Description
Book SynopsisAn account of the state's development, from the earliest native settlements. Focusing on the state's changing population over time, this book highlights the achievements of ordinary people, including the women, the African Americans, and the other minorities. Containing illustrations, it appeals to students of history and general readers alike.
Trade ReviewBiles' 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.
* Chicago Tribune *
Lively and informative.... Biles clearly and cogently traces the Prairie State's distinctive history, from its earliest geological and Indian eras to the present.
* THe annals of iowa *
A scholarly and highly accessible survey text that balances the rural and urban experience.
* Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society *
Table of ContentsTable 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
