verses from the Bible to their students every school day. . . .
Bull Moose Party: The Presidential Election of 1912 reflected both the important influence of Progressivism on American politics and the deep divisions that it could cause. . . .
Burnet, Jacob: Jacob Burnet was a political leader in Ohio in the first half of the nineteenth century. . . .
Burrell, Almond H.: Almond Hervey Burrell was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Ohio. . . .
Bushnell, Asa: Asa Smith Bushnell was the fortieth governor of Ohio. He was born in Rome, New York, in 1834. . . .
Busing: Busing of schoolchildren for the purpose of achieving racial integration was used by several Ohio school systems in the late twentieth century. . . .
Campbell, Alexander: Alexander Campbell was a physician, political leader and elected official in the early years of Ohio statehood. . . .
Campbell, James E.: Ohio governor James Edwin Campbell was born in Middletown, Ohio, on July 7, 1843, to Andrew and Laura Reynolds Campbell. . . .
Centenary Exhibition of American Methodist Missions: The Centenary Celebration of American Methodist Missions was a Protestant missionary exposition held in Columbus, Ohio at the State Fairgrounds, in June and July 1919. . . .
Cheadle, Rial: Rial Cheadle was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Morgan County, Ohio. . . .
Chenault, Marcus: On June 30, 1974, Marcus Chenault, a twenty-one year old, African-American man from Ohio, murdered Alberta Williams King. . . .
Cherrington, Ernest: Ernest Cherrington was an educator, journalist and leader in the temperance and prohibition movement in America. . . .
Chesnutt, Charles W.: Charles Waddell Chesnutt was an African American writer born on June 20, 1858, in Cleveland, Ohio. . . .
City Bosses: During the late 1800s, city bosses commonly assumed control over city governments. They did not gain power legally. . . .
City Machines: During the late 1800s, city bosses commonly assumed control over city governments. . . .
City Managers: During the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries, to eliminate the power of city bosses, many municipalities established the position of city manager. . . .
Civil Rights Movement: Since the end of the American Civil War, African Americans have struggled to achieve equality. In 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution ended slavery in the United States. . . .
Civil War Anti-War Protests: Like some residents of other Northern states, numerous Ohioans strenuously objected to the American Civil War. Various reasons existed for the reluctance of these Ohioans and their fellow Northerners to support the Union. . . .
Civil Works Administration: On November 9, 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt announced the creation of the Civil Works Administration (CWA). The CWA was part of Roosevelt's New Deal. . . .
Civilian Conservation Corps: On March 31, 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The CCC was part of Roosevelt's New Deal. Roosevelt hoped that his New Deal would allow Americans to cope with the Great Depression, would help end the current economic downturn, and would help prevent another depression from occurring in the future. . . .
Civilian Public Service Camps: When World War II erupted in Europe and Asia, the United States attempted to remain neutral in the conflict. As Germany and Japan expanded militarily, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt increasingly prepared the American people for war. . . .
Clifford, Carrie W.: Carrie Williams Clifford was an African-American author and equal rights advocate during the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. . . .
Coffin, Levi: Coffin was born on October 28, 1798, in North Carolina. He was a member of the Society of Friends. Due to his religious beliefs, he became a strong opponent of African-American slavery. . . .
Collinwood School Fire: The Collinwood School Fire took place on March 4, 1908. Lakeview School was located in the Cleveland suburb of Collinwood. A fire began in the school's basement. . . .
Columbus and Hocking Coal and Iron Company: In 1883, several coal and iron companies merged together to create the Columbus and Hocking Coal and Iron Company. . . .
Committee for Industrial Organization: Established in 1935, the Committee for Industrial Organization was an umbrella organization for other unions. . . .
Congress of Industrial Organizations: Established in 1935, the Congress of Industrial Organizations was an umbrella organization for other unions. . . .
Congress of Racial Equality (CORE): Founded in 1942, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) promoted the use of nonviolent tactics to help African Americans secure equal rights with whites. . . .
Conscription Act: In 1863, the United States government implemented the Conscription Act, which was also known as the Enrollment Act. . . .
Corning War: The "Corning War" illustrates the racial tensions that existed in southeastern Ohio during the late nineteenth century. . . .
Cowles, Betsy M.: Betsey Mix Cowles is known for her contributions to education and the women's rights movement in Ohio. She was also quite active in the struggle to abolish slavery. . . .
Cox, George: George Cox was a prominent Republican politician during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. . . .
Cox, Jacob D.: Jacob Dolson Cox served as Ohio governor from 1866 to 1868. . . .
Cox, James M.: Ohio governor James Middleton Cox was born on March 31, 1870, in Butler County, Ohio. His parents were Gilbert and Eliza Cox. Cox spent his childhood on his parents farm. After attending the public schools, Cox briefly became a teacher. . . .
Cox, Samuel S.: Samuel S. Cox was a prominent nineteenth century Ohio journalist and political leader. . . .
Coxey's Army: In 1894, Massilon, Ohio resident, Jacob S. Coxey, formed group known as "Coxey's Army" that marched on Washington, D.C. to protest the federal government's failure to assist the American populace during the Panic of 1893. . . .
Coxey, Jacob S.: Jacob Coxey was a prominent political figure and labor-rights advocate during the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. . . .
Crabbe Act: Following the adoption of the Eighteenth Amendment in 1919, the Ohio government implemented stringent measures to enforce Prohibition within the state's borders. One such law was the Crabbe Act. . . .
Craig-Jones, Ellen W.: Ellen Walker Craig-Jones was an African American political figure and civic leader in twentieth century central Ohio. She was born on June 5, 1906, in Franklin County, Ohio. . . .
Darrow, Clarence S.: Clarence Seward Darrow was born on April 18, 1857, near Kinsman, Ohio. He attended local schools and eventually enrolled at the University of Michigan. . . .
Davey, Martin L.: Martin L. Davey was Ohio's governor from 1935 to 1939. . . .
Davis, Hiram: Hiram Davis was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Gallia County, Ohio. . . .
Davis, Richard L.: African-American Richard L. Davis was a prominent labor organizer during the late nineteenth century. . . .
Deaver, Affadilla: Affadilla Deaver was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Morgan County, Ohio. . . .
Debs, Eugene V.: During the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries, Eugene V. Debs was a leading advocate for socialism in the United States of America. . . .
DeRolph v. State of Ohio: In 1997 the Ohio Supreme Court, in the case of DeRolph v. State of Ohio, ruled that the state's system for funding public education was unconstitutional. . . .
Dillingham, Richard: Ohioan Richard Willingham was a conductor on the Underground Railroad. . . .
Direct Primaries: Direct primaries are elections that enable voters chose for themselves who will represent their political party in the regular election. . . .
Ditcher, Jim: Jim Ditcher was a free African American. During the 1850s and 1860s, he lived in Ironton, Ohio, where he assisted runaway slaves in gaining their freedom. . . .
Domestic Workers of America: In 1965, Geraldine Roberts, a resident of Cleveland, began organizing African-American women who worked as domestic servants. . . .
Dow Law: Enacted by the Ohio legislature in 1886, the Dow Law permitted the Ohio government to tax and to regulate the trafficking of alcohol within the state. . . .
Dunn Bill: Pat Dunn, a state representative from Stark County, introduced the Dunn Bill to the Ohio legislature in 1939. Also known as House Bill 26, the Dunn Bill would have prohibited the state government from employing married women. . . .
Dupree, William H.: Ohioan William H. Dupree served in the 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War and, following this conflict, became actively involved in securing equal rights for blacks with whites. . . .
Early, Sarah W.: Ohioan Sarah Woodson Early was an African-American woman who was active in the Temperance Movement. . . .
Ebersole, Jacob: Jacob Ebersole was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Clermont County, Ohio. . . .
Edward, Hannah, and Susan (Fugitive Slaves): Edward, Hannah, and Susan were three slaves who became embroiled in a court case in Cincinnati, Ohio. . . .
Eighteenth Amendment: The Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States prohibited the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within the United States and its territories. . . .
Emancipation Proclamation: During the American Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation made slavery's demise one of the North's principal war aims. . . .
Emergency Relief Appropriation Act: On April 8, 1935, the United States Congress passed the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act. . . .
Equal Rights Amendment: On March 22, 1972, the federal government sent the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the individual states for ratification. The ERA sought to make gender discrimination a violation of the United States Constitution. . . .
Farm Labor Organizing Committee: In 1967, Baldemar Velasquez founded the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC). . . .
Farmers' Alliances: In 1889, Charles W. Macune organized the National Farmers' Alliance and Industrial Union. . . .
Federal Emergency Relief Administration: On May 12, 1933, the United States Congress created the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA). . . .
Federal Housing Act: On June 28, 1934, the United States Congress passed the Federal Housing Act (FHA). . . .
Federal Reserve Act: The Federal Reserve Act established twelve district banks. The fourth district, which included Ohio, was headquartered in Cleveland. . . .
Female Moral Reform Society: The Female Moral Reform Society was one of the first national organizations that enabled women to escape the private sphere and to play a role in the public life. . . .
Female Protective Union: Cleveland, Ohio's Female Protective Union was a reform organization that sought to improve working conditions for women garment workers. . . .
Fifteenth Amendment: As the American Civil War ended, the federal government was undecided as to how the seceded Confederate states were to return to the Union. President Abraham Lincoln favored a lenient policy and hoped to reunify the country quickly. . . .
Finney, Charles: Charles Grandison Finney is best known for his contribution to the religious movement known as the Second Great Awakening during the 1830s. . . .
First Anti-slavery Baptist Church (Chillicothe, Ohio): The First Regular African Baptist Church of Christ of Chillicothe, the predecessor of the First Anti-slavery Baptist Church and of the First Baptist Church, was an African-American church established in Chillicothe, Ohio in 1824. . . .
First Baptist Church (Chillicothe, Ohio): The First Regular African Baptist Church of Christ of Chillicothe, the predecessor of the First Anti-slavery Baptist Church and of the First Baptist Church, was an African-American church established in Chillicothe, Ohio in 1824. . . .
First Presbyterian Church of West Union: The First Presbyterian Church is the oldest church building in Ohio that, as of this writing, is still used as a house of worship. . . .
First Regular African Baptist Church of Christ of Chillicothe: The First Regular African Baptist Church of Christ of Chillicothe, the predecessor of the First Anti-slavery Baptist Church and of the First Baptist Church, was an African-American church established in Chillicothe, Ohio in 1824. . . .
Flappers: Flapper was the name for young women who dressed provocatively and supposedly were much more open with their sexuality during the 1920s. People of the time usually described flappers as having bobbed hairstyles and wearing thick make-up. . . .
Flemming, Arthur S.: Arthur S. Flemming was Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare during the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was a 1927 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. . . .
Foote, Allen R.: During the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries, Ohioan Allen Ripley Foote sought to educate others about public finance issues. . . .
Foraker, Joseph B.: Joseph Benson Foraker served as Ohio's Governor from 1886 to 1890. . . .
Fossett, Peter: Peter Fossett was a former slave of President Thomas Jefferson, who, upon gaining his freedom, moved to Ohio. . . .
Fossett, Sarah M.: Sarah Mayrant Fossett was an important advocate for African-American rights in Cincinnati, Ohio during the nineteenth century. . . .
Fowler, Chauncey: Chauncey Fowler was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Mahoning County, Ohio. . . .
Fox, Mamie E.: Mamie Eloise Fox was an African-American poetess during the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. . . .
Franklin College (New Athens): Alma College and its successor, Franklin College, were important educational institutions in Ohio during the nineteenth century. . . .
Franklin Museum of New Athens, Inc.: The Franklin Museum of New Athens, Inc., is a museum dedicated to preserving the history of Franklin College. . . .
Free Soil Party: The Free Soil Party ran its first candidate for President of the United States in 1848. The party was formed after the Liberty Party came to an end following its poor showing in the election of 1844. . . .
Freedmen's Bureau: The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands was to provide displaced persons of the South, including both whites and blacks, with assistance at the end of the American Civil War. . . .
Freedom Summer: Freedom Summer was an important event in the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s. . . .
Freemasons: Freemasons belong to the one of the largest fraternal organizations in the world. Originally, the Freemasons were an organization for stonecutters, but during the 1600s, the Masons opened their doors to men of all social rankings. . . .
Friebolin Act: The Friebolin Act created a civil service system for the State of Ohio. . . .
Fugitive Slave Law of 1850: The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 was part of the Compromise of 1850. This law required the United States government to actively assist slave owners in recapturing their runaway slaves. . . .
Fusion Party: The Fusion Party was the original name for the Republican Party in Ohio. The Fusion Party was formed in 1854. . . .
Future Outlook League: John O. Holly formed the Future Outlook League in 1935 to help African Americans find jobs in Cleveland, Ohio. . . .
Gage, Frances D.: Frances Dana Gage was an influential participant in the abolitionist, temperance and women's rights movements in Ohio in the years before the American Civil War. . . .
Galloway, Samuel: Samuel Galloway was a political leader and public servant from Ohio. He was born on March 20, 1811, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. . . .
Gant, Nelson T.: Nelson Gant was a former slave and conductor on the Underground Railroad. . . .
Garfield, James A.: James Abram Garfield was the twentieth President of the United States. . . .
Garner, Margaret: Margaret Garner was a slave woman with a national reputation in the years before the American Civil War. In January 1856, she fled with her husband and four children (some sources say that she had six children) from her owner in Kentucky. . . .
Garrison, William L.: William Lloyd Garrison was a prominent American advocate of the abolition of the institution of slavery. . . .
Gee, John: John Gee moved to Gallipolis, Ohio, as a young man. He eventually became one of the community's largest landowners. . . .
Geghan Bill: The Gehan Bill was an early effort by the Ohio government to overcome nativist sentiment by many of the state's residents. . . .
Geneva College: During the mid nineteenth century, Geneva College was an institution of higher education in Northwood, Ohio. . . .
Genius of Universal Emancipation: Benjamin Lundy founded the newspaper The Genius of Universal Emancipation in 1821. Lundy was a member of the Society of Friends and one of the leading anti-slavery advocates in Ohio during the first half of the nineteenth century. . . .
George, Henry: Henry George was a journalist, writer, and political economist in the United States in the nineteenth century. . . .
Giddings, Joshua R.: Joshua Reed Giddings was an abolitionist. He spent most of his life in Ohio and represented the state in the United States House of Representatives. . . .
Gist Settlements: The Gist Settlements were African-American communities that former slaves of Samuel Gist established in Ohio during the early nineteenth century. . . .
Gist, Samuel: Samuel Gist was a resident of Great Britain and Virginia. In his will, Gist freed all slaves that he owned in Virginia. Many of these newly freed people moved to Ohio, hoping to live a better life. . . .
Gladden, Washington: Washington Gladden was a prominent minister, local politician and social reformer in late-nineteenth-century and early-twentieth-century Ohio. . . .
Glenville Shootout: The "Glenville shootout" was one of a series of racially-charged riots that occurred in Cleveland, Ohio during the 1960s. . . .
Gompers, Samuel: During the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries, Samuel Gompers was a prominent labor activist in the United States of America. . . .
Goodrich House: Settlement houses were located in most major cities. Ohio had numerous settlement houses, including the Goodrich House in Cleveland. Mrs. Samuel Mather and several of her women friends established the Goodrich House to improve living conditions for immigrants and other people living in the inner cities. . . .
Graham, John: Ohioan John Graham was an important social reformer during the first part of the nineteenth century. . . .
Gray, Thomas L.: Thomas L. Gray was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Morgan County, Ohio. . . .
Great Depression: The Great Depression took place after the Stock Market Crash in October 1929. During the late 1920s, the stock market in the United States boomed. Many Americans began to purchase stock, and the value of stocks dramatically increased in value. . . .
Great Hocking Valley Coal Strike of 1884-1885: In 1884, miners working for the Columbus and Hocking Coal and Iron Company went on strike when company management lowered wages by one-fourth. . . .
Great Railroad Strike of 1877: The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 began on July 17, 1877, in Martinsburg, West Virginia. Workers for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad went on strike, because the company had reduced workers' wages twice over the previous year. . . .
Great Steel Strike of 1919: In 1919, workers represented by the American Federation of Labor went on strike against the United States Steel Corporation. . . .
Green, John: Elisha Young was a runaway slave from Kentucky, who settled in Morrow County, Ohio. . . .
Green, Perry L.: Perry L. Green was Ohio's third Director of Agriculture. The Director of Agriculture served as the head of the Ohio Department of Agriculture. . . .
Green, Shields: Shields Green, sometimes reported as Greene, was an African-American man. He participated in John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry in October 1859. . . .
Grossman, Mary B.: Mary Belle Grossman served as a municipal court judge for thirty-six years and was one of the first two women to be admitted to the American Bar Association. . . .
Gyser, John: John Gyser was an African-American Ohioan who purportedly assisted slave catchers in returning fugitive slaves to their owners. . . .
Hanby, Benjamin: Benjamin Hanby was a minister, abolitionist and American musician in mid-nineteenth century Ohio. He was born in 1833 in Rushville, Ohio. In 1847, his father, William Hanby, helped establish Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio. He moved his family to Westerville in 1853. . . .
Hanks, Jarvis F.: Jarvis Frary Hanks was a prominent Ohio artist during the 1820s, 1830s, and 1840s. . . .
Harmon, Judson: Ohio governor and United States Attorney General Judson Harmon was born in Newton, Ohio, on February 3, 1846. His father was a Baptist minister. Harmon attended Denison University and the Cincinnati Law School before setting up a practice in Cincinnati in 1869. . . .
Harris, Andrew L.: Andrew L. Harris was Governor of Ohio from 1906 to 1909. . . .
Harrison Land Act: In 1799, the legislature of the Northwest Territory selected William Henry Harrison to represent the territory in the United States House of Representatives. Upon taking his seat, Harrison immediately asked the House to assist in encouraging settlement of the Northwest Territory. . . .
Harrison Land Act of 1800 (Transcript): Transcript of the Harrison Land Act of 1800 . . .
Harrison, Caroline L.: Caroline Lavinia Scott Harrison was born on October 1, 1832, in Oxford, Ohio. Her father, John Witherspoon Scott, was a professor of science and math at Miami University in Oxford. . . .
Harvey, Elizabeth B.: Elizabeth Burgess Harvey was a Quaker and an abolitionist in Warren County, Ohio during the 1830s and 1840s. Along with her husband, Jesse Harvey, Elizabeth was also responsible for founding the community of Harveysburg, Ohio. . . .
Harvey, Jesse: Jesse Harvey was an abolitionist in Warren County, Ohio during the 1830s and 1840s. He was responsible for founding the community of Harveysburg, Ohio. . . .
Harvey, Thomas: Thomas Harvey was born on November 18, 1821, in New London, New Hampshire. In 1833, his family moved to Concord Township in Ohio. Unhappy with farming life, at the age of fifteen, Harvey left home and moved to Painesville. He took a job in a publisher's office, learning the publishing trade over the next six years. . . .
Harveysburg Free Black School: Established in 1831 in Harveysburg, the Harveysburg Free Black School was the first free school for African-American children in Ohio. . . .
Hawke v. Smith: On June 1, 1920, the United States Supreme Court upheld Ohio's ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment over objections that the Ohio Constitution provided for a popular referendum on the issue. . . .
Hayden, Gillette: Gillette Hayden was the third woman to graduate from Ohio State's dental school and eventually became nationally known as an expert in the treatment of periodontal diseases. . . .
Henry, Robert C.: In 1966, Robert C. Henry became the first African American to serve as mayor of a city (Springfield) in the State of Ohio and in the United States of America. . . .
Herbert, Thomas J.: Thomas J. Herbert served as Ohio's governor from 1947 to 1949. . . .
Hicks Settlement: Established in Ohio during the early nineteenth century, the Hicks Settlement, which eventually became known as the Stillguest Settlement, was a predominantly African-American community. . . .
Hill, Leverett B.: Leverett B. Hill was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Huron County, Ohio. . . .
Hiram House: During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many Americans, especially middle-class Americans, became involved in the Progressive Movement. Progressives generally were affiliated with Protestant churches, and they believed that American society was becoming immoral. . . .
Hough Riots: In Cleveland, Ohio in June 1966, a series of racially-charged riots occurred in the Hough neighborhood. . . .
Howard, Edward: Edward Howard was a runaway slave from Virginia, who sought freedom in Canada. . . .
Hubbard House: The home of William Hubbard was a stop on the Underground Railroad in Ohio in the years before the American Civil War. Around 1840, William Hubbard built a house in Ashtabula, Ohio. . . .
Hubbard, William: William Hubbard was an abolitionist and operator of a stop on the Underground Railroad in the years before the American Civil War. He was born in 1787. . . .
Huber, Charles B.: Charles B. Huber was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Clermont County, Ohio. . . .
Hunt, Ann M.: Ann Mary Jane (Dunlap) Hunt was a former slave in Kentucky, who settled, first, in Ohio and, then, in Canada. . . .
Huston Hollow, Ohio: Established in Scioto County, Ohio in 1830, Huston Hollow was a predominantly African-American community. . . .
Hutton, Massey: Massey Hutton was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Atwater, Ohio. . . .
Hyde, Udney H.: Udney Hyde was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Mechanicsburg, Ohio. . . .
Industrial Workers of the World: The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), also commonly known as the "Wobblies," was a radical labor union formed in 1905. . . .
Initiative: Americans were becoming more and more concerned about corruption within the political process in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These concerns contributed to the growth of Progressivism, a major reform movement of this era. One reform instituted by Progressives in many states was the initiative. . . .
Issacs, Tucker: Tucker Isaacs assisted runaway slaves along the Underground Railroad in Ohio. . . .
John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry: In 1859, abolitionist John Brown was responsible for one of the most important events that led to the American Civil War. . . .
John P. Parker House: The John P. Parker House was an important stop on the Underground Railroad. It is located in Ripley, Ohio, and the home currently is a museum owned by the John P. Parker Historical Society. . . .
Johnson, Tom L.: Tom Loftin Johnson was Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, in the early twentieth century, . . .
Johnston, John B.: During the mid nineteenth century, John Black Johnston was a prominent minister of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America in Ohio. . . .
Jones v. Van Zandt: The United States Supreme Court case Jones v. Van Zandt pitted a Kentucky slaveowner against an Ohio abolitionist, who had assisted nine slaves in search of their freedom. . . .
Jones, Samuel M.: Samuel M. Jones was born on August 3, 1846, in Wales. His family immigrated to the United States in 1849. . . .
Kansas-Nebraska Act: The Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed in 1854 by the United States Congress to deal with the opening of the central Midwest to continuing American settlement. . . .
Kelley Bank Bill of 1845: The Kelley Bank Bill resulted from the Andrew Jackson's attack on the Second Bank of the United States and the Panic of 1837. In 1832, Jackson ordered the withdrawal of federal government funds, approximately ten million dollars, from the Bank of the United States. . . .
Kent State Normal College: The Ohio General Assembly approved the charter for Kent State Normal School in 1910. During the Progressive era, reformers were placing increasing emphasis on education. . . .
Kent State Shootings: In May 1970, students protesting the bombing of Cambodia by United States military forces, clashed with Ohio National Guardsmen on the Kent State University campus. . . .
Kent State University: The Ohio General Assembly approved the charter for Kent State Normal School in 1910. During the Progressive era, reformers were placing increasing emphasis on education. . . .
King, Alexander: Alexander King was an abolitionist in Ashtabula County, Ohio and assisted John Brown in planning his attack on the federal arsenal located in Harper's Ferry, Virginia (modern-day West Virginia). . . .
Knights of Labor: The Knights of Labor was a labor organization established in 1869. It served as an umbrella organization for other unions that joined it. . . .
Know-Nothing Party: The Know-Nothing Party, also known as the American Party, was a prominent United States political party during the late 1840s and the early 1850s. . . .
Ku Klux Klan: During the late 1860s, some Southern veterans of the defeated Confederacy created the Ku Klux Klan. This organization's original goal was to deny African Americans the same rights and opportunities as white people in the South. . . .
Lane Theological Seminary: Lane Theological Seminary was founded in Cincinnati in 1830. The seminary was affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. Between 1832 and 1850, Reverend Lyman Beecher served as the head of the school. . . .
Langston, John M.: John Mercer Langston was the first African-American man to pass Ohio's bar exam. He also was an outspoken advocate of equal rights for African Americans with whites. . . .
League for the Preservation of Citizens' Rights: The "League for the Preservation of Citizens' Rights" organized to protest the Dow Law during 1888 and 1889. . . .
Leary, Lewis S.: Lewis Sheridan Leary was an African-American man who participated in John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry in October 1859. . . .
Lucasville Prison Riot: On April 11, 1993, Easter Sunday, approximately 450 prisoners in Cellblock L of the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, in Lucasville, Ohio, rioted. . . .
Lundy, Benjamin: Benjamin Lundy was an abolitionist opponent of slavery in the years before the American Civil War. . . .
Magee, Elizabeth: In 1920, a sufficient number of states ratified the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. This amendment granted women the right to vote. This amendment marked a dramatic improvement for women and their rights, however, efforts to improve women's rights did not just center on the right to vote. . . .
Mahan, Asa: Asa Mahan was an educator, reformer and the first President of Oberlin College. . . .
Manifest Destiny: In 1845, John L. O'Sullivan, a newspaper reporter in New York City, coined the phrase "manifest destiny." O'Sullivan claimed that it was the God-given destiny of the United States of America to spread over North America. . . .
Mann, Horace: Horace Mann was born on May 4, 1796, in Franklin, Massachusetts. He graduated from Brown University in 1819 and proceeded to study the law. . . .
Marijin Spolek: Marijin Spolek was the first Slovenian social organization in Cleveland, Ohio. . . .
May Day Strike of 1886: On May 1, 1886, 350,000 workers staged a nationwide work stoppage to demand the adoption of a standard eight-hour workday. . . .
McBride, John: John McBride was born in Ohio in 1854. His father was a mineworker. McBride followed in his father's footsteps, but he is best remembered for fighting for the rights of the workingman. . . .
McClain, William: During the nineteenth century, William McClain was a ship captain on the Ohio River. . . .
McQuerry, George W.: George Washington McQuerry was an escaped slave from Kentucky, who sought his freedom in Ohio. . . .
Mechanics Associations: Mechanics Associations were organized labor organizations founded in individual communities in Ohio beginning in the 1810s and 1820s. . . .
Mitchell, Sophia: Sophia Mitchell was the first African-American woman to serve as a mayor in Ohio. . . .
Moerlein, Christian: Christian Moerlein was born in Truppack, Bavaria, in 1818. He immigrated to the United States in 1841, eventually settling in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1842. In 1853, Moerlein established a brewery in Over-the-Rhine, a predominantly German neighborhood in Cincinnati. . . .
Morgan, Arthur E.: Arthur Ernest Morgan was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1878. Soon after his birth, the Morgan family moved to St. Cloud, Minnesota, where Morgan grew up. . . .
Morgan, Marabel: Marabel Morgan was a bestselling author and an anti-feminist during the 1970s. . . .
Mother's Pension Law: In 1913, the Ohio state legislature enacted a number of important Progressive reforms, including a Mother's Pension Law. . . .
Muckrakers: Muckrakers were a group of writers during the Progressive era who tried to expose the problems that existed in American society.. . . .
Municipal Home Rule: Americans became interested in reform of the political system in the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These concerns contributed to the growth of Progressivism, a major reform movement of this era. . . .
Nash, George K.: George Kilbon Nash was Ohio 41st governor. . . .
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded in 1909. . . .
National Industrial Recovery Act: On June 13, 1933, the United States Congress passed the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA). The NIRA was part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal. . . .
National Labor Relations Board: On July 15, 1935, the United States Congress passed the Wagner-Connery Act. U.S. Senator Robert F. Wagner of New York introduced the Wagner-Connery Act. This legislation legalized unions and created the National Labor Relations Board. . . .
National Organization for Women: In 1966, a group of women formed the National Organization for Women (NOW). These women sought to bring political pressure on government officials to guarantee women equal rights with men. . . .
National Tax Association: The National Tax Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating government officials, the public, and tax professionals about taxation issues. . . .
National Welfare Rights Organization: In 1967, Lillian Craig, a resident of Cleveland, Ohio, founded the National Welfare Rights Organization (NWRO). This group eventually encompassed people, especially women, across the United States of America. . . .
National Woman's Party: In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a number of womens organizations advocated womens rights, including the right to vote. Among those groups was the National Womens Party. . . .
National Youth Administration: On April 8, 1935, the United States Congress passed the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act. One important accomplishment of the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act was the creation of the National Youth Administration. . . .
Nativism: Nativism is a reaction against immigrants. . . .
Ness, Eliot: Eliot Ness was born on April 19, 1903, in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 1927 with dual degrees in business and law. . . .
New Deal: The New Deal was a major component of President Franklin Roosevelt's plan to help the United States recover from the Great Depression. . . .
New Straitsville Mine Fire: In 1884, striking miners pushed burning coal cars into a mine owned by the New Straitsville Mining Company, setting the mine ablaze. The fire still burns underground to this day. . . .
Newburgh Petition: The Newburgh Petition was an effort by officers in the Continental Army to be paid in land rather than money in the closing years of the American Revolution. . . .
Nichols, Eli: Eli Nichols was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in New Castle, Ohio. . . .
Nineteenth Amendment: The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution granted adult women the right to vote. . . .
O'Neil-Pringle Minimum Wage Bill: In 1933, the Ohio legislature debated the merits of the O'Neil-Pringle Minimum Wage Bill. This bill, if passed, would allow a state official to establish minimum wages for both women and children employed in certain businesses. . . .
Oberlin College: In 1832, Presbyterian minister John L. Shipherd began planning to establish an institution of higher education in Oberlin, Ohio. The school opened in December 1833 and became known as Oberlin College. . . .
Oberlin, Ohio: John Shipherd, a Presbyterian minister, and Philo Stewart founded Oberlin, Ohio, in 1833. The town was named after Reverend John Frederic Oberlin, a famous minister in Alsace who had died in 1826. . . .
Ohio Anti-Saloon League: The Ohio Anti-Saloon League was an important prohibition organization in the United States of America in the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. . . .
Ohio Anti-Slavery Society: Abolitionists established the Ohio Anti-Slavery Society in Zanesville at a meeting held in April 1835. Among the organizations founders were prominent abolitionists like Asa Mahan, John Rankin, Theodore Dwight Weld, and Charles Finney. . . .
Ohio Civil Rights Act of 1959: To help eliminate racial discrimination in Ohio, the Ohio General Assembly enacted the Ohio Civil Rights Act of 1959. . . .
Ohio Civil Rights Commission: To help eliminate racial discrimination in Ohio, the Ohio General Assembly created the Ohio Civil Rights Commission in 1959. . . .
Ohio Civil Rights Law of 1894: The Ohio Civil Rights Law of 1894 was an early effort by the Ohio government to eliminate racial discrimination in Ohio. . . .
Ohio Constitution of 1851: By 1850, many Ohioans believed that the time had come to replace the Constitution of 1802. New issues had arisen that the drafters of the first constitution had not foreseen. . . .
Ohio Constitution of 1874: In 1871, some Ohio government officials felt the need to redraft Ohio's state constitution. The constitution currently in effect was the Constitution of 1851. During the twenty years since this document's ratification, the United States had experienced great change. . . .
Ohio Constitutional Convention of 1850-1851: By 1850, many Ohioans believed that the time had come to replace the Constitution of 1803. New issues had arisen that the drafters of the first constitution had not foreseen. . . .
Ohio Constitutional Convention of 1873 - 1874: In 1871, some Ohio government officials felt the need to redraft Ohio's state constitution. The constitution currently in effect was the Constitution of 1851. During the twenty years since this document's ratification, the United States had experienced great change. . . .
Ohio Constitutional Convention of 1912: In the early twentieth century, many Ohioans believed that the current state constitution was outdated. Progressives were attempting to rid politics of corruption and inefficiency, and many reformers believed that the government should do more to protect its citizens and the nation's moral values in an era of rapid change caused by industrialization, immigration, and urbanization. As a result, in 1910 Ohio voters approved the creation of a new constitutional convention. . . .
Ohio Consumers' League: The Ohio Consumers' League sought improved working conditions for women and children. . . .
Ohio Education Association: In 1847, a group of teachers met at the Summit County, Ohio, courthouse and established the Ohio State Teachers’ Association. The organization later became the Ohio Education Association. . . .
Ohio Fair Housing Act of 1965: To help end discrimination in Ohio housing, in 1965, the General Assembly enacted Fair Housing Act. . . .
Ohio Female Medical Education Society: The Ohio Female Medical Education Society was one of the first organizations in Ohio to encourage women to join the medical profession. . . .
Ohio Gang: In 1920, Ohioan Warren Gamaliel Harding won election as president of the United States. As president, for the most part, Harding proved to be a poor manager of the federal government. He delegated authority to his cabinet officials. These men became known as the "Ohio gang," because they supposedly were a gang of thieves from Ohio. . . .
Ohio House Bill 610 (Gender Discrimination Prohibition): In 1973, the Ohio state government passed House Bill 610. This bill prohibited gender discrimination in employment, housing, and in public accommodations. . . .
Ohio Miners Amalgamated Association: In 1882, miners in Ohio established the Ohio Miners Amalgamated Association. This organization was one of the first unions for miners in the United States. . . .
Ohio Orphan's Friend: In 1874, Reverend John Joseph Jessing began publishing a newspaper called The Ohio. He eventually renamed the publication Ohio Waisenfreund, which meant Ohio Orphan's Friend. . . .
Ohio Penitentiary: The Ohio Penitentiary opened in Columbus in 1834 and continued to house prisoners until 1979. The state had built a small prison in Columbus in 1813. But as the state's population grew the earlier facility was not able to handle the number of prisoners sent to it by the courts. . . .
Ohio Penitentiary Fire: On April 21, 1930, the Ohio Penitentiary experienced the worst disaster in its history. A terrible fire broke out in the early evening, eventually killing 322 inmates. . . .
Ohio Progressive Republican League: The Ohio Progressive Republican League was the predecessor to the Progressive Party in Ohio. . . .
Ohio Public Accommodations Law of 1884: The Ohio Public Accommodations Law of 1884 was an early effort by the Ohio government to eliminate racial discrimination in Ohio. . . .
Ohio Reform School: In 1857, the Ohio government established the Ohio Reform School. The Ohio Reform School was a reformatory for boys between eight and eighteen years of age. It was located approximately five miles south of Lancaster, in Fairfield County, Ohio, and the institution accepted its first inmate in 1858. . . .
Ohio Relief Commission: In 1932, the Ohio legislature created the State Relief Commission. This organization was also known as the Ohio Relief Commission. . . .
Ohio Retail Sales Tax Law of 1935: During the Great Depression, public schools in Ohio faced a financial crisis. Most schools received their funding through property taxes. Many Ohioans failed to pay their taxes because of the difficult economic times. . . .
Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission: In 1948, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Virginia, and New York established the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO). . . .
Ohio School of the Air: The Ohio School of the Air was an early effort to use radio in public education. . . .
Ohio State Board of Health: During Ohio Governor Joseph Foraker's administration, the state government created the Ohio State Board of Health. This government bureaucracy's primary mission was to limit the spread of diseases throughout the state. . . .
Ohio State Medical Association: The Ohio Medical Association was established in 1835. . . .
Ohio State School for the Blind: In 1837, the Ohio government established the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind. This institution was the predecessor of the Ohio State School for the Blind. It was the first public school for the blind in the United States. . . .
Ohio State School for the Deaf: n 1827, the Ohio legislature authorized the creation of the Ohio Institution for the Deaf and Dumb. The institution opened in 1829, in a rented house in Columbus, Ohio at the corner of Broad and High Streets. During the institution’s first year of existence, only one student enrolled. . . .
Ohio State Teachers' Association: In 1847, a group of teachers met at the Summit County, Ohio, courthouse and established the Ohio State Teachers’ Association. The organization later became the Ohio Education Association. . . .
Ohio Unemployment Compensation Law: With the beginning of the Great Depression in October 1929, many Ohioans became unemployed as businesses attempted to avoid bankruptcy by either firing or laying off workers. By 1932, 37.3 percent of Ohio workers were unemployed. . . .
Ohio Unemployment Insurance Commission: On April 9, 1931, the Ohio legislature created the Ohio Unemployment Insurance Commission. The legislature charged the commission to "investigate the possibility of setting up unemployment reserves or insurance funds to provide against the risk of unemployment." . . .
Ohio University Data Theft Case: In April 2006, Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, announced that computer records from the institution's training center for fledgling businesses had been stolen. . . .
Ohio University Die-in: On April 6, 2005, approximately twenty people, including students, held a "die-in" at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. This event was to protest the presence of United States soldiers in Iraq. . . .
Ohio Waisenfreund: In 1874, Reverend John Joseph Jessing began publishing a newspaper called The Ohio. He eventually renamed the publication Ohio Waisenfreund, which meant Ohio Orphan's Friend. . . .
Ohio Woman Suffrage Association: The Ohio Woman Suffrage Association was an early woman's suffragist group in Ohio. . . .
Ohio Women's Rights Association: The Ohio Women's Rights Association was an early women's rights association in Ohio. . . .
Ohio Women's Temperance Society: Established in 1853, the Ohio Women's Temperance Society was an early temperance organization in Ohio. . . .
Ohio's Banking Holiday of 1985: In 1985, Ohio Governor Richard F. Celeste declared a banking holiday, to halt a rush on deposits due the collapse of the Home State Savings Bank, of Cincinnati. . . .
Ohio's Statewide Smoking Ban: On November 7, 2006, Ohio voters overwhelmingly endorsed State Issue 5, which banned smoking inside of all public places in Ohio, including all restaurants, bars, bowling alleys, and work places. Almost sixty percent of Ohio voters supported the measure, while forty percent opposed it. . . .
Osborn, Charles: Charles Osborn was a journalist and outspoken opponent of slavery in the years before the American Civil War. . . .
Otterbein College: The Church of the United Brethren in Christ founded Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio, in 1847. The college was originally known as the Otterbein University of Ohio and received its charter from the state in 1849. . . .
Parker, John P.: John Parker was an active participant in the Underground Railroad in Ohio and helped runaway slaves escape to freedom in the years before the American Civil War. . . .
Patrons of Husbandry: Established in the late nineteenth century, the Grange, formally known as the Patrons of Husbandry, was an organization created to assist farmers with the various problems that they faced. . . .
Patterson, Isaac: Isaac Patterson was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Northwood, Ohio. . . .
Patterson, John H.: John Henry Patterson was born on December 13, 1844, near Dayton, Ohio. He spent his early years attending public schools in Dayton, as well as working in his father's saw and gristmills. During the American Civil War, he enlisted in the Union Army but served only one hundred days near the war's conclusion. . . .
Pattison, John M.: John M. Pattison served as Ohio's governor for six months in 1906 before dying while in office. . . .
Pee Pee Settlement: Established in Ohio during the late eighteenth century, the Pee Pee Settlement was a predominantly African-American community. . . .
Pendleton Act: George Pendleton, a United States Senator from Cincinnati, Ohio, authored the Pendleton Act. The Pendleton Act still serves as the basis for civil service positions today. This legislation resulted from President James Garfield's assassination in 1881. . . .
Pendleton, George: George Pendleton was a prominent nineteenth century Ohio political leader who strongly supported federal civil service reform. . . .
People's Party: The People's Party, also known as the Populist Party, was an important political party in the United States of America during the late nineteenth century. . . .
Pickrell, Henry: Henry Pickrell was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Logan County, Ohio. . . .
Poke Patch Settlement: Established in Ohio during the early nineteenth century, the Poke Patch Settlement was a predominantly African-American community. . . .
Pomeroy, Alanson: Alanson Pomeroy was a politician, a businessman, and a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. . . .
Pond Law: The issue of temperance was becoming more and more important to many Ohioans in the 1870s and 1880s. By the 1880s, state politicians began to pass legislation that attempted to control alcohol consumption in Ohio. . . .
Poorhouse: During the early nineteenth century, counties across the United States created poorhouses to assist financially-challenged residents. . . .
Populist Party: The People's Party, also known as the Populist Party, was an important political party in the United States of America during the late nineteenth century. . . .
Powderly, Terence: Terence Powderly was born in 1849, in Carbondale, Pennsylvania. While still a teenager, Powderly became an apprentice in a machine shop. Unhappy with working conditions in his chosen industry, Powderly joined the Machinists and Blacksmiths National Union in 1871. Within one year, Powderly had become this union's president. . . .
Powell Sr., Adam C.: Adam Clayton Powell, Sr., was an important African-American clergyman in the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. . . .
Preston, Roberta: Roberta Preston was the first African-American woman to serve as a postmaster in Ohio and in the United States of America. . . .
Price, John: John Price, a runaway slave, became the center of the Oberlin Wellington Rescue Case of 1858. . . .
Progressive Movement: The Progressive Movement was a widespread reform effort to cure the many social and political ills in America after the advent of the Industrial Revolution. . . .
Progressive Party: The Presidential Election of 1912 reflected both the important influence of Progressivism on American politics and the deep divisions that it could cause. . . .
Progressives: For the most part, Progressives were white, middle-class Americans who practiced a Protestant faith. They also tended to be members of the Republican Party. . . .
Prohibition: Prohibition includes the attempts of many reformers to reduce, if not end, the consumption of alcohol. . . .
Prohibition Party: In 1869, a group of Americans concerned with alcohol consumption formed the Prohibition Party. This political party ran some candidates for office at local, state and federal levels; however, it usually simply endorsed candidates that it found acceptable from among the larger political parties. . . .
Public Works Administration: On June 13, 1933, the United States Congress passed the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA). The NIRA had three components to it. One portion of the NIRA created the Public Works Administration. . . .
Pugh, Achilles: Achilles Pugh was the founder of the A.H. Pugh Printing Company, a publishing firm located in Cincinnati. Pugh's company began publishing James Birney's abolitionist newspaper The Philanthropist in April 1836. . . .
Putnam Greys: The Putnam Greys was a volunteer military unit in Putnam, Ohio during the 1830s, 1840s, and 1850s. . . .
Quakers: The Society of Friends, more commonly known as the Quakers, came to Ohio in the late 1700s and the early 1800s. The first Quaker to arrive in Ohio was George Harlan in 1795. By 1800, approximately eight hundred Quaker families were living in Ohio. . . .
Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church (Chillicothe, Ohio): The Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church was an African-American church established in Chillicothe, Ohio in 1821. . . .
Radical Republicans: The Republican Party began in 1854 as a result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This legislation split Whig Party members along regional lines. Former Northern Whigs united with members of the Free Soil Party and the American Party to create the Republican Party. . . .
Randolph, John: John Randolph was an early American political leader, long time member of Congress and a United States ambassador to Russia. . . .
Rankin House: The Rankin House was an important stop on the Underground Railroad. It is located in Ripley, Ohio, and the home currently is a museum owned by the Ohio Historical Society. . . .
Rankin, John: John Rankin was a Presbyterian minister and a prominent member of the Underground Railroad network that assisted runaway slaves in the years before the American Civil War. . . .
Reconstruction: Reconstruction is a name often given to the era immediately following the American Civil War. After the Northern states had defeated the Confederacy, the Union government developed policies to reconstruct the nation. . . .
Reed v. Rhodes: The federal district court decision in the case of Reed v. Rhodes in 1976 led to the desegregation of the public schools of Cleveland, Ohio. . . .
Reemelin, Charles: Charles Reemelin was an important figure in Ohio politics during the middle part of the nineteenth century. . . .
Referendum: Americans were becoming more and more concerned about corruption within the political process in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These concerns contributed to the growth of Progressivism, a major reform movement of this era. . . .
Rendville, Ohio: Rendville is a small community in Perry County, Ohio. . . .
Resettlement Administration: On April 30, 1935, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt established the Resettlement Administration. The Resettlement Administration was part of President Roosevelt's New Deal. . . .
Roaring Twenties: Many people believe that the 1920s marked a new era in American history. The decade often is referred to as the "Roaring Twenties." . . .
Roberts, Geraldine: Geraldine Roberts, a Cleveland, Ohio resident, began organizing African-American women working as domestic servants in 1965. . . .
Roosevelt, Franklin D.: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the nation's only four-term president, led the United States through two perilous crises, the Great Depression and World War II. . . .
Roosevelt, Theodore: Theodore Roosevelt was born on October 27, 1858, in New York City. In 1880, he graduated from Harvard University and immediately embarked upon a political career, winning election to the New York Assembly as a member of the Republican Party in 1881. . . .
Rose Law: In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, there was growing support for Prohibition in Ohio. Groups such as the Ohio Anti-Saloon League and the American Anti-Saloon League were successful in gaining the attention of some lawmakers in the state legislature. . . .
Rudolph, Lucretia: Lucretia Rudolph married James A. Garfield in 1858 and became First Lady of the United States in 1881. . . .
Runaway Slaves: Before the American Civil War, a large number of runaway slaves passed through Ohio. One of the major reasons runaway slaves came to Ohio was the Underground Railroad. . . .
Rural Electrification Act: On May 11, 1935, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued Executive Order 7037. This order created the Rural Electrification Administration. . . .
Rural School Code Act: In the early decades of the twentieth century, Progressive reformers in Ohio enacted a number of laws to improve the state's educational system. One of these laws was known as the Rural School Code Act, passed in 1914. . . .
Saloon-Keepers' Rebellion: The Saloon Keepers' Rebellion was a protest movement in opposition to the Dow Law, which authorized the state government to tax and regulate the trafficking of alcohol within Ohio. . . .
Scopes Monkey Trial: The Scopes Monkey Trial was a nationally famous Tennessee court case that upheld a state law banning the teaching of evolution in public schools in that state in 1925. . . .
Second Great Awakening: The Second Great Awakening was a religious revival that occurred in the United States beginning in the late eighteenth century and lasted until the middle of the nineteenth century. While it occurred in all parts of the United States, it was especially strong in the Northeast and the Midwest. . . .
Secret Ballot: During the late nineteenth century, Ohio elections were rife with corruption. It was very easy for candidates or their supporters to pay election officials to stuff voting boxes. In major cities, especially in Cincinnati, city bosses rigged elections in favor of one candidate over the others. . . .
Segregation: Segregation was the practice of requiring separate public and private facilities for whites and blacks. While segregation was much more pervasive in the South after the American Civil War, African Americans still had much to overcome in the North. . . .
Seneca Falls Convention: In 1848, the first women's rights convention in the United States of America took place at Seneca Falls, New York. . . .
Settlement Houses: Settlement houses were institutions where immigrants especially could go to seek assistance. Settlement house organizers sought to teach immigrants how to survive and prosper in the United States. . . .
Seventeenth Amendment: The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution went into effect in 1913. Prior to its passage, each state's senators were appointed to their position by the state legislature. I . . .
Sherman Anti-Trust Act: In 1890, the United States government passed into law the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. This legislation was an anti-trust act, authorizing the federal government to break up any businesses that prohibited competition. Its author was John Sherman, a United States Senator from Ohio. . . .
Sims, Marcus: Marcus Sims, a free African American, was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Clermont County, Ohio. . . .
Sleet, Will: Will Sleet, a free African American, was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Clermont County, Ohio. . . .
Sloane, Rush: Rush Sloane was an important nineteenth century northern Ohio political and business leader. . . .
Smith Act: In 1896, Harry Smith, an African-American state legislator from Cleveland, and Albion Tourgee, a white supporter of white and black equality, introduced an anti-lynching bill in the Ohio General Assembly. . . .
Smith, Adam: Adam Smith was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Meigs County, Ohio. . . .
Smith, Harry C.: Harry C. Smith was an African American journalist, publisher and legislator from Cleveland, Ohio in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. . . .
Smoke Less Ohio: On November 7, 2006, Ohio voters overwhelmingly endorsed State Issue 5, which banned smoking inside of all public places in Ohio, including all restaurants, bars, bowling alleys, and work places. Almost sixty percent of Ohio voters supported the measure, while forty percent opposed it. . . .
SmokeFreeOhio: On November 7, 2006, Ohio voters overwhelmingly endorsed State Issue 5, which banned smoking inside of all public places in Ohio, including all restaurants, bars, bowling alleys, and work places. Almost sixty percent of Ohio voters supported the measure, while forty percent opposed it. . . .
Social Darwinism: The concept of Social Darwinism originated with English philosopher Herbert Spencer during the late 1800s. He based his ideas on the findings of scientist Charles Darwin, who developed the theory of evolution-that species improved over time with the strongest triumphing over the weak. . . .
Social Gospel Movement: The Social Gospel Movement was a religious movement that arose during the second half of the nineteenth century. Ministers, especially ones belonging to the Protestant branch of Christianity, began to tie salvation and good works together. . . .
Social Security Act: Since the start of the twentieth century, numerous groups, including the Progressives, had lobbied the United States federal government to implement a national system of health insurance and pensions for the elderly and incapacitated. During the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt made the first concerted effort to enact such a program. . . .
Socialist Party: During the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries, socialism attracted many Americans. Socialists called for an economic system that removed greed from the people. Rather than working to attain the most wealth, socialists hoped that Americans would work together to benefit the common good. They also desired public ownership of utilities and transportation systems. . . .
Socialists: During the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries, socialism attracted many Americans. Socialists called for an economic system that removed greed from the people. . . .
Society of Friends: The Society of Friends, more commonly known as the Quakers, came to Ohio in the late 1700s and the early 1800s. . . .
Society of the Cincinnati: Following the American Revolution, some Continental Army officers formed the Society of the Cincinnati. They named the organization after Roman dictator Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, who had left retirement as a farmer to lead the Romans to victory over their enemies. . . .
Soldiers' Aid Society: During the American Civil War, the Soldiers' Aid Society was a private organization providing Northern soldiers with the supplies they needed to carry on the war. . . .
Somali Community Association of Ohio: The Somali Community Association of Ohio provides assistance to Somali migrants in Central Ohio. . . .
South Charleston, Ohio Confrontation: In 1835, pro-slavery advocates in South Charleston, Ohio threatened abolitionists with bodily harm at an anti-slavery rally. . . .
Southern Ohio Correctional Facility Riot: On April 11, 1993, Easter Sunday, approximately 450 prisoners in Cellblock L of the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, in Lucasville, Ohio, rioted. . . .
Spencer, Platt R.: Platt Rogers Spencer was an educator and developer of a popular style of penmanship. . . .
St. Sava Lodge: St. Sava Lodge was one of the earliest Serbian social organizations in Cleveland, Ohio. . . .
State Liquor Control Act: In 1933, individual states within the United States ratified the Twenty-First Amendment to the United States Constitution. This amendment repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, which had legalized Prohibition. Also in 1933, Ohio voters repealed a Prohibition amendment in the Ohio constitution. . . .
State Relief Commission: In 1932, the Ohio legislature created the State Relief Commission. This organization was also known as the Ohio Relief Commission. This offices purpose was to assist Ohioans in coping with the Great Depression. . . .
Steinem, Gloria: Gloria Steinem is an author, journalist and well-known advocate of women's rights. . . .
Stewart, Charles: Charles Stewart was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Trumbull County, Ohio. . . .
Stewart, Eliza D.: Eliza Daniel Stewart was an important temperance advocate during the latter half of the nineteenth century. She began her career in public service during the American Civil War. . . .
Stewart, Potter: Potter Stewart was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. . . .
Stillguest Settlement: Established in Ohio during the early nineteenth century, the Hicks Settlement, which eventually became known as the Stillguest Settlement, was a predominantly African-American community. . . .
Stone, Lucy: Lucy Stone was a prominent leader of the woman's rights movement in nineteenth century America. . . .
Stowe, Harriet B.: Harriet Beecher Stowe was an American author and abolitionist in the years before the American Civil War. . . .
Sutliff, Levi: Levi Sutliff was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Trumbull County, Ohio. . . .
Swayne, Noah H.: Noah Swayne was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court in nineteenth century America. . . .
Swayne, Wager: Wager Swayne was a military leader from Ohio during the American Civil War. . . .
Tallentire, John R.: John Rubie Tallentire was a Methodist minister and also a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Ashland, Ohio. . . .
Tappan, Arthur and Lewis: Arthur and Lewis Tappan were successful businessmen and early leaders of the movement to abolish slavery in America. . . .
Temperance Movement: The Temperance Movement was an organized effort during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to limit or outlaw the consumption and production of alcoholic beverages in the United States. . . .
The Philanthropist: The Philanthropist was an anti-slavery newspaper first published in Mount Pleasant, Ohio, in September 1817. Its first editor was Charles Osborn. . . .
Thomas Law: In 1907, an economic downturn gripped the United States. It became known as the Panic of 1907. . . .
Thomas, Nathan M.: Nathan M. Thomas was a physician and abolitionist who spent his youth in Ohio. . . .
Thomas, Norman: Norman Thomas was an American social worker, minister, author and longtime presidential candidate of the Socialist Party of America. . . .
Thompson, Eliza J.: Eliza Jane Trimble Thompson lived in the community of Hillsboro, Ohio. She was the daughter of former Ohio governor Allen Trimble and the wife of a local judge. . . .
Trimble, Allen: Allen Trimble served as governor of Ohio during the first portion of the nineteenth century. . . .
Trust Busting: In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, there was a massive wave of industrialization across the United States. One product of this era was the rise of "big business." Within certain industries, large corporations emerged. . . .
Truth, Sojourner: Sojourner Truth was born in 1797, in a Dutch community in the State of New York. She was born a slave. Her original name was Isabella Baumfree. . . .
Tumey v. Ohio: Tumey v. Ohio was a case considered by the United States Supreme Court in 1927. The court struck down an Ohio law that denied citizens their constitutionally guaranteed right to due process by financially rewarding public officials for successfully prosecuting cases related to Phohibition. . . .
Tuppins, Isaiah: Isaiah Tuppins was the first African American to serve as a mayor in Ohio. He also was the first black man to earn his medical degree in Ohio. . . .
Twenty-First Amendment: During the late 1800s, support for Prohibition-the outlawing of alcohol's manufacture, transportation, and consumption-gained tremendous support within the United States, including in Ohio. One of the leading organizations that called for Prohibition was the Anti-Saloon League. . . .
Uncle Tom's Cabin: During the early 1850s, Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin. Stowe became an abolitionist during the 1830s when she lived in Cincinnati, Ohio. . . .
Underground Railroad: The Underground Railroad was a system of safe houses and hiding places that helped runaway slaves escape to freedom in Canada, Mexico, and elsewhere outside of the United States. . . .
Union Baptist Church (Cincinnati, Ohio): The African Union Baptist Church, originally known as the First African Baptist Church and now known as the Union Baptist Church, was the first African-American church in Cincinnati, Ohio. . . .
Union Humane Society: In 1815, Benjamin Lundy established the first society west of the Appalachian Mountains dedicated to the abolition of slavery. It was known as the Union Humane Society and was located in St. Clairsville, Ohio. . . .
United Mine Workers of America: In 1890, miners unions affiliated with the Knights of Labor and the National Progressive Union united together to create the United Mine Workers of America. . . .
United Rubber Workers: In 1935, the rubber workers organized a union, which they named the United Rubber Workers (URW). . . .
Van Zandt, John: John Van Zandt was a conductor on the Underground Railroad in Hamilton County, Ohio. . . .
Vietnam War Protestors: Thousands of Americans opposed United States involvement in the Vietnam War. Some of these people actively participated in protests. . . .
Volstead Act: The Volstead Act, also known as the National Prohibition Act, established the legal basis for the federal government to enforce the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibited the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within the United States and its territories. . . .
Wade, Benjamin F.: Benjamin Franklin Wade was a political leader from Ohio and a Radical Republican in the Reconstruction years after the American Civil War. . . .
Wadsworth Hotel: The Wadsworth Hotel played an important role in the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue Case. . . .
Wagner-Connery Act: On June 13, 1933, the United States Congress passed the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA). The NIRA was part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal. . . .
Webb, Lucy W.: Lucy Ware Webb was an advocate for the abolition of slavery and the rights of women in nineteenth century America. She was the wife of President Rutherford B. Hayes. . . .
Weld, Theodore D.: Theodore Dwight Weld was a prominent nineteenth century American reformer and educator. . . .
Wesleyan Church of America: In 1843, some members of the Methodist Episcopal Church left to establish the Wesleyan Methodist Church, the predecessor of the Wesleyan Church of America. . . .
Wesleyan Methodist Church: In 1843, some members of the Methodist Episcopal Church left to establish the Wesleyan Methodist Church. The principal reason for this separation was the strong opposition to slavery and wide support for women's rights among the people who came to call themselves Wesleyan Methodists. . . .
Western Reserve College: Western Reserve College opened in 1826. It was the first institution of higher education in what had been the Connecticut Western Reserve in northeast Ohio. Western Reserve College was closely affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. . . .
Westerville, Ohio: Westerville is a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, located to the northeastern corner of Franklin County. . . .
Wheeler, Wayne B.: Wayne Bidwell Wheeler was a nationally prominent leader in the Prohibition Movement during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. . . .
White, Addison: Addison White was an slave from Kentucky who escaped to Ohio in 1856. . . .
Whitlock, Brand: Brand Whitlock was an American attorney, author, elected official and diplomat in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. . . .
Wickerham Inn: The Wickerham Inn is the oldest brick building in Adams County, Ohio and was one of the earliest taverns to exist in the Northwest Territory. . . .
Wilberforce University: In 1856, the Methodist Episcopal Church established Wilberforce University near Xenia, Ohio, to provide African American access to a college education. The university was the first private black college in the United States. . . .
Williams, George W.: George Washington Williams was the first African American elected to the Ohio General Assembly. . . .
Wilson, Robert: Robert Wilson was a conductor on the Underground Railroad near Loudonville, Ohio. . . .
Wobblies: The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), also commonly known as the "Wobblies," was a radical labor union formed in 1905. . . .
Woman's Christian Temperance Union: In 1874, a group of Cleveland women established the Women's Christian Temperance Union. This organization pressured the Ohio and federal governments to implement Prohibition. . . .
Women in the Industrial Workforce: Prior to the American Civil War, the vast majority of Ohioans earned their living by farming. Men worked in the fields, while women cared for the home. . . .
Working Home for the Blind: In 1886, the Ohio General Assembly established the Working Home for the Blind in Iberia, Ohio. . . .
Workmen's Compensation: The United States went through a rapid period of industrialization in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This industrialization contributed to economic growth and urbanization, among other things, but workers did not always benefit from the advances that were made. . . .
Works Progress Administration: On April 8, 1935, the United States Congress passed the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act. The Emergency Relief Appropriation Act was part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal. . . .
Worthington, Thomas: Thomas Worthington was an early Midwestern political leader and the sixth governor of Ohio. . . .
Yellow Press: The yellow press was the name given to reporters who sensationalized their news stories during the late 1800s and the early 1900s. . . .
Yellow Springs, Ohio: The first white residents of what is now Yellow Springs, Ohio arrived in the area during the first decade of the nineteenth century. . . .
Young Men's Christian Association: In June 1844, twelve men in London, England, established the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA). . . .
Young Women's Christian Association: In 1855, the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) was founded in England. . . .
Zoar, Ohio: Zoar, a small community in Tuscarawas County, was founded by a group of German separatists in 1817. . . .
Zoarites: A group of separatists, eventually known as Zoarites, established the small community of Zoar in Tuscarawas County. . . .