History of Kentucky

From the mid 1600s to the arrival of the first settlers, the area was sought after, by two fighting tribes. The Shawnee tribes from the north of the Ohio river and the Cherokee and the Chickasaw tribe from the south of the Cumberland river, fought for the control of this region. However, the present day Kentucky was never held by the Indian tribes. The first permanent settlement arrived in 1774, when James Harrod founded the area west of the Allegheny Mountains. Prior to that, certain hunting parties visited this region in the late 1760s. The Harrodsburg and Boonesboro settlements were the first ones, which initiated a flow of people to this region. Originally, Kentucky was a part of the state of Virginia. But due to stark opposition from the locals it was made into a separate county in 1776.

Political History

The end of the American Revolution saw a growing unrest in the region. A huge separation movement spread across the entire county for independent administration. Finally, it took nine conventions to grant statehood to Kentucky in 1792 with Issac Shelby as its first governor. Frankfort was chosen as the capital city and a separate constitution was drafted for the 'Commonwealth of Kentucky'. In 1812, the United States were at loggerheads with England due the imperialistic policies of the British. Kentucky supported the war by boycotting the import and use of British goods and also sent a huge army to fight for the government.

The most significant chapter in the history of Kentucky was written during the Civil War period. In 1861, the deadliest war in the history of America broke out between the southern and the northern states. Kentucky was strategically located in the middle of the conflict, yet it had a neutral stance. However, as the battle became intense and the contemporary conditions forced the state to take a tough stance. It engaged a huge battalion of its soldiers to fight from the North states and approximately half of that strength to fight for the South states. Nearly 2000 of its soldiers perished fighting against their fellow state men and more than 5000 were wounded in 1862. After the situation calmed down, Kentucky began its resurgence and became an industrially advanced state of the US.

Economic history

Kentucky was essentially an agrarian state. A lot of its population was dependent on agriculture as long as until the 1970s. Burley tobacco was a large source of income for the rural community. The early land owners employed slaves to produce hemp for making fibers, corn and the special Kentucky whiskey which is popular since a long period of time. In the late 1700s, Kentucky saw a huge growth in trade. The Ohio and the Mississippi rivers facilitated the operation of many shipping centers that came up in the region. Kentucky had a huge economic boom during the early decades of the 19th century until the advent of the Civil War, which resulted in a total collapse of the economic infrastructure.

But soon after the Civil War, Kentucky began its ever ascending march to prosperity. The US Treasury Gold Vault was established at Fort Knox, Kentucky during the World War II, the first of a series of measures that changed the face of the state. Since then it has dramatically transformed itself into a large industrial center of America. The Kentucky area is home to breeding and raising some of the finest horses in the world. The 'Bluegrass Region" as it is fondly called, had plenty of grasslands and abundant water resulting in a rich horse breeding culture. The racing events held here such as the Kentucky Racing Derby attract a lot of horse racing fans. It is also quite popular tourist destination for many around the world.

Kentucky is the birth place of perhaps the most famous citizen of America ever, its sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln, Strangely, it is also the birth place of Confederate president, Jefferson Davies who had lead the Southern states against the Union government of Abraham Lincoln. Due to its historically rich coal industry, excellent connectivity with the other parts of the country and a booming tourism, Kentucky has a place of great prominence in the USA.