Final answer:
The state in question is Indiana, which is bordered by the Ohio River to the south and contains the Wabash, White, Tippecanoe, and Kankakee Rivers. Indiana's history is tied to early transportation developments and its role in sectional struggles over slavery.
Step-by-step explanation:
The state that has the Ohio River as its southern border and includes the Wabash River, White River, Tippecanoe River, and Kankakee River is Indiana. Indiana was admitted to the Union in 1816 and has a rich history intertwined with the movement and settlement patterns of the early United States. The Ohio River Valley was a significant geographic area that served as an early fault line for the sectional struggle regarding the expansion of plantation slavery in the west. Ohio became a state in 1803, followed by Indiana in 1816, and then Illinois in 1818, with the free states forming along the river's northern banks. Specifically, provisions such as Ohio's "Black Laws" of 1803 laid the groundwork for exclusionary cultures in these states, limiting rights for African Americans.At the time of Indiana's admission to the Union, the area was undergoing significant changes. Communication and transportation were pivotal issues, as exemplified by the construction of the Wabash and Erie Canal, which helped facilitate movement and commerce and began operation in 1843. Furthermore, the presence of Indian settlements, notably Prophetstown in Indiana established by Tenskwatawa, and the contentious Treaty of Fort Wayne in 1809 that William Henry Harrison negotiated, reveal the complex relationship between Native Americans, settlers, and the federal government during this formative period.