Illinois in United States History
Timeline of Key Events:
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1787: Illinois Territory created as part of the Northwest Territory
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1818: Illinois admitted to the Union as the 21st state
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1833: Black Hawk War fought between settlers and Native Americans
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1854: Kansas-Nebraska Act, passed in part by Illinois Senator Stephen Douglas, which allowed slavery in the territories
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1861: Illinois sends a record number of troops to fight in the Civil War * 1868: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign founded
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1886: Haymarket Massacre, a labor protest that turned violent, results in the deaths of several workers and police officers
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1893: Columbian Exposition (World’s Fair) held in Chicago
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1911: University of Chicago Law School founded
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1942: Manhattan Project, which developed the atomic bomb, established at the University of Chicago
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1968: Democratic National Convention held in Chicago, marked by violent protests
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1977: Illinois becomes the first state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment Important Legislation:
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1818: Illinois Constitution abolished slavery
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1870: Illinois Public Aid Code established a comprehensive welfare system
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1933: Illinois Unemployment Compensation Act provided unemployment benefits to workers
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1970: Illinois Environmental Protection Act created the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
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2015: Illinois Religious Freedom Restoration Act protects religious expression
Important Court Cases:
- 1908: Muller v. Oregon, which upheld the right of states to regulate women’s working conditions
- 1919: Gitlow v. New York, which established the “clear and present danger” test for free speech restrictions
- 1922: Truax v. Raich, which struck down an Arizona law that required employers to hire a certain percentage of American citizens or aliens
- 1954: Brown v. Board of Education, which desegregated public schools
- 2008: Citizens United v. FEC, which removed limits on corporate and union spending in elections
Major Industry:
- Agriculture (corn, soybeans, hogs)
Impact on the Rest of the Country:
- Illinois was a key battleground in the Civil War and contributed significantly to the Union cause.
- Illinois played a major role in the development of the American labor movement and the fight for civil rights.
- Chicago became a major economic and cultural center in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
- Illinois remains a pivotal state in American politics and is often a bellwether for national elections.