The Indians, the French, and the British

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ILLINOIS
Illinois History Digest
A Guide for Teachers
ARCHMO0PY
NUMBER 1
The Indians, the French, and the British
By PHYLLIS CONNOLLY
Following is a digest of essential information for
teachers who are conducting a unit on Illinois his-
tory during the periods of Indian, French, and
British occupation of the Illinois country. Teach-
ers may, of course, wish to adapt the material to
suit their own particular interests and those of their
students as well as to suit the time available for
such a unit.
Because so many teachers have said that they like
to approach the study of Illinois history through a
study of the state parks, the digest includes mention
of those parks whose history is relevant to the topic
at hand. A list of vocabulary words whose mean-
ing is essential to understanding the material has
also been prepared. Words to be learned are itali-
cized in the text. A brief chronology of Illinois
history up to 1818 has also been included.
Each section of the digest is introduced by a list
of guide questions. In their assigned reading, stu-
dents should try to answer these questions. After
completing their reading assignments and after class
discussion, they should have no difficulty in answer-
ing them. The digest also includes a suggested
unit quiz with answers.
At the conclusion of each section is a list of read-
ings pertaining to that section: one list for teachers,
one for students. At the conclusion of the outline
is an annotated bibliography which discusses each
reference briefly and gives information on obtain-
ing the works cited.
A.   The Indians of Illinois
1.    Prehistoric Indians
GUIDE QUESTIONS
What is the difference between  "historic"  and "pre-
historic" ?
How do we learn about prehistoric Indians?
When  and where did prehistoric Indians live in Illi-
What   do   we   know   about   how   prehistoric   Indians
lived?
Where  can we see remains  of prehistoric Indians in
Illinois today ?
a.     Many thousands of years ago, Illinois was
inhabited by Indians who have since vanished.
Probably they came to Illinois after years of wan-
dering during which they left Asia, crossed the
Bering Straits, and settled in America. They are
called prehistoric Indians because they left no writ-
ten information about themselves for us to study.
Historic Indians are those about whom we have
written records. What knowledge we have of the
prehistoric Indians we have gained by studying ob-
jects which they used and which have been found
buried in the ground, such as broken pieces of pot-
tery, arrowheads, beads, and pipes. The men who
dig up these objects and study them are called
archaeologists.
b.    We know that the earliest prehistoric Indians
got their food by hunting, fishing, and gathering
nuts and berries. They were nomads, which means
that they wandered from place to place instead of
settling down in one location. About the time of
Christ, the prehistoric Indians of Illinois began to
live in permanent villages and to grow their own
food: corn, beans, squash, gourds, pumpkins, and
melons.
c.    By 1000 A.D. the prehistoric Indians had de-
veloped some special beliefs about death and re-
ligion. They built huge mounds of earth in which
they buried their dead. They also shaped and deco-
rated pottery, fashioned tools out of copper, and
made jewelry out of mica, copper, and coal. Prob-
ably the most advanced group of these mound-
builders was the Hopewell Indians. Objects that
they made have been found on Starved Rock (a
state park) as well as in many other parts of the
state.
d.     From about 1200 to 1700 A.D. the Indians
developed a way of life that is known as the Mis-
sissippi   culture.     These   Indians  lived   in  villages