Illinois

War History and Military Conflicts of Illinois

From the pre-Columbian Cahokia civilization — one of the largest cities in the world at its peak — to police violence in Chicago, Illinois has played a significant role in America's military history.

Colonial Era and Native American Wars

In 1673, French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet entered the Illinois region. The French established trading posts and missions. In 1763, after the French and Indian War, Britain took control. During the American Revolution, George Rogers Clark led the Illinois campaign in 1778, capturing British posts. The Black Hawk War of 1832 was the last major war between Natives and Americans in the Great Lakes region. The US Army under General Henry Atkinson defeated the Sauk and Fox peoples led by Chief Black Hawk. This war led to the forced removal of thousands of Natives.

American Civil War (1861–1865)

Illinois was one of the most important Union states. Over 250,000 soldiers from Illinois served in the Union Army — the highest per capita ratio of any Northern state. Abraham Lincoln, the wartime president, was from Illinois. Camp Douglas in Chicago was one of the most notorious POW camps in American history. Over 4,000 Confederate prisoners died here from starvation, disease, and extreme cold. The death rate reached 23%. Conditions were so terrible that prisoners were forced to eat rats and dogs to survive.

Labor Movement and State Repression

Illinois is the birthplace of some of the most important labor battles in American history. On May 4, 1886, the Haymarket bombing in Chicago killed 7 police and several workers. Eight anarchist labor leaders were arrested and four were executed. This event became a turning point in world labor history, and May Day became International Workers' Day. The Pullman Strike of 1894, led by Eugene Debs and the American Railway Union, crippled the nation's railroads. President Grover Cleveland deployed 12,000 federal troops to crush the strike.

War on Drugs and Urban Violence

Chicago became the epicenter of America's War on Drugs. Since the 1980s, gang violence in Chicago's Black and Latino neighborhoods has killed thousands. The Chicago Police Department used repressive and illegal methods, leading to the mass incarceration of thousands of Black and Latino people.

Police Violence in Chicago

The Chicago Police Department has a long record of violence and corruption. The 2014 killing of Laquan McDonald by Officer Jason Van Dyke with 16 bullets was one of the most infamous cases. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the city government tried to hide the video for over a year. This led to massive protests and a Department of Justice investigation that concluded in 2017 that CPD systematically uses excessive force against Black and Latino people.