History of Illinois
Popularly known as the “Land of Lincoln”; the State of Illinois presents marvelous history. If we look back pre-Columbian era then Cahokia was one culture which was present for a century from 1400 to 1500. This civilization was spread over what now is called Collinsville. No one knows why this civilization disappeared. Cahokia was followed by Illiniwek Confederation. It was supposed to be a political alliance among the tribes which also gave its name to the current Illinois. But European expansion in the Eastern United states meant Illini suffered in the hands of Iroquois. Iroquois forced Illinis to compete with several tribes in the area for land and finally they were replaced by several tribes including Pottawatomie, Miami, Sauk, and others. In 1673 two famous French explorers in the name of Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet arrived to explore the area in the vicinity of Mississippi and Illinois rivers; this exploration subsequently led to Illinois becoming the part of mighty French empire then. And as in most part of the world Illinois also changed hands to British in 1763. The area was ceded to the new United States in 1783 and became part of the Northwest Territory.
Nineteenth century saw several prominent events happening in Illinois. The Illinois-Wabash Company was an early claimant to much of Illinois. The Illinois Territory was created on February 3, 1809. Illinois had to wait till 1818 to become a full fledge and 21st U.S. state. Illinois saw Black Hawk War in 1832 between Indians and militia when Indians returned from Iowa but were driven out. Illinois saw Abraham Lincoln spending his formative years and eventually becoming the sixteenth president of the United States. Nineteenth century also saw Chicago becoming prominent metropolis of the State and also of the country. Primary reason of gaining prominence was the lake, canal port and rail hub after 1848. Just about the same time a near by city called Nauvoo saw the emergence of utopian community. Civil war needs special mention in the history of Illinois because over 250,000 personal served the Union Army. Illinois provided 150 regiments after the call of troops by President Lincoln and under the able leadership of Governor Richard Yates, a Republican.
20th century saw Illinois emerging as one of the most important states in the Union. The century saw several Democrat and Republican governors sharing the power back and forth. With power and development several of these governors faced corruption charges as well. Early part of which was led by Edward F. Dunne a Democrat, who later served as governor 1913-1917 and later under Frank Lowden; a Republican presidential hopeful in 1920. In 1960 Otto Kerner, Jr. led the Democrats back to power and promoted economic development, education, mental health services, and equal access to jobs and housing. Another Republican, George H. Ryan worked for extensive repairs of the Illinois Highway System called “Illinois FIRST” ; FIRST was an acronym for “Fund for Infrastructure, Roads, Schools, and Transit.” Signed into law in May 1999, the law created a $6.3 billion package for use in school and transportation projects. He also became famous for pardoning death sentences for 167 convicts in 2003.
The last eight years of Illinois history of 21st century needs special mention associated mostly with Governor Rod Blagojevich; some good and some bad reasons. In 2002, Illinois elected Rod Blagojevich as the first Democratic governor in a quarter century. After the 2002 elections, Democrats had control of the House, Senate, and most of the statewide offices. Blagojevich signed numerous pieces of progressive legislation including ethics reform, death penalty reform, a state Earned Income Tax Credit, and expansions of health programs like Kid Care and Family Care. Other notable actions of his term include a strict new ethics law and a comprehensive death penalty reform bill that was written by Sen. Barack Obama in his capacity as a state senator, and the late Sen. Paul M. Simon. Sen. Barack Obama later became the President of United States. Blagojevich has overseen an increase in funding for health care every year without raising general sales or income taxes. He was also criticized by the Republicans that he was simply passing the state’s fiscal problems on to the future generations by borrowing his way to balance budgets; For example the 2005 state budget called for paying the bills by shorting state employees’ pension fund by $1.2 billion. He also refuses to live in the Governor’s Mansion and insists flying round trips to Springfield from Chicago. Although the state had $1.4 billion in overdue medical bills, yet in November 2005, Blagojevich created two new government agencies and signed the All Kids health insurance bill, which obligates Illinois to provide affordable, comprehensive health insurance to every child in the state. Blagojevich faced corruption charges in Dec. 2008 was arrested under charges of conspiracy and solicitation to commit bribery. He became the first Illinois governor to be impeached and removed from office.
