Illinois Admitted to the Union
Illinois was admitted to the Union on December 3, 1818, becoming the 21st state of the United States. This admission occurred shortly after Illinois gained territorial status, during a period of rapid westward expansion in the early 19th century. Although the state faced a significant hurdle, as it needed to meet a population requirement of 60,000 free inhabitants set by the Northwest Ordinance, Illinois had only about 40,000 residents at the time. A pivotal figure in this process was Daniel Cook, a young lawyer and editor, who advocated for statehood through his newspaper, The Western Intelligencer. He discovered that territories with populations over 35,000 could still petition for statehood under certain conditions, which led the territorial legislature to apply for admission. Congress approved the application, and President Monroe signed it into law. Kaskaskia became the first capital of Illinois, later moving to Vandalia and then to Springfield. Cook's contributions to Illinois were recognized posthumously when Cook County was named in his honor, which is now the location of Chicago.
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Illinois Admitted to the Union
Illinois Admitted to the Union
Throughout the 19th century the people of the United States pushed the borders of their nation relentlessly westward. The old Northwest Territory attracted settlers early in the century, and between 1810 and 1820 tens of thousands of settlers flocked to what is now the Midwest. The population of Illinois alone multiplied so quickly that on December 3, 1818 (only nine years after gaining territorial status), Illinois was admitted to the Union as the 21st state.
One major obstacle blocked the admission of Illinois as a state in 1818. As a part of the old Northwest Territory, Illinois had to adhere to the regulations of the Northwest Ordinance governing the creation of states from the territory. The 1787 ordinance stipulated that a population of 60,000 free inhabitants was required before an area could be admitted as a state. However, in 1818 Illinois had little more than 40,000.
Nevertheless, Daniel Cook, a young lawyer and the publisher of a small newspaper in Kaskaskia, worked to make Illinois a state. On November 20, 1817, he wrote the first of a series of editorials in his paper, The Western Intelligencer, urging that Illinois gain statehood before slave-holding Missouri. Cook discovered that it was possible under certain circumstances for a territory to become a state with a population of only 35,000, and since Illinois had over 40,000 residents he urged the territorial legislature to apply for statehood. Cook's arguments impressed the territorial legislators, and they even incorporated quotations from his editorials in the official request for statehood that they sent to Congress.
Congress approved the application, and on December 3, 1818, President James Monroe signed the act of administration that made Illinois the 21st state. Kaskaskia served as the first capital of the state, but in 1820 the seat of government was moved to Vandalia. Seventeen years later the capital was permanently moved to Springfield.
Daniel Cook had an important role in the state's early history. He served as the state's first attorney general and was elected to several terms in the United States House of Representatives before he died in 1827 at the age of 33. In gratitude for his efforts on behalf of his home state, in 1831 the Illinois legislature named a new county that it had just created in his honor. Cook County has proved to be a substantial memorial to Daniel Cook, for today it is the location of the metropolis of Chicago.