Synopses & Reviews
Review
andquot;Biles' first-rate primer on the state's history will be a useful resource for anyone curious about a state whose residents have played crucial roles in almost every major episode in the nation's history.andquot;andmdash;Chicago Tribune
Review
andquot;Lively and informative.... Biles clearly and cogently traces the Prairie State's distinctive history, from its earliest geological and Indian eras to the present.andquot;andmdash;The Annals of Iowa
Review
andquot;A scholarly and highly accessible survey text that balances the rural and urban experience.andquot;andmdash;Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society
Review
Award of Excellence, Illinois State Historical Society, 2006
Synopsis
Crossroads of the continent, Land of Lincoln, hub of commerceandmdash;or, as Charles Dickens viewed it, a landscape andquot;oppressive in its barren monotonyandquot;andmdash;Illinois boasts a rich and varied past. In this far-reaching but compact history, Roger Biles provides a much-needed, up-to-date account of the stateandrsquo;s development, from the early native settlements to the present. Focusing on Illinoisandrsquo;s demographic changes over time, he highlights the key figures who contributed to the stateandrsquo;s government, economy, culture, and the arts.
While devoting attention to the touchstones of history, Illinois illuminates also the achievements of ordinary people, including the women, the African Americans, and the other minorities whoandmdash;along with the politicians, the captains of industry, and the military heroesandmdash;contributed to the stateandrsquo;s growth and prosperity. National events shaped the state as well, and Biles explores the impact of such crises as the Civil War and World War II on the people of Illinois.
No history of Illinois can ignore the stateandrsquo;s largest city, the dynamic metropolis on Lake Michiganandmdash;Chicago. Drawing on extensive research, Biles illuminates Chicagoandrsquo;s pastandmdash;its outbursts of labor unrest and racial tensions as well as the splendors of two worldandrsquo;s fairs and an artistic renaissanceandmdash;while at the same time relating Chicago to the larger story of Illinois and its people.
Connecting lesser-known stories with the main events of the stateandrsquo;s past, Biles writes in an accessible style that is at once entertaining and enlightening. Featuring 67 illustrations, Illinois will captivate readers of all ages and interests.
About the Author
Roger Biles, Professor of History at Illinois State University, is the author of five other books, including Richard J. Daley: Politics, Race, and the Governing of Chicago and Crusading Liberal: Paul H. Douglas of Illinois.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
List of maps
Preface
1 The Indians and the French
2 British Colonial Rule and American Independence
3 From Territory to Statehood
4 Settling the Frontier
5 Slave State or Free?
6 Civil War
7 A Modernizing World
8 The Spirit of Reform
9 An Artistic Renaissance
10 World War I and the Red Scare
11 Prosperity and Depression
12 World War II
13 Postwar Boom and Suburban Growth
14 Turbulence and Change
15 An Uncertain Future
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliographical Essay
Index