Statehood 1818

Illinois

The area of present-day Illinois was first claimed by France following the 1673 expedition of Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette, and was governed as the Illinois Country, initially under the French province of Canada and later annexed to Louisiana in 1717. Following the French defeat in the French and Indian War, the region east of the Mississippi was ceded to Britain in 1764 and became part of the British Province of Quebec. During the American Revolutionary War, George Rogers Clark's Illinois campaign wrested control from the British, and by 1784 Virginia had ceded its claims to the U.S. government, incorporating the area into the Northwest Territory. Illinois was organized as a separate territory on March 1, 1809, and admitted to the Union as the State of Illinois on December 3, 1818.

Statehood
1818
Historic sites
2,017
Military engagements
207

Pre-contact era

The Illinois region was home to several Native American cultures prior to European contact. The Northwest Territory, which included Illinois, was home to peoples including the Lenape (also Delaware), Miami, Potawatomi, Shawnee, and others. The territory's name references the Illinois Confederation, a group of related Algonquian native peoples.

Colonial history

The Illinois Country was governed from the French province of Canada until 1717 when, by order of King Louis XV, it was annexed to the French province of Louisiana, becoming known as 'Upper Louisiana'. French colonial settlement was concentrated along the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers.

During the American Revolutionary War, Virginian George Rogers Clark led the Illinois campaign against the British. Illinois Country east of the Mississippi River along with what was then much of Ohio Country became part of Illinois County, Virginia, claimed by right of conquest. The county was abolished in 1782.

The Northwest Territory was established in 1787 by the Congress of the Confederation through the Northwest Ordinance. Illinois was part of the Northwest Territory until the Illinois Territory was organized on March 1, 1809.

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Geology
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Conflict & War
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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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Notable People
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Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
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Explore Illinois records

2,017
National Register historic sites
National Register listings ›
207
Military engagements
Military history records ›
2
Civil War regiments
Union, Confederate, USCT ›
10
Indigenous groups
Heritage records ›
70
Notable figures
Born in Illinois ›
44
Colonial-era events
1492 to early statehood ›
1
Archaeological sites
Prehistoric sites ›
Illinois counties
Census population history ›
Sources

State history content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Historic sites data: National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

About Illinois

When did Illinois become a state?
Illinois was admitted to the Union in 1818.
What European powers colonized Illinois?
The territory that became Illinois passed through several colonial periods. The Illinois Country was governed from the French province of Canada until 1717 when, by order of King Louis XV, it was annexed to the French province of Louisiana, becoming known as 'Upper Louisiana'. French colonial settlement was concentrated along the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. During the American Revolutionary War, Virginian George Rogers Clark led the Illinois campaign against the Brit
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