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The prehistory and history of Kentucky span thousands of years, and have been influenced by the state's diverse geography and central location. Archaeological evidence of human occupation in Kentucky begins approximately 9,500 BCE. A gradual transition began from a hunter-gatherer economy to agriculture c. 1800 BCE.
- Overview
- Exploration and settlement
- Statehood and crises
Long before the arrival of Europeans, the Kentucky region was inhabited by indigenous agricultural and hunting peoples who left behind burial and ceremonial mounds that remain prominent features of the landscape today. Later the area became a hunting ground and battlefield for other native peoples, such as the Shawnee from the north and the Cherokee from the south. French and Spanish explorers first came to Kentucky via the rivers of the Mississippi basin in the 17th century, and traders from the eastern colonies entered the region during the early 18th century, primarily by way of the Ohio River and Cumberland Gap. Although native resistance and rough terrain hindered European exploration during the 1750s and ’60s, Virginian physician Thomas Walker and a survey party in 1750 established the region’s southern boundary—the so-called “Walker Line,” at 36°30′ N—as an extension of the Virginia–North Carolina boundary. (Kentucky was to remain part of Virginia until 1792.) The French and Indian War (1754–63) secured the Ohio River as a major entryway to the region for successive waves of European settlers. In 1769 Daniel Boone and a hunting party penetrated to the central plateau region, or Bluegrass country. Boonesborough was established there in 1775.
Settlement was rapid during the 1770s, though the prophecies of a Cherokee chieftain, Dragging-Canoe, that Boone and other white settlers would find Kentucky “a dark and bloody land” were in large part fulfilled. During the American Revolution (1775–83), British officers antagonized the native peoples, who responded most notably by mounting raids on Boonesborough in 1777 and 1778 and by executing a bloody ambush at Blue Licks in 1782. Settlers also endured numerous smaller-scale sieges and skirmishes.
Long before the arrival of Europeans, the Kentucky region was inhabited by indigenous agricultural and hunting peoples who left behind burial and ceremonial mounds that remain prominent features of the landscape today. Later the area became a hunting ground and battlefield for other native peoples, such as the Shawnee from the north and the Cherokee from the south. French and Spanish explorers first came to Kentucky via the rivers of the Mississippi basin in the 17th century, and traders from the eastern colonies entered the region during the early 18th century, primarily by way of the Ohio River and Cumberland Gap. Although native resistance and rough terrain hindered European exploration during the 1750s and ’60s, Virginian physician Thomas Walker and a survey party in 1750 established the region’s southern boundary—the so-called “Walker Line,” at 36°30′ N—as an extension of the Virginia–North Carolina boundary. (Kentucky was to remain part of Virginia until 1792.) The French and Indian War (1754–63) secured the Ohio River as a major entryway to the region for successive waves of European settlers. In 1769 Daniel Boone and a hunting party penetrated to the central plateau region, or Bluegrass country. Boonesborough was established there in 1775.
Settlement was rapid during the 1770s, though the prophecies of a Cherokee chieftain, Dragging-Canoe, that Boone and other white settlers would find Kentucky “a dark and bloody land” were in large part fulfilled. During the American Revolution (1775–83), British officers antagonized the native peoples, who responded most notably by mounting raids on Boonesborough in 1777 and 1778 and by executing a bloody ambush at Blue Licks in 1782. Settlers also endured numerous smaller-scale sieges and skirmishes.
Kentucky was the first state west of the Appalachian Mountains to be admitted to the union. At the time of its admission it was bounded on the southwest by the Tennessee River and on the north and northwest by the low-water line on the north shore of the Ohio River. The southwestern boundary shifted to the Mississippi River when the Purchase was added in 1818.
Events leading to the adoption of a second state constitution in 1799 revealed an internal occupational division that has in some ways continued to characterize Kentucky. On one side of the divide were most of the small-scale farmers who floated their grain, hides, and other products on flatboats down the Mississippi to Spanish-held New Orleans. They allied themselves with antislavery forces against those on the opposite side of the divide—in general, the slaveholding plantation owners and businessmen. The federal Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, passed in an attempt to control criticism of the government, were vigorously opposed by many Kentuckians, particularly by those who were against slavery. Most notable among the acts’ detractors was the young politician Henry Clay, who ultimately stamped his personality on the state and national scenes as the “Great Compromiser” (largely owing to his role in the orchestration of the Missouri Compromise of 1820 as well as the Compromise of 1850, both of which addressed issues of slavery).
The first half of the 19th century was one of the most eventful in the state’s history. Kentucky took a lead in the War of 1812, much of which was fought in the adjacent Northwest Territory against combined British and native forces. A new generation of leaders came to the fore, and many counties were created and named for military heroes or politicians. Technological accomplishments from 1820 to 1850 included the building of a canal at Louisville, the chartering of railroads, and increased manufacturing. At the same time, the arts flourished, with portrait painters, silversmiths, sculptors, and other artists securing patronage as the population prospered.
The early 19th century also was an era of economic and political turmoil. Following the Revolution, there had been a land boom, with attendant speculation and inflation. Meanwhile, dozens of independent banks were chartered, and they flooded the state with paper money. Together, these phenomena led to financial disaster during the national economic panic of 1819. Fierce controversy over relief to debtors split the Whig Party, led by Clay, from the Democratic Party, under Andrew Jackson.
5 days ago · Its name perhaps derives from an Iroquois word for “prairie.”. By 1792, when Kentucky was admitted as the 15th state of the union—the first west of the Appalachian Mountains—it had drawn nearly 73,000 settlers. By 1800 this number had grown to roughly 220,000 and included some 40,000 slaves.
From Then Til Now: Kentucky History at A Glance. The 1700's. The 1800's. The 1900's. The 2000's. On June 1, Kentucky is admitted to the union as the 15th state and the first state west of the Appalachian Mountains. Wilderness Road opens to wagons, allowing more settlers and their families to come into Kentucky.
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Nov 9, 2009 · In the late 1700s and early 1800s, a growing number of white settlers arriving in Kentucky on the Wilderness Road clashed with Indigenous people over land.
Native American settlement. The first archaeological evidence of human occupation of Kentucky is approximately 9500BCE, and it was Clovis culture, primitive hunter-gatherers with stone tools. Around 1800 BCE, a gradual transition began from a hunter-gatherer economy to agriculturalism.
Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 27,435 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 32,169 people. As of 2004, Kentucky's population included about 95,000 foreign-born (2.3 percent).
