Writing From America's Heartland

Abstract

The most enduring of American novels ends with a ragged boy shrugging off his last tie with civilized restraint. "I reckon," he said, "I got to light out for the Territory." Half a century before Huck Finn that movement had begun- restless people crossing the Allegheny Mountains into the Territory North-west of the River Ohio. Only in a wild new country could "territory" become so large and potent a metaphor. For millions it meant freedom, independence, and a new beginning. The Northwest Territory-now known as the Old Northwest- was created by the Ordinance of 1787 that extended America westward into the wilderness between _ the Ohio River and the Great Lakes. Eventually to become six states, it was the first public domain of the new nation, a region five times as big as England. Its first roads were trails of hunting and tribal warfare. The Indian words for cold and hunger were soon known to the explorers. Some 45, 000 tribesmen lived precariously in the region that now supports 45 million people in comfort and security.