Bicentennial to focus on our historical, cultural, economic, and political contributions

The 200th birthday of the adoption of the Illinois Constitution on August 26, 1818, followed by admission of Illinois to the Union on December 3, 1818, allows an opportunity to celebrate our rich history, while recognizing too its share of tragedy and notoriety.

Pre-statehood

Prior to statehood, the Illinois prairie was populated by native peoples, initially of two main tribes, the Illiniwek (or Illinois) and Miami. Maps of the state reflect other local tribes: Winnebago, Potawatomi, Fox, Kickapoo, Shawnee. The Sioux were deemed particularly hostile. Native Americans: American Indian Tribes of Illinois. www.museum.state.il.us.

The first non-native explorers were French Canadians, Father Marquette, a Jesuit priest, and Louis Joliet, a fur trader, who recognized the importance of the Chicago and Illinois Rivers for portage and were the first to map the Mississippi River in the late 1600’s. Then & Now: Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette, www.theherald-news.com. During their journey, the Illinois Indian tribe gave them a peace pipe or “calumet” which helped them when they encountered other Indian tribes. They returned north, passing by what is now Chicago, to avoid Spaniards farther south on the Mississippi River. Marquette & Joliet Explored the Mississippi River, www.robinsonlibrary.com.

In 1803, as part of their exploration of the American West for Thomas Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark crossed the Ohio River into Illinois territory. At Fort Massac, they hired an interpreter of French Canadian and Shawnee heritage, fluent in several languages. They next arrived in St. Louis, a settlement of French Canadians four decades old that served the region’s fur trade, then crossed the Mississippi River east to trading posts at Cahokia and Wood River and to Fort Kaskaskia for supplies and their careful selection of men. Their expedition to find passage to the Pacific Ocean became known as the Corps of Discovery and included a slave named York, a dog named Seaman and Sacagawea, a Shoshone woman. Their treacherous journey and the roles of men whose names today are known for locations in the area—Soulard, St. Clair, Chouteau, are given life by Stephen E. Ambrose in Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West, published by Simon & Schuster.

Meanwhile, in the late 1700’s, Jean Baptiste Pointe Du Sable, a French-educated mixed-race man believed to have been born in what is now Haiti, travelled up the Illinois River, helping to settle Peoria. He later married a Potawatomi woman in a Catholic ceremony in Cahokia. Even before Fort Dearborn was built in 1803, he understood the importance to trade of the mouth of the Chicago River, then known as “Eschikagoa” meaning wild onion. With an appreciation for culture and languages, he became a wealthy trader who settled his home and commercial buildings near what is now the Tribune Tower, creating a center for trade in the area. But he sold his properties, returned to Peoria and then to St. Charles, Missouri, where he died poor in 1818, the same year Illinois became a state. In 1968 he was recognized by the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois as the first permanent resident and founder of the City of Chicago. Jean Baptiste Pointe Du Sable, www.blackhistorynow.com.

Illinois capitals

In 1818, as a prelude to statehood, Illinois adopted its first Constitution and selected Kaskaskia as its first state capital. Settled by French Jesuits, Kaskaskia was an important trading post and the capital of the Illinois territory. But Kaskaskia as our capital was short-lived; it is now an island with a population of less than 100. The Story of Kaskaskia Island, Illinois’ First State Capital, by Isaac Smith, www.thesouthern.com.

In 1820, the state capital was moved 80 miles east to a site selected by land speculators on an unpopulated bluff on the Kaskaskia River. Then known as Reeve’s Bluff, Vandalia had 3 different buildings that served as the capitol for 20 years. Local businessmen built one of them, hoping to sway the General Assembly to remain in Vandalia as rumors circulated of its potential move. Abraham Lincoln, then a legislator elected from Sangamon County, began his historic political career in the last capitol building constructed in Vandalia in 1836, which still stands today. Old State Capitol, www.vandaliaillinois.com.

As the state’s population grew northward, Lincoln helped convince colleagues to move the capital. Several locations were considered and a popular vote was taken. But instead of the popularly approved location, Lincoln convinced officials to move the capital to Springfield, centrally located within the State. These legislators were known as the “Long Nine” for their collective height.

The first capitol building in Springfield, begun in 1837, was the location of Lincoln’s “House Divided” speech and debates with Stephen A. Douglas. It was moved from its original location stone-by-stone in 1961. Carefully researched for authentic restoration, it is deemed “one of the most handsome and historic buildings in Illinois” where historic and cultural events in downtown Springfield take place, including citizenship ceremonies. Past Illinois Capitols, copied from the 1975-1976 Blue Book at The Illinois State Capitol, www.ilstatehouse.com. Barack Obama announced his candidacy for President at this Old State Capitol building, and later his choice of Joe Biden to serve as Vice President. Obama was one of four Presidents from Illinois, starting with the renown and respected Abraham Lincoln, whose homes in New Salem and Springfield have carefully been restored, then Ulysses S. Grant and Ronald Reagan, whose Illinois homes have also been preserved.

The current Statehouse was authorized in 1867; it is the sixth capitol building of Illinois. The Illinois State Capitol, www.ilstatehouse.com.

Illinois Constitutions, from the ISBA’s Understanding Illinois Constitutions, 2001 Edition

Like its capitals, Illinois’ four constitutions, too, have changed over time, reflecting changes in its population and governmental goals. With three branches of government like that established by the US Constitution, each maintained Illinois’ basic structure. The Illinois Constitution of 1818 created a strong legislature, with less powerful executive and judicial branches. Local government was barely mentioned, reflecting the rural nature of the agricultural economy. Illinois’ first constitution prohibited slavery in the new state, except in its main industry of the time, the southern Illinois salt mines operated by slaves, but then only until 1825.

Another constitution followed in 1848, three times as long as the original, reflecting a growing northern population, as defeat of the Indians in the Black Hawk war in 1832, and their removal, opened the north for settlement. Chicago became chartered in 1833. While Illinois’ southern settlers hailed from Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana, many northerners were from eastern states where townships were a primary form of local government. But due in part to an economic downturn, government spending became unpopular. Accordingly, the Constitution of 1848 recognized townships, but limited government through term limits, low salaries for government officials and restrictions on the organization of banks.

After the Civil War, Chicago grew rapidly. Railroads and the Michigan canal enhanced commerce throughout Illinois and agriculture became mechanized. By 1870, citizens disliked the restrictions on banks and government spending under the Illinois Constitution of 1948. More lawyers than farmers helped to rewrite the state constitution in 1870. While local government still was restricted, banking and government spending limits were relaxed; power of the judicial and executive branches grew. The Illinois Constitution of 1870 lasted 100 years.

By 1969, a new Constitutional Convention, Illinois’ sixth, met at the Old State Capitol, now with greater racial, gender and professional diversity, which included 13 blacks and 15 women. It was important to the drafters that the process be open and transparent, with an emphasis on compromise, especially given varying views on important issues. To that end, some issues were decided by the convention through bipartisan cooperation, while certain controversial issues such as capital punishment and whether to grant 18-year-olds the right to vote were decided by voters through a special issues ballot; capital punishment was retained, but 18-years-olds were not given the vote.

With the growth of suburbs, the power of local government took on increased significance as multiple taxing bodies by various government agencies also grew. Support of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley was deemed critical, but was conditioned on giving Home Rule power to the larger cities and counties. Retaining the nomination of judges, at least in their initial terms, was another condition for the Mayor’s support. Cumulative voting was supported, while the governor’s power was enhanced through the executive veto. The 1970 Illinois Constitution also gave Illinois citizens the right to be free from discrimination and the right to a healthful environment, this latter provision encouraging the argument that the state constitution provides standing for an independent constitutional environmental claim, an argument rejected by our court.

The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) and its Illinois LEARN program are responsible for an authoritative report on Illinois’ constitutions, intended to serve as a supplemental text for students, giving the procedural, historical, political and cultural background of each, as I have attempted to summarize above. Understanding the Illinois Constitution, 2001 Edition by Frank Kopecky and Mary Sherman Harris. www.isba.org. These authors even note the anecdote that before Chicago became chartered, the Bank of Shawneetown in southern Illinois rejected a loan request of a group of Chicagoans, in part due to Chicago being so far from the then-economic engine and populace of the state, noting too that this former Shawneetown bank is now just a historic site in southern Illinois. Illinois’ population drive from the south to north is also demonstrated in the historic County Boundary maps published by the Illinois Secretary of State by each year of statehood. Illinois County Boundaries 1790-present, www.ilgv.org. In 1970 Constitutional Convention Shaped Illinois’ Future at gconline.com, author Tom Emery notes that the Convention’s bipartisan cooperation was followed by political scandal, with four of Illinois’ governors imprisoned on felonies, some committed while in office, while a shoebox full of cash was discovered in a closet following the death of an Illinois Secretary of State and more recently, a Speaker of the US House of Representatives from Illinois was imprisoned on felonious charges.

Bicentennial Celebration

The bicentennial would not be complete with an executive order or two establishing a commission to help celebrate our statehood’s 200th. See Executive Order 2016-11 at www2.illinois.gov/Pages/government/execorders/2016_11.aspx. The celebration now includes a bicentennial brew and logo. www.Illinois200.com. 