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Homework Help: Social Studies: Geography: North & Central America: Illinois
by Kristyn Conner
What state do you know of that was no more than a large widerness 200 years ago and today is home to the third largest city in the United States? If you haven't figured it out already, the answer is Illinois.
Illinois entered the Union on December 3, 1818, making it the 21st state to join our beloved country. The name "Illinois" comes from a group of Native Americans called the Illini or the Illiniwek who inhabited the area. Besides being known as Illinois, however, this state is also called The Prairie State or the Land of Lincoln because Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, was born and raised here.
Illinois ranks 25th in size out of all fifty states in the Union . It covers a total of 57,918 square miles. If you ever visit Illinois, you will know how diverse each and every single city can be. Most of the state is flat with gently rolling plains that were once covered by tall prairie grasses. Those grasses are now gone because they were cleared to make room for raising crops. In urban areas, however, the land is covered by railroads, highways, waterways, air routes, and many buildings and skyscrapers. The capital, Springfield, is a mixture of both. It is a main manufacturing and financial city as well as the richest crop-farming and livestock raising area in the U.S. In the western area of Illinois you can find the Mississippi River and to the northeast you can find a short stretch of Lake Michigan.
Illinois's state motto is "state sovereignity, national union". The state bird, the cardinal, is a North American finch having a crested head, a short thick bill, and bright red feathers found in males only. The state flower is the Native Violet, a lovely flower with a purple hue that was adopted by Illinois in 1913, while the state tree is the white oak. The white oak's scientific name is Quercus Alba. White Oak are distinguished from other oaks by their light gray, platy bark. The glossy, deep green leaves change to a purple-red or deep wine in fall.
Illinois's largest city is Chicago, the third largest city in the United States. Chicago covers an area of 227.1 square miles with a population of 8,590,000 as of 1995. The world's largest commodities markets are in the city including The Chicago Board of Trade and The Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Many ethinic groups reside in Chicago, also. The northern area of the city is basically residential while the south covers almost half of the city with diverse neighborhoods and a port area. The west side is a lower income residential area with lots of industry, railroads, and product facilities.
Next in line is Rockford, with a population of 143,263 as of 1994. Rockford is located in northern Illinois on the Rock River and is the center of a retail training region, which is northwest of Chicago and about 20 miles from the Wisconsin border. It is a very industrialcity, also known as Forest City because of its trees and parks. It was named after a shallow area in the Rock River used as a crossing for stagecoaches.
Peoria, with a population of 112,878, resides in a farming and coal mining region.It is the oldest community in the state and was named after Native Americans contacted by the first French explorers. It's home to the University of Illinois, has many parks and museums, and covers a total area of 40.9 square miles. Right besides the city is the Metamora Courthouse where Abraham Lincoln practiced law. If you ever stop by Peoria, check out Carriage Classics, Ltd. there. You can rent a horse-drawn carriage and ride around the city to visit famous sites. Or maybe even visit the Wheels O' Time Museum. It featurres vintage and classic automobiles, gasoline engines, airplanes, jukeboxes, toys, real and model trains, a spinning wheel room, and a miniature circus. The city was partially burned by U.S. troops in the War of 1812 and penicillin was developed here during World War Two.
Last but certainly not least is Springfield, the capital as of 1837. Springfield is located on the Sangamon River and is one of the richest crop farming and livestock raising areas in the United States. The population as of 1994 was 112,473 and the city covers an area of 42.4 square miles. Located in Springfield is the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, and every August the Illinois State Fair is held in the city. At the fair, there are contests you can enter to win blue ribbons. Some contests may include best salsa, jams, pickles, and jerky. There is live entertainment, lots of carnival games, and tons of people. You are guaranteed a great time.
It's not that hard to figure out why Illinois is often called "Land of Lincoln". Sixteenth President Abraham Lincoln was born and raised in Illinois. In Springfield you can find the Lincoln Home National Historic Site. This was the only home ever owned by Lincoln himself. He lived in the house from 1844 to 1861, a total of 15 years.The home, which has been restored to its 1860s appearance, reveals Lincoln as husband, father, politician, and President-elect. It stands in the midst of a four-block historic neighborhood. There are visitor centers, picnic areas, museum exhibits, tours and guided activities, and much more. Visitors to the Lincoln Home National Historic Site can view exhibits in the visitor center and Dean House facilities.While in Springfield, he served as a legislator and an attorney.
Besides the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Abraham Lincoln is honored with many other parks, memorials, and other sites. Even the Illinois state license plates say "Land of Lincoln". The Lincoln Heritage Trail, established in 1963 and has a total length of 2,200 miles, has many sites throughout the state. The sites show trails that Lincoln's family took when they traveled to Kentucky, Indiana, and into Illinois. As Lincoln states in one of his documents,"I was born in Hardin County, Kentucky.... My father moved us to Spencer County, Indiana.... At age twenty-one I came to Illinois and passed the first year in Macon County."
Illinois also has a large abudance of parks. The state has a total of 73 state parks and two state marinas. The largest state park in the state, however, is the Pere Marquette State Park in Grafton, Illinois. It is a nature lover's paradise and covers a total area of 8,000 acres of wooded country near the junction. Some activities visitors can partake in are horseback riding, camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, and boating.
Before the Civil War, the major issue was the extension of slavery into the new territories. Illinois, one of the new territories, debated along with many other areas of the U.S. on whether new states admitted should be free states or slave states. Many settlers in southern Illinois who were for slavery migrated north to support the proslavery cause. Mostly, however, Northern Illinois was inhabited by antislavery leaders who were from the northeastern states.
One man who later lived in Illinois was Elijah Lovejoy. He was a newspaper reporter and a supporter of the abolition of slavery. Many proslavery supporters in St. Louis, Missouri, hated him because he wrote antislavery articles for the Editorial Section of the paper he wrote for. In 1863, he was forced to move his presses to Alton, Illinois. There he published the Alton Observer. In Alton, too, proslavery supporters disliked him and his articles. On November 7, 1837, he was attacked and killed by a mob. His death convinced abolitionists for movement throughout the country to support the antislavery cause.
In 1858 the whole nation's attention again turned to Illinois because Abraham Lincoln and his democratic opponent, Stephen Douglas, debated over the extension of slavery. While in Freeport, Illinois, Douglas argued that slavery should be allowed in a territory only if the inhabitants voted for it to be. As time passed and Lincoln won the election, Douglas supported Lincoln, speaking for him in the west and in the border states.
The Civil War began on 1861 and ended in 1865. As the war ended, the state of Illinois was an antislavery state.
Illinois has suffered through many hardships, struggles, and slavery-related debates. It is amazing to see the transformation it went through in only 200 years. Clearly you can see that with a lot of patience and a good leader, a lot can be accomplished.
Homework Help: Social Studies: Geography: North & Central America
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