Andrew Cayton
Ohio , The History of a People
In the 1890s a period of reform began in Ohio. This period lasted through the 1910s and gained momentum as it quickly swept through the state of Ohio. Local plans were to restore a sense of common purpose in a period of rapid change. The value of public culture was changing due to immigration, industrialization, and urbanization. Some of the issues people were noticing was the cosmetic change in the looks of the small towns and cities. Rapid change had disfigured the cities and altered the countryside as well. Moral progress had been put on hold, while material processions took over. Reformers tended to think that shaping an environment would succeed only if Ohioans wanted citizenship with all their hearts and minds.
Reform in Ohio began by improving the public institutions. It was these institutions that allowed citizens to step out of their homes and neighborhoods to learn information that would help them make better decisions. Newspapers, libraries, and schools were among the most important of these institutions. Ohio had a growing number of professionals committed to objectivity. They envisioned more discussions about public issues and places that would provide information to aid in these discussions.
In the 1900s, many newspapers began to promote “new journalism” in Ohio. The “new journalists” dedicated their stories to the public interest. The public got on board and the papers increased in circulation significantly. James M. Cox brought the people of Dayton the Dayton Daily News to expand news coverage. The paper was more than advertisements, news articles, and society sections, women’s articles, profit, and circulation. It triumphed its independence and became a public institution helping people to do their business. Cox directed the Dayton Daily News to call for civic improvement. The paper’s articles spoke of parks, concert halls, baseball games, public housing, orchestras, jobs, and many other topics readers intrigued about. Cox did not support immigration, in fact he wanted to create stricter voting laws to lesson the influence of immigrants in Ohio. His newspaper reflected his views with writings supported by middle-class Protestants who embodied this reform technique.
Public Libraries made a huge effort to revive the public culture. They housed hundreds of books and journals to aid the intrigued population. They were important because they were gathering grounds holding various information to aid in public conversations. Libraries had specific areas that allowed people to read, gather thoughts, share their opinions, and debate their thoughts.
Public universities also helped public culture during this period of reform. Ohio was dedicated to developing institutions of higher education to aid its citizens in further knowledge. The universities were focused on helping the general public, not just local or religious interests. In 1870 the Oho Agricultural and Mechanical College was founded in Ohio which served the needs of Columbus area farmers. A liberal arts curriculum was created and the college then became The Ohio State University. Kent State as well as Bowling Green were created in 1910 for similar purposes. Universities serving whites were growing, but there were also universities created to help the growing number of African Americans. Central State University and Wilberforce were established in 1887.
