This Day In Founding Fathers History – 1 March

This Day In Founding Fathers History – 1 March 2013

On this day in 1781, the Articles of Confederation were ratified by Maryland, the final of the thirteen states to ratify. “The ratification of the Articles of Confederation was delayed for two years by Maryland, who refused to ratify until the larger states—primarily Virginia and New York—had ceded their extensive land claims in the West to the national government. Virginia countered with the accusation that Maryland’s demand originated with the land schemes of some of its foremost political leaders, who hoped to manipulate Congress to their advantage once the lands were in the possession of the national government. However, it was agreed that the possession of land would provide much-needed bolstering of the authority of the central government. New York was the first to cede its lands, and Virginia soon followed suit on January 2, 1781, whereupon Maryland ratified the Articles of Confederation. On March 1, 1781, just a little less than eight months before Yorktown, the decisive battle of the Revolutionary War, the Articles of Confederation went into effect.” ₁

Ohio became the 17^th state to join the Union in 1803. Ohio statehood is celebrated on 1 March, although President Jefferson endorsed Congress’s grant of statehood on 19 February. The Enabling Act of 1802 included the admittance of the Northwest Territory as the state of Ohio as quickly as possible. It also set the boundaries for Ohio and the date for a constitutional convention. ₂

_{1 “1781-1782: The ratification of the Articles of Confederation and the conclusion of the war,” Founding.com, founding.com/timeline/pageid.2464/default.asp; “The Articles of Confederation,” Primary Documents in American History, loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/articles.html
2 “Ohio Statehood,” ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=530}

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