Free
Illinoisans have never taken a back seat to anyone. Whether it’s our cities and towns. Or our creativity, inventions, or politics.
Many of our stand-out people and places are known throughout the country. Here’s your chance to get to know some of them. And some of Chicago’s most important places as well.
◀ As a young man, Abraham Lincoln moved with his family to Illinois. He started out in Macon County. Then he moved to New Salem. Lincoln and his family finally settled in Springfield and stayed there until he was elected president. Early in life, Lincoln was a handyman and a store clerk. In 1834, he was elected to state government. At that time he began to study law. Lincoln was a one-term representative from Illinois in the U.S. Congress. He ran for president in 1860 and 1864 and won. In 1955, Illinois officially became the “Land of Lincoln.”
Tammy Duckworth is from a family that had many difficulties. At 16, she worked to help keep the family from becoming homeless. To save money for college, she joined the ROTC. ROTC stands for Reserve Officers Training Corps. It prepares students to be officers in the armed forces. Duckworth studied at Northern Illinois University and joined the Illinois National Guard. In 2004, she flew a helicopter in the Iraq War. A grenade went off in her lap. Duckworth lost both her legs. She also lost partial use of her right arm. But that didn’t stop her. Since 2013, Duckworth has been in the U.S. Congress representing Illinois. ▶
Think Piece!
Think about the lives of Abraham Lincoln and Tammy Duckworth. What lessons can you draw from them?
◀ Barak Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. As a young man, he moved to Chicago. There, he worked with low-income communities. Obama won two terms as an Illinois state senator in 1996 and 1998. In 2004, he won his race to be senator from Illinois in the U.S. Congress. Four years later, he became the first Black president of the Unites States. Obama won a second term in 2012. While in office, he signed legislation that encouraged fair pay for all workers. He also signed the Affordable Care Act. The act greatly improved access to healthcare.
Reflection
Reflect on Obama’s election. Do you think it was an important moment in U.S. history? Why or why not?
More from Illinois
Enrico Fermi was born in Rome. He became a U.S. citizen. Fermi was a professor of physics at the University of Chicago. While there, he led a team of scientists to build the world’s first nuclear reactor.
You could call Millennium Park a rooftop garden. It’s built on top of two underground parking garages in the middle of Chicago’s business center. Cloud Gate is a sculpture in the park. It reflects views of the city’s skyline. The sculpture is nicknamed the “Bean” because of its shape.
