On This Day in History, 1803: Ohio Joins the Union

By D.J. Byrnes on March 1, 2014 at 2:41 pm
The best flag in the Union.
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On February 19th, 1803, President Thomas Jefferson signed an act of Congress approving Ohio's admittance into the Union as its 17th state and its constitution. It wasn't until 1853, however, when Ohio Congressman George H. Bender noticed that the act had never officially been passed by Congress. 

Bender's solution was to pass a special a bill to Congress officially inducting Ohio into the union retroactively on March 1st, 1803, the first day Ohio's General Assembly convened (in the state's original capital, Chillicothe).

On August 7th, 1953, President Eisenhower signed a congressional joint resolution officially declaring March 1st, 1803 as the date of Ohio joining the Union.

Today, March 1st, 2014, marks Ohio's 211th birthday. So, happy birthday, Ohio; you are undoubtedly the best state in the Union and the gem of western civilization.

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