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Link to Cleveland Timeline
In 1975 the Treaty of Greenville required that Native Americans give most of the land in modern day Ohio to the whites for settlement. Immediately following the transfer of the land General Moses Cleaveland led a surveying party to tour Connecticut’s Western Reserve. On July 22, 1976 Cleveland was founded when surveyors of the Connecticut Land Company named the area after General Cleaveland. Cleaveland laid out the plan for the modern public square area before returning home. He never returned to the area again.
On December 23, 1814 the village of Cleaveland was incorporated. It was not initially apparent that the area was surrounded by swampland. This, along with the harsh winter conditions did not encourage immediate settlement. It was not until 1832, after the completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal that the city began to grow rapidly. The Ohio and Erie Canal turned the city into a key link between the Ohio River and the Great Lakes. Because of the rapid growth in 1836 Cleveland became an official city.
Cleveland became one of the major manufacturing and population centers of the United States during the mid 1800s. It served as a halfway point for iron ore coming from Minnesota across the Great Lakes and for coal and other raw materials coming by rail from the south. Because of this Cleveland was home to numerous major steel firms, including the Standard Oil founder, John D. Rockefeller. By 1920 Cleveland became the fifth largest city in the country.
Like hundreds of other cities in the United States, Cleveland was hit hard by the depression. By 1933, a third of the city’s residents were unemployed. However in June of 1936 the Great Lakes Exposition debuted, which was a commemoration of the centennial of Cleveland’s incorporation of a city. It was conceived as a way to energize the hard hit city. The exposition drew 4 million visitors in its first season, and 7 million by the end of its second and final season in September 1937. The exposition was held on grounds that are now used by the Great Lakes Science Center, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Burke Lakefront Airport.
The city experienced a brief boom following the end of World War II. The city’s population reached 914, 808 and in 1949 Cleveland was named an All-America City. They were a dominate force in the sport sector with the Indians winning the 1948 World Series and the Browns dominating the NFL. Many businesses proclaimed Cleveland was the “best location in the nation.”
However, the boom only lasted a short time. By the 1960s heavy industries began to slump and many residents sought new housing outside of Cleveland. Like many other large cities in the United States, Cleveland began experiencing racial unrest. On July 18-23, 1966 Cleveland experienced the Hough Riots. Hough is one of the original neighbors in Cleveland. The race riots originated as a disagreement between a café owner and members of the surrounding predominantly black community. By the end of the riots, four people were killed and about 240 fires were reported.
Two years following the Hough Riots, between July 23-25, 1968 the city experienced the Glenville Shootout, which was a violent series of events that occurred. It began in the eastern section of the Glenville neighborhood where Cleveland police officers were watching Fred Evans and his radical militant group. They were suspected of purchasing illegal weapons. It still remains unclear who shot first, but gunfire was exchanged between Evans and the police. The shootout attracted a large crowd that consisted mostly of “hostile young black males.” It became clear that the police will ill-equipped to handle the situation and the Mayor was forced to call in the National Guard. By the end of the night seven were dead and fifteen were wounded. The next day the Mayor placed African American police officers in the predominately black community to prevent further rioting. However, looting and arson continued throughout the neighborhood. It was not until July 28, 1968 that order was restored to the neighborhood. Evans surrendered to the police, was tried, found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
On June 23, 1969 the oil and waste on the Cuyahoga River’s surface caught fire. Flames climbed as high as five stories until fireboats brought it under control. The fire was attributed to wastes dumped into the river by the waterfront industries.
On December 15, 1978 under Mayor Dennis Kucinich, Cleveland became the first American city to enter default since the Great Depression. National media began to portray Cleveland as “the mistake by/on the lake,” which made reference to both the city’s financial difficulties as well as the 1969 fire. The crisis lasted nearly a decade before the city’s economy became soluble again in the late 1980’s. The city has struggled to shed the nickname ever since.
Currently, the city is headquarters for both, manufacturing and service industries, as well as having a strong growing tourism and business convention sector. With 2.9 million residents in Greater Cleveland metro and nearly 500,000 in the City of Cleveland, it is the16th largest metro area, 15th largest consumer market, and in 2000 was the 33rd largest city in the United States.
Information gathered from: |
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Created for
Political Science 350: Group and Minority Politics
Taught by:
Professor Freitag Website created by: |
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