Pre-Statehood Era - Government

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

Lesson Plans

• Lesson Plans
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• Historic Literature
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Resources

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State and Local Government

An Act Creating the County of Illinois, 1778

• The legal act creating the County of Illinois, Virginia in 1778.

• Citation: Walworth Alvord, Clarence, ed. Cahokia Records 1778-1790. Vol. II. Collections of the Illinois State Historical LIbrary. Springfield: Illinois State Historical Library, 1907. 9-11.

A Speech by George Rogers Clark to the Residents of Kaskaskia, 1779

• George Rogers Clark was a famous American General from Virginia. In 1778, he captured the British outpost of Kaskaskia. In this speech, he promises loyalty and protection to the residents of Kaskaskia and presents their new governor, Colonel John Todd.

• Citation: Walworth Alvord, Clarence, ed. Kaskaskia Records 1778-1790. Vol. V. Collections of the Illinois State Historical Library. Springfield: Illinois State Historical Library, 1909. 80-83.

Letter from Cerre to Clark, July 12, 1779

• Gabriel Cerre asks George Rogers Clark to settle a dispute involving stolen tools and reparations.

• Citation: Walworth Alvord, Clarence, ed. Kaskaskia Records 1778-1790. Vol. V. Collections of the Illinois State Historical Library. Springfield: Illinois State Historical Library, 1909. 102-104.

Letter from Thomas Jefferson to George R. Clark, 1780

• Governor Thomas Jefferson advises Clark on military tactics.

• Citation: Walworth Alvord, Clarence, ed. Kaskaskia Records 1778-1790. Vol. V. Collections of the Illinois State Historical Library. Springfield: Illinois State Historical Library, 1909.144-149.

Petition to the Governor from the Residents of Kaskaskia, 1781

• The residents of Kaskaskia object to the governance of General Clark, among others.

• Citation: Walworth Alvord, Clarence, ed. Kaskaskia Records 1778-1790. Vol. V. Collections of the Illinois State Historical Library. Springfield: Illinois State Historical Library, 1909. 233-241.

Treaties and National Legislation

The Treaty of Paris, 1763

• This treaty, which was signed on February 10th, 1763 by Great Britain, France, and Spain, ended the French and Indian War, (also known as the Seven Years War in Europe). In the treaty, France gave up their claim to the territory east of the Mississippi, including the Illinois Territory, to Great Britain.

• Citation:"Treaty of Paris 1763" from the Avalon Project, Yale Law School Lillian Goldman Law Library, accessed 09/10/2016. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/paris763.asp

The Royal Proclamation of 1763

• This proclamation was issued on October 7th, 1763 by King George III of Great Britain. The purpose of it was to organize the country’s newly acquired territory in North America, as well as to stabilize relations with the Native American tribes located in the territory. The proclamation hoped to accomplish this by regulating trade and settlement in all land west of the British colonies already established along the Atlantic Coast.

• Citation:  "The Royal Proclamation- October 7, 1763" from the Avalon Project, Yale Law School Lillian Goldman Law Library, accessed 09/10/2016. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/proc1763.asp

The Treaty of Paris, 1783

• This treaty, which was signed on September 3rd, 1783, (and later ratified by the United States Congress on January 14th, 1784), ended the American Revolutionary War between the Great Britain and the United States of America. Following the treaty, the United States claimed the region later known as the Northwest Territory, despite a lingering British presence. This situation remained unresolved until after the War of 1812. Much of the disagreement stemmed from the fact that the Treaty of Paris guaranteed both Great Britain and the United States perpetual access to the Mississippi River in Article 8.

• Citation: "The Definitive Treaty of Peace 1783" from the Avalon Project, Yale Law School Lillian Goldman Law Library, accessed 09/10/2016. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/paris.asp

Deed of Cession from Virginia, 1784

• This act, passed on March 1st, 1784, ceded the land northwest of the Ohio River, (sometimes referred to as the Illinois Country), to the United States Federal Government. The area, which included parts of present day Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, was occupied by Virginia during the Revolutionary War. By ceding the land, Virginia ultimately allowed for the creation of future states.

The Ordinance of 1787, or Northwest Ordinance

• This ordinance was passed by the Continental Congress of the United States on July 13th, 1787 under the Articles of Confederation. It created the Northwest Territory, establishing a precedent by which the United States could expand westward through the admission of new states. It also banned slavery within the territory, establishing the Ohio River as a natural boundary between future free and slave territories.

• Citation: "Northwest Ordinance; July 13, 1787" from the Avalon Project, Yale Law School Lillian Goldman Law Library, accessed 09/10/2016. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/nworder.asp

The Act of Virginia, December 30th, 1788

• This act allowed for the creation of no more than five, nor less than three states in the territory northwest of the Ohio River, known as the Northwest Territory.

• 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: E. L. & W. L. Gross, 1872. 16.

The Act of Congress, August 7th, 1789

• This act, passed by the Congress of the United States, was to ensure that the government of the territory west of the Ohio River was acting in accordance with the United States Constitution, and to ensure that it maintained communication between the two entities.

• 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: E. L. & W. L. Gross, 1872. 17.

The Act of Virginia, December 18th, 1789

• This act established Kentucky as an independent state.

• 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: E. L. & W. L. Gross, 1872.17.

Treaty of Greenville, 1795

• This treaty, which was signed at Fort Greenville, Ohio on August 3rd, 1795, ended the Northwest Indian War between the United States and a coalition of Native American tribes, (consisting of the Wyandot, Delaware, Shawnee, Ottawa, Chippewa, Potawatomi, Miami, Weas, Kickapoo, and Kaskaskia tribes). In exchange for goods, the Native Americans agreed to turn over large portions of land located in modern day Ohio, as well as the future site of Chicago, Illinois.

• Citation: "The Treaty of Greenville 1795" from the Avalon Project, Yale Law School Lillian Goldman Law Library, accessed 09/10/2016. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/greenvil.asp

The Act of Congress, May 7th, 1800

• This act split the territory west of the Ohio River into two separate governments to allow for the creation of the state of Ohio. The remaining territory, consisting of Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and parts of Michigan and Minnesota, was known as the Indiana Territory.

• 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: E. L. & W. L. Gross, 1872. 17-18.

The Act of Congress, February 3rd, 1809

• This act divided the Indiana Territory into two separate governments and established the Illinois Territory, which encompassed Illinois, Wisconsin, and parts of Michigan and Minnesota. As with the Act of Congress on May 7th, 1800, the purpose of the Act was to allow for the creation of a new state, Indiana. The capital of the new territory was established in Kaskaskia, Illinois, along the Mississippi River.

• 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: E. L. & W. L. Gross, 1872. 18-19.

The Act of Congress, April 18th, 1818

• This act, also known as an Enabling Act, allowed the inhabitants of Illinois to draft a government constitution and apply for statehood.

• 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: E. L. & W. L. Gross, 1872. 19-20.

The Ordinance Accepting the Enabling Act, 1818

• This ordinance was adopted on August 26th, 1818 in Kaskaskia, Illinois by the same convention that drafted the State’s first Constitution. Through this act, the convention formally accepted all terms stipulated in the Act of Congress, (April 18th, 1818), for Illinois’ entry into the Union.

• 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: E. L. & W. L. Gross, 1872. 20-21.

War and Military

Military Land Patent of William Kelly, Adams County, 1818 / Transcription

• In 1804, the United States purchased a triangle of land between the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers from Native Americans. With the outbreak of the War of 1812, Congress set aside about two million acres of land to be distributed as land bounties to soldiers. In 1816, an additional one and a half million acres were added. This patent promises William Kelly a quarter section of land that was located 8 miles east of what is now Quincy, IL in Adams County.

• 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 2. Used by permission of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.