Avenues of Transformation: Illinois's Path from Territory to State

Illinois became a state in 1818. As it proceeded down the path toward statehood, its territorial delegate to Congress, Nathanial Pope, wrote: “We will enter upon a state government with better prospects than any state ever did. — the best soil in the world, a mild climate, a large state, with the most ample funds to educate every child in the state; however poor, a man may well hope to see his child rise to the head of this almighty nation, if he has talents and virtue.” Pope wasn't wrong in his assessment of Illinois, and with this in mind, one would have thought the road to statehood for Illinois would have been easy. Of course, nothing is ever as simple as it seems. James Edstrom, in his excellent book Avenues of Transformation: Illinois's Path from Territory to State superbly outlines the challenges Illinois faced to become a state. He does so in an exciting yet concise way that makes this book not only informative but accessible to historians and general readers alike.Although several people were involved in the creation of Illinois as a state, Edstrom chooses to tell this story by emphasizing the role of three individuals. There is Daniel Pope Cook, a young, ambitious Kentuckian who began the campaign for statehood when no one else was even considering it. There is also Nathaniel Pope, another Kentucky native, who brilliantly shepherded the statehood legislation through Congress as Illinois's territorial delegate. Finally, there is Elias Kent Kane, a rare northerner in Illinois at that time, whose efforts on the mechanics of becoming a state, as laid out by the April 18, 1818, Congressional Enabling Act, influenced the shape of early Illinois government for a generation.As Edstrom notes in his introduction, there have been other accounts of how Illinois became a state. And, in fact, he wisely uses these various histories in his own narrative, citing them as sources and choosing to build on, rather than compete with, them. In doing so, he demonstrates how the telling of history changes with each generation. In Edstrom's telling, the role of slavery, for example, is given much more importance than in many past histories of the state's creation. His strong bibliography and use of primary sources also show he had better access to resources than earlier historians.Edstrom's other areas of focus are spot on. He deftly places the struggle for statehood into the context of larger, national issues of the time, including slavery and especially the role of the federal government in funding and building infrastructure improvements related to transportation. He gives strong emphasis to the importance of personal and familial relationships in helping to shape Illinois. Among the personal relationships he highlights are those with John Quincy Adams, who served as a mentor to Cook and who developed a professional friendship with Pope. Like other accounts of the state's creation, Edstrom discusses the role of the two rival factions that developed in the Illinois political world and also the importance of patronage and land acquisition. One of the many strengths of this book is his detailed analyses of the state's first Constitution.While Edstrom could have spent more time on some of the other founding fathers of the state and their roles, including Ninian Edwards, one of our first two US senators, and Shadrach Bond, our first governor, overall, this is a well-researched book and a compelling telling of the story. Avenues of Transformation was the recipient of the Illinois State Historical Society's Book of the Year in 2023 and deservedly so. There is no better review of the founding of Illinois than this book and no better storyteller about that founding than James Edstrom.