Late 19th Century - Society and Culture

Pre-Statehood Era: 1700-1818

• Pre-Statehood Era- Government
• Pre-Statehood Era- Society and Culture
• Pre-Statehood Era- Business and Economy
• Pre-Statehood Era- Race Relations

Early Statehood: 1818-1861

• Early Statehood- Government
• Early Statehood- Society and Culture
• Early Statehood- Business and Economy
• Early Statehood- Race Relations

Civil War Era: 1861-1865

• Civil War- Government
• Civil War- Society and Culture
• Civil War- Business and Economy
• Civil War- Race Relations

Late 19th Century: 1866-1900

• Late 19th Century- Government
• Late 19th Century- Society and Culture
• Late 19th Century- Business and Economics
• Late 19th Century- Race Relations

Early 20th Century: 1900-1914

• Early 20th Century- Government
• Early 20th Century- Society and Culture
• Early 20th Century- Business and Economy
• Early 20th Century- Race Relations

World War I: 1914-1918

• World War I- Government
• World War I- Society and Culture
• World War I- Business and Economy
• World War I- Race Relations

Roaring Twenties: 1918-1929

• Roaring Twenties- Government
• Roaring Twenties- Society and Culture
• Roaring Twenties- Business and Economy

Great Depression: 1930-1941

• Great Depression- Government
• Great Depression- Society and Culture
• Great Depression- Business and Economy
• Great Depression- Race Relations

World War II: 1941-1945

• World War II- Government
• World War II- Society and Culture
• World War II- Business and Economy
• World War II- Race Relations

Cold War Era: 1946-1991

• Cold War Era- Government
• Cold War Era- Race Relations

Millennium: 1991-Present

• Millennium- Government
• Millennium- Race Relations

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Children and Family

Law Concerning Adoption, 1874

• This act revises the laws concerning the adoption of children, and was approved on February 27th, 1874. It requires certain factors for the adoption of children, including the consent of a child over the age of fourteen and the joint commitment of both husband and wife on the petition of adoption.

• Citation: Gross, William L., ed. The Statutes of Illinois: An Analytical Compilation of All the General Laws of the State in Force at the Present Time, Volume III: Acts of 1873-4. Cambridge, MA: Riverside Press, H. O. Houghton & Company, 1874. 6-7.

Law Concerning Apprentices, 1874

• This act revised the laws concerning apprentices and was approved on February 25th, 1874. It covers several issues including who can be bound into an apprenticeship, how apprentices should register complaints against their master, and penalties for enticing apprentices away from their master.

• Citation: Gross, William L., ed. The Statutes of Illinois: An Analytical Compilation of All the General Laws of the State in Force at the Present Time, Volume III: Acts of 1873-4. Cambridge, MA: Riverside Press, H. O. Houghton & Company, 1874. 15-17.

Law Concerning Guardians and Wards, 1874

• This act revises the laws concerning guardians and wards, and was approved on March 23rd, 1874. It allows minors over the age of 14 to nominate their own guardians.

• Citation: Gross, William L., ed. The Statutes of Illinois: An Analytical Compilation of All the General Laws of the State in Force at the Present Time, Volume III: Acts of 1873-4. Cambridge, MA: Riverside Press, H. O. Houghton & Company, 1874. 220.

Ordinance Concerning Child Labor, September 6th, 1880 / Transcription

• This ordinance prevented children under 12 from working, and limited the hours of children under the age of 15. Ultimately, the ordinance did not pass.

• Citation: Bailey, Robert E.and Elaine Shemoney Evans. From the Ashes, 1872-1900 A Selection of Documents from the Proceedings Files of the Chicago City Council. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 1990. Document 17. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Accessed on 12/01/2016. https://cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/teaching_packages/from_the_ashes/doc17.html

Communication from the Illinois Woman's Alliance Concerning Child Labor, April 16th, 1890 / Transcription

• This report requests that children who work to support their families must be over ten, and have reports from the Boards of Health and Education.

• Citation: Bailey, Robert E.and Elaine Shemoney Evans. From the Ashes, 1872-1900 A Selection of Documents from the Proceedings Files of the Chicago City Council. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 1990. Document 33. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Accessed on 12/01/2016. https://cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/teaching_packages/from_the_ashes/doc33.html

An Act to regulate the manufacture of clothing, wearing apparel and other articles in this State, and to provide for the appointment of State inspectors to enforce the same, and to make an appropriation therefore, 1893

• Section Four of this act is the first instance of child labor regulation in Illinois. The employment of children under 14 is prohibited, and limitations on the employment of children under 16 are imposed.

• Citation: Laws of the State of Illinois Passed by the Thirty-Eighth General Assembly. Springfield, IL: H.W. Rokker, State Printer & Binder, 1893. 99-102.

Child Labor and Illinois Law, 1895

• Residents of the Chicago-based Hull House comment on the status of child labor in Illinois, including the 1893 law.

• Citation: Residents of Hull House. Hull-House Maps and Papers. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell & Co., 1895.

An Act to regulate the employment of children in the state of Illinois, and to provide for the enforcement thereof, 1897

• Approved June 9th, 1897, this was the first comprehensive child labor law in Illinois. Stipulations include age limits, hour limits, and working conditions, among others.

• Citation: Laws of the State of Illinois Enacted by the Fortieth General Assembly. Springfield, IL: Phillips Bros., State Printer, 1897. 90-91

Education

Law Concerning Schools, 1874

• The first act authorizes the election of women into School Offices. The second and third act deal with administrative issues, while the fourth act protects colored children’s right to attend school without threats or intimidation. All four were passed in 1874.

• Citation: Gross, William L., ed. The Statutes of Illinois: An Analytical Compilation of All the General Laws of the State in Force at the Present Time, Volume III: Acts of 1873-4. Cambridge, MA: Riverside Press, H. O. Houghton & Company, 1874. 395-397.

Communication from the Trade and Labor Assembly Concerning Compulsory Education, December 16th, 1888 / Transcription

• This communication endorses a petition put forth by the Illinois Woman's Alliance on December 10th, 1888. It addresses perceived opposition to compulsory education.

• Citation: Bailey, Robert E. and Elaine Shemoney Evans. From the Ashes, 1872-1900 A Selection of Documents from the Proceedings Files of the Chicago City Council. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 1990. Document 31. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Accessed on 12/01/2016. https://cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/teaching_packages/from_the_ashes/doc31.html

Communication from the Illinois Woman's Alliance Concerning Child Labor, April 16th, 1890 / Typed Transcription

• See Children and Family section

Women May Vote at School Elections, 1891

• Women earned the right to vote for school officials in the state of Illinois in 1891.

• Citation: Laws of the State of Illinois, Thirty-Seventh General Assembly. Springfield, IL: H.W. Rokker, 1891. 135-136.

An Act Concerning the Education of Children, 1889

• Changing labor laws in the late 19th century affected laws for childhood education as well. This 1889 law establishes that parents are responsible for keeping their children in school at least 16 weeks per year. The law also mandates that the board of education for each city appoint at least one truant officer.

• Citation: Bateman, Newton, ed. School laws and common school decisions of the state of Illinois. Urbana, IL: W. L. Pillsbury, 1889. 266-269.

Religion and Morality

Law Concerning Licenses for Intoxicating Liquor and Prohibiting Prostitution, 1874

• These acts passed in March of 1874 regulated the issuing of liquor licenses in Illinois and prohibited the licensing of prostitution.

• Citation: Gross, William L., ed. The Statutes of Illinois: An Analytical Compilation of All the General Laws of the State in Force at the Present Time, Volume III: Acts of 1873-4. Cambridge, MA:Riverside Press, H. O. Houghton & Company, 1874. 262-264.

A section of Ann-Eliza Young's Autobiography, the estranged wife of Brigham Young, 1875

• In this portion of her autobiography, Ann-Eliza talks about the Mormon faith, settlement, and expulsion from Illinois at Nauvoo.

• Citation: Young, Ann-Eliza. Wife No. 19: The Story of A Life in Bondage, Being a Complete Expose of Mormonism, and Revealing the Sorrows, Sacrifices and Sufferings of Women in Polygamy. Salem, NH: Ayer Company Publishers, 1875. 52-64.

Account of Reverend Elijah Lovejoy's Murder, 1881

• Henry Tanner was an eye-witness to the events of November 7th, 1837 that resulted in Reverend Elijah P. Lovejoy's death. He was a proponent of Lovejoy and wrote this account to honor Lovejoy's memory. Here, Tanner recounts the confrontation between Lovejoy and the mob.

• Citation: Tanner, Henry. The Martyrdom of Lovejoy: An Account of the Life, Trials, & Perils of Rev. Elijah P. Lovejoy. Chicago: Fergus Printing Company, 1881. Reprint, New York: Augustus M. Kelley, 1971. 148-152.

Women and Gender

An Act to amend the criminal code of Illinois in relation to the offense of abortion, 1867

• This act states that the purposeful termination of a pregnancy is considered a high misdemeanor and punishable with two to ten years of prison. It also stated that should the woman die during the procedure, the offender would be guilty of murder. It was approved on February 28th, 1867.

• Citation: The Public Laws of the State of Illinois Passed at the Twenty-Fifth Session of the General Assembly, 1867. Chicago: Callaghan and Cutler, Publishers, 1867. 89.

Law Concerning the Sexes, 1872

• This act guaranteed that no person should be barred from any profession, (except the military), on account of sex. It was approved on March 22nd, 1872.

• Citation: Gross, Eugene L. and William L. Gross, ed. The Statutes of Illinois: An Analytical Compilation of All the General Laws of the State in Force at the Present Time, Second Volume: Acts of 1871-2. Springfield, IL: E. L. & W. L. Gross, 1872. 428.

Law Concerning Schools, 1874

• See Education section.

Law Concerning Divorce, 1874

• This act outlines legitimate reasons for procuring a divorce, the legitimacy of children and alimony, as well as several other factors. It was approved on March 10th, 1874.

• Citation: Gross, William L., ed. The Statutes of Illinois: An Analytical Compilation of All the General Laws of the State in Force at the Present Time, Volume III: Acts of 1873-4. Cambridge, MA:Riverside Press, H. O. Houghton & Company, 1874. 176-178.

Law Concerning Husbands and Wives, 1874

• This act guaranteed that a husband or wife could not be legally culpable for his/her spouse’s debt, gave married women the right to own their own property, and also laid out punishment for desertion.

• Citation: Gross, William L., ed. The Statutes of Illinois: An Analytical Compilation of All the General Laws of the State in Force at the Present Time, Volume III: Acts of 1873-4. Cambridge, MA:Riverside Press, H. O. Houghton & Company, 1874. 229-231.

Law Concerning Marriage, 1874

• This law revised the laws concerning marriage; it regulated who could contract marriages and the proper procedure for registering with the government. It was approved on February 27th, 1874.

• Citation: Gross, William L., ed. The Statutes of Illinois: An Analytical Compilation of All the General Laws of the State in Force at the Present Time, Volume III: Acts of 1873-4. Cambridge, MA:Riverside Press, H. O. Houghton & Company, 1874. 279-281.

Widow’s Selection Record, Warren County, 1876 / Typed Transcription

• This record of the property Rebecca Schomp from Warren County displays items she selected to keep from her husband's estate.

• Citation: Turnbaugh, Dr. Roy C. Jr. and Robert E. Bailey. Windows to the Past: A Selection of Illinois County Records from 1818 to 1880. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 1985. Document 33. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.

Petition from the Woman's Christian Association to Remit Water Taxes for their Boarding House, February 12th, 1883 / Typed Transcription

• Letter to the Chicago city council to request a reprieve from water tax on two houses that sheltered poor women seeking work.

• Citation: Bailey, Robert E. and Elaine Shemoney Evans. From the Ashes, 1872-1900 A Selection of Documents from the Proceedings Files of the Chicago City Council. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 1990. Document 23. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Accessed on 12/01/2016. https://cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/teaching_packages/from_the_ashes/doc23.html

Communication from the Trade and Labor Assembly Concerning Compulsory Education, December 16th, 1888 / Typed Transcription

• See Education section

Communication from the Illinois Woman's Alliance Concerning Child Labor, April 16th, 1890 / Typed Transcription

• See Children and Family section

Communication from the Illinois Woman's Alliance Concerning Bathing Houses, January 19th, 1891 /Typed Transcription

• Request to build three bathing houses for public use.

• Citation: Bailey, Robert E. and Elaine Shemoney Evans. From the Ashes, 1872-1900 A Selection of Documents from the Proceedings Files of the Chicago City Council. Springfield: Illinois State Archives, 1990. Document 34. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Accessed on 12/01/2016. https://cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/teaching_packages/from_the_ashes/doc34.html

Women May Vote in School Elections, 1891 

• Women were given the right to vote for school officials beginning in 1891 in the state of Illinois.

• Citation: Laws of the State of Illinois, 1891. Thirty-seventh General Assembly. Springfield, IL: H.W. Rokker State Printer and Binder, 1891. 135.

Illinois Woman's Exposition Board Exhibit Description for the World's Columbian Exposition, 1893

• For the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, women were granted the opportunity to produce an exhibit. This document is a description of the exhibit written by the women themselves.

• Citation: Illinois Board of World's Fair Commissioners.The Illinois building and exhibits therein at the World’s Columbian Exposition, 1893. Chicago: J. Morris, 1893. 147-153.