The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West

Written by:
David McCullough
Narrated by:
John Bedford Lloyd

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
239
Narrator
31
Release Date
May 2019
Duration
10 hours 25 minutes
Summary
The #1 New York Times bestseller by Pulitzer Prize–winning historian David McCullough rediscovers an important chapter in the American story that’s “as resonant today as ever” (The Wall Street Journal)—the settling of the Northwest Territory by courageous pioneers who overcame incredible hardships to build a community based on ideals that would define our country.

As part of the Treaty of Paris, in which Great Britain recognized the new United States of America, Britain ceded the land that comprised the immense Northwest Territory, a wilderness empire northwest of the Ohio River containing the future states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. A Massachusetts minister named Manasseh Cutler was instrumental in opening this vast territory to veterans of the Revolutionary War and their families for settlement. Included in the Northwest Ordinance were three remarkable conditions: freedom of religion, free universal education, and most importantly, the prohibition of slavery. In 1788 the first band of pioneers set out from New England for the Northwest Territory under the leadership of Revolutionary War veteran General Rufus Putnam. They settled in what is now Marietta on the banks of the Ohio River.

McCullough tells the story through five major characters: Cutler and Putnam; Cutler’s son Ephraim; and two other men, one a carpenter turned architect, and the other a physician who became a prominent pioneer in American science. “With clarity and incisiveness, [McCullough] details the experience of a brave and broad-minded band of people who crossed raging rivers, chopped down forests, plowed miles of land, suffered incalculable hardships, and braved a lonely frontier to forge a new American ideal” (The Providence Journal).

Drawn in great part from a rare and all-but-unknown collection of diaries and letters by the key figures, The Pioneers is a uniquely American story of people whose ambition and courage led them to remarkable accomplishments. “A tale of uplift” (The New York Times Book Review), this is a quintessentially American story, written with David McCullough’s signature narrative energy.
Reviews
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Anonymous

History is very interesting but relies heavily on letters which are recited verbatim.

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Christopher S.

A wretched piece of Manifest Destiny propaganda, a example of bald-faced unapologetic American exceptionalism. And just arrogant to argue that historians have neglected early Ohio--they haven't.

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Tedzo

Although he did a lot of research, this is poorly written and disjointed, lacks continuity.

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Karen A.

This was a pretty good book; however, audible is the way to go because the information is dry at times. Learning about an historical time that is usually glossed over in most American History survey courses was very satisfying. I especially enjoyed the correspondence between various figures because they gave such a flavor of the time and the beauty and skill of letter writing is a lost art in the modern world of emails.

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James K.

Having enjoyed the author's previous works I was very excited about having another opportunity to enjoy one more fine work. Unfortunately, this was a boring read.

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Anonymous

Incredible information presented in a way that reads like a story. I loved it. David McCullough is a master at this.

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