illinois

            When traveling across the United States of America it is easy to see that Illinois sticks out as one of the country's best states. The Land of Lincoln plays an intricate role in keeping the country functioning by producing industrially and agriculturally while serving as a center for importing and exporting. Illinois is home to some of the biggest, best, and oldest landmarks in America which gives visitors a reason to see these one of a kind structures with their own eyes. Illinois has everything from beautiful architecture to endless entertainment and it all comes with a rich culture and history to wrap it in. Illinois has a very rich history which dates back even further than 1818, which is the year it became the country's twenty-first state. The original people of Illinois were known as the Illinois Indians which were a series of tribes scattered throughout what is today southern Illinois. The territory was first settled by the French in 1673 as part of the colony of Louisiana, but was taken over by the British a hundred years later (Jensen). After becoming a state, Illinois played a fairly large role in the Civil War by supplying many of the soldiers fighting for the Union. Union General Ulysses S Grant and President Abe Lincoln were two of the biggest figures at the time, and they both called Illinois home (2010). After the Civil War many African Americans from the south moved up to Illinois with a large portion of them settling in the south side of Chicago. So many people had moved up north from the south at the time that it was referred to as "The Great Migration ". Around the same time this is taking place, the construction of the Illinois Waterway and rapid growth of the Illinois Railroad System was beginning to take place producing many jobs for those who moved North (Jensen).
             Illinois is an extremely important agricultural state which produces a large portion of the corn, soybeans, wheat, and dairy products used in the United States.