History 219: Illinois and Local History

Course Objectives and Grading Policies

This course focuses upon Illinois from its prehistory to the present with special attention to the local setting. In the process, we will:

1. Explore the impact of the state's geography upon its history.

2. Investigate the contributions of different groups—European, African American, Native American, male and female—in the economic, social, political, and literary development of Illinois.

3. Consider the ways in which the history of this state illustrates, amplifies, and explains the larger history of the United States.

By the end of the course, students should be able to understand and explain:

· The factors that influenced the geography of Illinois.

· The impact of early European exploration and settlement on Illinois.

· The influence of the Northwest Ordinance upon Illinois's political development, especially where slavery was concerned.

· The process through which Illinois became a state (both in the local and in the national context), and the development of the first state constitution in 1818.

· The development of Chicago and the ways in which it influenced the growth of the young state.

· The impact of internal improvements on the development of Illinois, especially the Illinois-Michigan Canal.

· The contributions to Illinois made by women and by various ethnic groups.

· The ways in which railroads, telegraphs, and similar technologies contributed to Illinois's early development as an industrial state.

· The role of Illinois in the Civil War and the context of the repeal of the state's Black Code in 1865.

· The ways in which the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 influenced the subsequent development of Chicago.

· The factors underlying the agricultural and industrial discontent that emerged in Illinois and the Midwest in the late 1800s.

· The causes and effects of the Great Migration of African‑Americans from the South to Chicago.

· Illinois's role in World War I and the effect of conflicting loyalties on her large immigrant populations.

· The ways in which Prohibition and the rise of organized crime were affected by the political landscape of Chicago.

· The impact of the Great Depression and the New Deal on Illinois.

· Illinois's role in World War II.

· The factors underlying the movement from the city to the suburbs during the 1950s and 1960s.

· The ways in which Chicago was affected by the racial and political turmoil of the 1960s.

· How the Constitution of 1970 was crafted as a response to the changing needs of the state, and how it affected its subsequent development.

Grading Policies

Student grades will be based upon the following:

Research paper 100 points

Primary source essays (2) 50 points (25 points each)

Quizzes 50 points

Exam #1 75 points

Exam #2 75 points

Final Exam 100 points

Class Participation 50 points

Final Grade 500 points

Students may also earn extra credit in consultation with the instructor.

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Last updated August 22, 2005