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other materials under your desk
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THE MORMON EXPERIENCE
NAUVOO
Nauvoo
•On the Mississippi River, north of Quincy
•Originally called Commerce
Joseph Smith▫Founder of religion▫said he was visited by an angel
who told him of an ancient record containing God's dealings with the former inhabitants of the American continent.
▫In 1827, Joseph retrieved this record, inscribed on thin golden plates
▫began translating its manuscript, the Book of Mormon
•Built by Mormons in 1839•Led by Joseph Smith•Mormons had come from Missouri,
escaping persecution
Mormon Beliefs
•Founder of the Religion- Joseph Smith▫had a vision of angels as a young man
in New York State•American Indians were one of the lost
tribes of Israel•Jesus Christ had visited America•Mormons were a chosen people
Mormon Practices•Abstain from alcohol, tobacco, and
coffee•Give surplus wealth to church•Permitted to practice polygamy•Only those who joined their church
could go immediately to heaven
Mormons come to Illinois•Mormons settled in Northwest Missouri•Missourians were afraid of their anti-
slavery position and their growing political power
•Missouri militia expelled Mormons
•Illinois gave the Mormons refuge •Mormons settled in a swampy area
along the Mississippi and named it Nauvoo
•Built a city with brick homes, businesses and a temple.
•Farmland surrounded the city
•Nauvoo had complete home rule. •As their numbers grew, they could
hold political power by supporting one party or another and insure laws were passed favorable to themselves.
•The Nauvoo Army was second in size to the U.S. Army.
•Because of their power and beliefs nearby communities began to fear them.
•Accused of being a dictator, Joseph Smith was killed by an angry mob.
•After constant persecution, called the “Mormon War”, Brigham Young led the Mormons to Salt Lake City, Utah.
OTHER COLONY SETTLEMENTS
English immigrants•Came to Illinois because they were
unhappy with economic conditions in England
•Wanted better job opportunities for members of the English working class.
•Established a colony in Southeastern Illinois near the Wabash river
German Settlers
•The German settlers were quiet, serious, able and hard working.
•They left Germany for economic, political and religious reasons.
•Earliest settlements were in St. Clair and Fayette counties
Swedish Immigrants•Wished to escape religious intolerance in
Sweden •Were led to Bishop Hill in Henry County
by their leader, Eric Jansen.•Because of lack of funds, many of the men
walked the distance from New York to Bishop Hill.
Communal Living •Women and children traveled by water •All the wealth of the community was
held in common. •The twelve hundred people ate in a
common dining hall and the men, women, boys and girls all worked the thousands of acres of farm land
•After their labor was done they all attended religious services.
•Jansen controlled the commune very strictly and was challenged and killed by a rival
•After his death, the colony flourished
•Produced broomcorn, linens, and farm equipment
•Colony dissolved in 1861 after economic panic, and members divided the land among themselves
Bulgarian Immigrants •Immigrated to the Granite City,
Madison, and Venice area, during the 1800’s
•Political, religious, and economic disorder in Bulgaria caused migration to US
•Most were peasants and laborers in growing industries on east side of Mississippi River
•Most of the immigrants were single males, who saved money and returned home
• Many stayed and built Bulgarian Orthodox church, the first in the United States
•3 Bulgarian language newspapers were founded
•At one time the largest Bulgarian community in the US
Pin Oak Colony•Started in 1818 by former Governor
Edward Coles•Located east of Edwardsville•Originally populated by 17 free blacks•By 1848 consisted of over 300 •Population increase due to
immigration, both free blacks and runaway slaves
THE IRON HORSE INVADES THE PRAIRIE
RAILROADS COME TO ILLINOIS
Railroad Building•Illinois was ideally suited for
railroad building•With its broad prairies and
slightly rolling hills, construction crews would have no serious obstacles to overcome
Railroad Building•State spent $10 million for
railroads, river improvements, and roads
•Railroad building was halted during the depression of 1837.
•After the depression what monies Illinois could find went into the Illinois-Michigan canal.
•During the 1850’s Illinois began to build a railroad network
Railroad Building
Federal Aid
•Congress owned vast areas of undeveloped land
•Congress, persuaded by Stephen A. Douglas, gave alternate sections of land free to Illinois.
Township 36 sections Each section = 1 sq. mile (640
acres)
Land Granted by US Govt.
•Railroad companies were then encouraged to buy remaining sections
•As the railroads grew, settlers flocked to Illinois.
Federal Aid
Federal Aid•Agriculture thrived, as farmers were
able to get new tools and machinery•They could send grain and livestock
directly to market.
•Chicago became the center of trade, commerce and manufacturing.
• In thirty-three years, from 1837 to 1870, Chicago grew from 4,000 people to 300,000.
Federal Aid
Railroads in the Civil War
•Before the building of the railroads, Illinois had dealt primarily with the South because of the proximity to the Mississippi River.
Railroads in the Civil War•The railroads made connections
more effectively with the North and the East and brought Illinois strong Union ties
EDUCATION IN ILLINOIS: IT STARTED WITH A HICKORY STICK
Subscription Schools•Parents paid a teacher in cash or
produce to teach their children during the winter months when they weren't needed to harvest.
•There were no teacher requirements
•Students had to find their own textbooks and supplies
•The hickory stick to teach discipline was an important learning tool
•Teachers moved often and schoolhouses were often abandoned
Emphasis on Public Instruction
•Many of the settlers from New England or the East who came to Chicago to seek their fortunes had been accustomed to public school systems.
•They lobbied to pressure the legislature into giving them public money
Teacher Requirements
•To be a certified teacher one must show ability and pass tests in: ▫Reading and writing▫Mathematics and geography▫Grammar and history
JOHN BALDWIN TURNER
THE LAND GRANT COLLEGE IDEA
Land Grant Colleges
•The "land grant college idea" called for the federal government to give the states blocks of land
•the state could sell the land to pay for new universities to teach practical subjects such as agriculture and mechanics
Sponsor of the Land Grant College Idea
•Jonathan Baldwin Turner, a teacher at Illinois College in Jacksonville
•Advocated the creation of agricultural colleges
•He patented several farm machines
Morrill Act of 1862•Sponsored by
Senator Justin Morrill of Vermont
•Each state loyal to the union was given 30,000 acres of government land for each legislator sent to Washington in 1860.
Financing of the Land Grant College Idea•Illinois received 480,000 acres•The money from the land sold was
to be invested at 5% interest to provide a fund for the colleges whose main concerns would be agriculture and mechanical arts
Competition for the University Site•Logan, Champaign, McLean, and
Morgan Counties as well as Chicago submitted bids to become the home of the University
•To the surprise of many, Champaign County was chosen
•Chairman of the Committee to choose the University site was from Champaign County
The University Site•The cities of Champaign and
Urbana offered 1,000 acres of farm land which would be beneficial to an agricultural college
•There was already a suitable college building in existence between the two towns ▫College for ministers had been
built, before Civil War, but not completed
•110 male students attended Illinois industrial university in 1868
•The first women were enrolled in 1871
•Curriculum was expanded to include literature, fine arts and sciences
•Renamed the university of Illinois in 1885
Assignment 4.11. Who was Joseph Smith? 2. Whom do the Mormons think are the lost
tribes of Israel?3. Describe some of the beliefs and
practices of the Mormons. 4. Why were the Mormons "expelled" from
Missouri? 5. Nauvoo, the "City Beautiful," lasted only
six short years. Explain.
Assignment 4.21. Why did English immigrants come to
Illinois? 2. Describe the characteristics of the German
settlers. Why had they left their homeland? 3. How did the Swedish immigrants get to
Bishop Hill? Who was their leader and why did they leave Sweden?
4. Describe communal living at Bishop Hill. 5. What eventually happened to the commune?
Assignment 4.31. Explain why Illinois was an ideal state
for railroad building. 2. Railroad building was begun and then
stood still for more than ten years. Why? 3. Who persuaded Congress to grant
federal lands for railroad construction? How were the grants given?
4. As new lines of railroad were built, what happened to Illinois?
5. How did the railroads affect Illinois in the Civil War?
4.4•1. Why did the early pioneers reject
formal schooling? •2. Explain subscription schools. •3. What place did the hickory stick play in
education? •4. What put an emphasis on public
instruction in Chicago? •5. Explain the term teacher
requirements.
Assignment 4.51. Explain the term “land grant college
idea”? 2. Who was the leading spokesman for the
land grant college idea? 3. How was the number of acres each
state received calculated? 4. Explain the financing of the land grant
colleges5. How did Champaign County become the
university site?