Illinois Statehood 200
December 3, 2018
Today, December 3, is the bicentenary of the Midwestern state of Illinois. Throughout 2018, bicentennial celebrations and events commemorated Illinois’s entrance to the Union as the 21st state in 1818.
A special Illinois bicentennial flag flew throughout the state in the later months of 2018. On August 26, the state’s Constitution Day, a new Bicentennial Plaza was dedicated in Springfield, the state capital, and a bicentennial motorcycle ride took participants to Illinois sites along the famous Route 66 highway, which begins in Chicago. Today, December 3, the Illinois Bicentennial Commission is hosting an official 200th birthday party at Chicago’s United Center.
The Illinois region was the home of Native Americans for thousands of years before French explorers first arrived in the late 1600’s. In 1717, Illinois became part of the French colony of Louisiana. In 1763, the British won control of Illinois along with the rest of France’s North American empire. The United States gained control of Illinois during the American Revolution (1775-1783), and in 1787 the region became part of the Northwest Territory. In 1800, Illinois became part of the Indiana Territory. In 1809, the Illinois Territory was created from what is now Illinois and the state of Wisconsin. After statehood in 1818, Illinois voters elected Shadrach Bond, a downstate landowner, as the state’s first governor. The south-central town of Vandalia served as the capital of Illinois until Springfield, just a short distance north, was designated the state capital in 1837.