Marietta, Ohio made national news during the September 2004 floods…but that wasn't the first time the community produced headlines (nor, for that matter, the first time the city was flooded). Some 217 years ago, Marietta was established as the maiden settlement of the Northwest Territory, with the Ohio Company of Associates setting out to create a planned and profitable community, and eventually opening up the territory to settlers from the new United States and around the world. Of course, the people who rushed in were not entering unoccupied lands, and the Shawnee as well as other groups of Native Americans ended up being the victims of land grabs and broken treaties that are now acknowledged as being one of the more shameful chapters of American history. Filmmaker David Shelburne's Opening the Door West tells this tale using better-than-average historical re-enactments, sophisticated computer animation recreating long-gone places, and interviews with a variety of history enthusiasts and scholars. However, while it's true that the Ohio Company of Associates outlawed slavery from the outset, it's a bit of a stretch to conclude that it "sowed seeds of order, justice and honor that would eventually spread across the continent and grow into the American nation we know today.” Still, given the amount of information and the bargain price, this is essential for regional collections and highly recommended for others. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Reagan)
Opening the Door West
(2003) 119 min. VHS: $24.95, DVD: $29.95. Shelburne Films. PPR. Color cover. Closed captioned. ISBN: 1-893245-39-X (vhs), 1-893245-40-3 (dvd). Volume 20, Issue 1
Opening the Door West
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