The Buckeye State

A History of Ohio

A Sweeping History of the Great State of Ohio

From ancient earthworks to modern battleground elections, Ohio's story is America's story. This sweeping narrative traces the arc of a state that has always stood at the center of the nation's most crucial transformations—from frontier wilderness to industrial powerhouse, from Underground Railroad routes to civil rights struggles, from canal-era boom to Rust Belt decline and uncertain renaissance.

Ohio produced eight presidents, invented the airplane and the light bulb, built the steel and rubber that powered American industry, and became the ultimate swing state where presidential elections are decided. But this is more than a chronicle of famous Ohioans and historic events. It's the story of how a diverse, complicated state has repeatedly reinvented itself while grappling with the challenges that define American life: opportunity and inequality, innovation and decline, unity and division.

Drawing on rich historical sources and contemporary analysis, The Buckeye State reveals why understanding Ohio means understanding America itself. As the state confronts deindustrialization, demographic change, and political polarization, its struggles and successes illuminate the path forward for a nation searching for common ground. Ohio has always been the heart of it all—and it still is.