Historic state, historic conference
20th Conference on Illinois History explores the state’s bicentennial legacy Oct. 4-5

 

[September 22, 2018] 

SPRINGFIELD – The first 200 years of Illinois statehood included traumatized Civil War soldiers, heroic Tuskegee airmen and dedicated abolitionists. It saw immigrants building new lives, minorities fighting for equality and artists producing unforgettable works.

All those stories and many others will be told Oct. 4 and 5 at the Conference on Illinois History, presented by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

Now in its 20th year, the conference also includes a presentation by Frank Cicero Jr., author of “Creating the Land of Lincoln,” and a roundtable discussion of the different ways museums are celebrating the state bicentennial. There will be a special tour of the newly renovated Illinois Governor’s Mansion and a reception co-sponsored with the University of Illinois Press,

“It’s the 20th history conference and the 200th birthday of Illinois, so we’ve worked hard to make this event special,” said Alan Lowe, executive director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. “The experts we’re bringing together will bring new attention to unfamiliar parts of state history and offer new insights into the stories people think they know already.”

The price is $90 to attend both days or $50 for a single day. (The student prices are $45 and $25.) There’s also an option for people who want to attend but don’t have a full day to spare. They can attend the luncheon sessions are $15 each.

To register, visit www.PresidentLincoln. illinois.gov  and click on “special event reservations.” See the conference program at bit.ly/2018historyconference.

The Thursday lunch features a roundtable discussion on how museums and educational institutions are presenting the Illinois Bicentennial in their exhibits and programming.

Among the participants are Lowe, from the ALPLM; Russell Lewis, chief historian at the Chicago History Museum; Karen Everingham, president of the Illinois Association of Museums, and Robert Sill, interim director of the Illinois State Museum.

The speaker at Friday’s lunch session will be Frank Cicero Jr., author of “Creating the Land of Lincoln: The History and Constitutions of Illinois, 1778-1870.” He will zero in on a single, key date: April 18, 1818, when President James Monroe signed legislation that would let Illinois become a state later that year.

“This conference is not just for experts,” said Dr. Samuel Wheeler, the Illinois state historian. “Anyone with an interest in history can attend and hear what’s being discovered about the men and women who contributed to the story of Illinois.”

Topics include:

George and Arnold Cisco, the only brothers to join the famous Tuskegee Airmen of World War II.

Yasu Hishikawa, a Japanese woman who risked everything to reach America and study medicine in the 1880s.

Post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans returning from the Civil War

Anti-German hysteria in World War I that led to the lynching of an immigrant

Corruption and controversy in the 1982 race for Illinois governor

“Sundown” towns where African-Americans were banned at night.

The conference also includes sessions designed specifically for teachers interested in learning new ways to explore history in the classroom. Participating teachers can earn professional-development credit.

[Christopher Wills]