Chronology 1700-1799
1700 Potawatomi Indians take control of the countryside surrounding Chicago. (Blanchard, op.cit., p. 109 / Morrison, op.cit., V.3, map, p. 8).
1702 French garrison at Chicago withdraws. (Dictionary of Canadian Biography, 1969, University of Toronto Press, V. 2, p. 435 / Hansen, op.cit., p. 49).
1712 (November 9) Father Pierre-Gabriel Marest, writing from the mission at Kaskaskia, first spelled the lake "Michigan." (Beckwith, op.cit., p. 165).
1717 Illinois becomes part of the French colony of Louisiana. (Alvord, op.cit., p. 191 / Illinois 68, op.cit., p. 22 / Morrison, op.cit., V. 1, p. 142 / Perrin's History of Illinois, J. Nick Perrin, Illinois State Register, Springfield, IL., 1906, p. 65 / A Chronology of Illinois History, Ellen M. Whitney, Compiler, Greenwood Publishing Group, Westport, CT, reprint, 1999, p. 3).
1718 Miami Indians are driven from the countryside surrounding Chicago by the Potawatomi and Chippewa. (Andreas, op.cit., p. 33, 68 / Reeling, op.cit., p. 37).2
1755 (June 8) French troops and their Potawatomi allies attack British forces under the command of Major General Edward Braddock near Fort Duquesne, present-day Pittsburgh, PA. Forces of the Virginia militia, under the command of Col. George Washington, are defeated by the Potawatomi and French forces. (Clifton, op.cit., p. 37-8).
1759 (September 18) British forces under the command of General Wolfe defeat French forces under the command of General Montcalm on the Plains of Abraham above Quebec City. (Morris (ed.), op.cit., p. 70).
1760 During the French and Indians War, French reinforcements pass through the Chicago area. (Alvord, op.cit., p. 242 / Morrison, V.3, op.cit., map 17).
1763 The Illinois Territory is ceded to Great Britain by France in the Treaty of Paris. (Illinois 68, op.cit., p. 22 / Morrison, op.cit., V.1, p. 142 / Perrin, op.cit., p. 7).
May Pontiac's war against the British begins. The western tribes, including the Potawatomi, attack British forts. (Morrison, op.cit., V. 1, p. 71).
1769 Pontiac, Chief of the Ottawa Indian tribe, is murdered in Cahokia, Illinois territory. (Encyclopedia Britannica, Multimedia Edition, 1999 edition).
1773 William Murray, a subject of Great Britain and an agent of the Illinois Land Company, holds a council in Kaskaskia with the chiefs of the Illinois and is deeded two tracts of land, one of which is north of the Illinois River and extends beyond the present site of Chicago. (Alvord, op.cit., pp. 301-02 / Andreas, op.cit., p. 69).
1774 (May 20) The British Parliament enacts the Quebec Act which extends British rule to the Ohio River, including the Illinois territory. (Alvord, op.cit., pp. 303-06 / Morrison, op.cit., V. 1, p. 142 / Morris, op.cit., p. 83.)
1775 (April 19) American Revolutionary War commences with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. (Morrison, op.cit., V. 1, p. 85 / Charles A. Beard, New Basic History of the United States, Doubleday, New York, 1960, p. 108).
1776 (July 4) A Declaration of Independence is approved by the Continental Congress without dissent. It is read in Philadelphia on July 8. (Morris, ed. op.cit., pp. 91-2).
1778 (February 23) George Rogers Clark captures Vincennes, Illinois territory from British forces led by Col. Henry Hamilton. (Morris, ed. op.cit., p. 100).
July 4 Lt. Col. George Rogers Clark, of the Virginia militia, occupies Kaskaski, Illinois territory. Organizes the territory for Virginia. (Morris, ed. op.cit., p. 100).
December 9 The Virginia legislature organizes the county of Illinois. (Alvord, op.cit., p. 335 / The Settlement of Illinois from 1830 to 1850, William Vipond Pooley, Bulletin of the University of Wisconsin, No. 220, Madison, WI., 1908, p. 313 / Bennett, op.cit., p. 7 / Morrison, op.cit., p. 142).
The North Branch of the Chicago River becomes known as "River Guarie" by the Indians and voyageurs because of a trader of that name who is located on the river's west bank near present-day Fulton Street. (Andreas, op.cit., p. 224 / Bennett, op.cit., p.6).
1779 (July 4) The French commander at Mackinac records that "Baptiste Pointe De Saible, a handsome negro, well educated, settled in Eschikagou; but much in the French interest." (Andreas, op.cit., 70 / Bennett, op.cit., p. 5).
1780 William Murray and others reorganize the Illinois Land Company. (Andreas, op.cit., p. 69).
ca. 1780 Saugenash (translated as "English") is born to British officer William Caldwell and a Potawatomi Indian woman* in Canada. He is given the English name of Billy Caldwell. (The Potawatomis, Keepers of the Fire, R. David Edmunds, University of Oklahoma Press, 1978, p. 172). He attends Jesuit schools in the Detroit area. (Edmunds, op.cit., p. 222).
1781 Potawatomi leader, Sigenak ("Blackbird"), an ally of George Rogers Clark and known to Patrick Henry, successfully attacks British positions on the St. Joseph River in southwestern Michigan. (Clifton, op.cit., p. 51).
October 19 British forces surrender to General George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia.
The Illinois Land Company petitions to cede all its land to the United States on the condition that one quarter should be reconveyed to it. The U. S. Congress denies the Company's right to the land. (Andreas, op.cit., pp. 69-70).
1783 (September 3) Treaty of Paris is signed. The United States obtains dominion over all British territory east of the Mississippi River, including the Illinois territory. (Charles B. Johnson, Growth of Cook County, A history of the large lake-shore county. Board of Commissioners of Cook County, 1960, p. 35 / Morrison, op.cit., p. 142).
1784 Virginia cedes dominion over the Illinois territory to the Federal government. ( Morrison, op.cit., V. 1, p. 143 / Johnson, op.cit., p. 36 / Pooley, op.cit., p. 313).
1785 (May 20) The Congress of the Confederation enacts the "Basic Land Ordinance" which provided for rectangular surveys dividing the land into townships of 6 square miles. Each township was then divided into 36 sections of 640 acres each. This ordinance is the foundation of all legal descriptions used to describe real property today. The area now known as Niles Township was assigned the following description: "Township 41 North". (Morrison, op.cit., V. 1, p. 113).
1786 William Burnett, a trader located in St. Joseph, Michigan, refers to "Chicago" in correspondence to various persons. (Andreas, op.cit., p. 72).
1787 (May 25) The Constitutional Convention, called to revise the Articles of Confederation, is called to order in Philadelphia as a quorum of 7 states is now present. George Washington is elected to be president of the Convention. (Morris, op.cit., pp. 116-17).
May 29 At the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Edmund Randolph of Virginia proposes the "Virginia Plan" of Union whose outline favors the creation of a new national government rather than mere revision to the Articles of Confederation. The matter is debated until June 13. (Morris, op.cit., p. 117).
June 11 At the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Roger Sherman of Connecticut proposes that representation in the lower house be proportional based upon population and that the upper house be composed of one vote for each state. This proposal is rejected. (Morris, op.cit., p. 117).
June 15 At the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, William Patterson of New Jersey proposes the "New Jersey" plan whose outline favors the retention of the Articles of Confederation but confers upon Congress the powers to tax and regulate foreign affairs among other changes. The issue which is debated is whether to amend the Articles of Confederation or to replace them with a new framework of government. (Morris, op.cit., p. 117).
July 12 - 16 At the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, the delegates, upon reconsideration, adopt the proposal championed by Roger Sherman of Connecticut which was previously rejected on June 11. (Morris, op.cit., p. 117).
July 13 The Congress of the Confederation enacts the "Northwest Ordinance" establishing the framework for governance of the territories north of the Ohio River, including the Illinois territory. (Morris, op.cit., p. 117 / Bennett, op.cit., p. 7 / Johnson, op.cit., p. 36 / Morrison, op.cit., p. 143).
July 19 - 23 At the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, the Delegates draft 23 "fundamental resolutions" forming a proposed outline of the new national government. The resolutions are referred to a 5 man Committee of Detail for final drafting. (Morris, op.cit., p. 119).
August 6 The Committee of Detail submits a draft of a proposed Constitution consisting of 23 articles to the Delegates for debate. (Morris, op.cit., p. 119).
August 6 - September 10 At the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, the delegates debate the merits of the proposed new Constitution. On September 8, the delegates appoint a 5 man Committee on Style and Arrangement is appointed consisting of William Johnson, Alexander Hamilton, Rufus King, James Madison and Gouverneur Morris. Morris is assigned to prepare the final draft for presentation to Congress. (Morris, op.cit., p. 119).
September 17 By a vote of 12 in favor and 0 opposed, the final Morris draft of the new Constitution is approved by the delegates.3 By terms of Article 9, it will become operative when ratified by 9 states. (Morris, op.cit., p. 119).
September 20 The Congress receives the proposed new national charter. On September 28th, it authorizes dissemination to the states for ratification. (Morris, op.cit., p. 119).
October 27 The first essay in support of ratification of the new Constitution appears in the New York newspapers. Its author is "Publius" the collective nom de plume for Alexander Hamilton (51 essays), James Madison (29 essays) and John Jay (5 essays). (Morris, op.cit., p. 119).
December 7 The State of Delaware is the first state to ratify the new federal constitution. (Morris, op.cit., p. 119).
1788 (February 7) The Commonwealth of Massachusetts becomes the 6th state to ratify the newly proposed Constitution. Its ratifying convention proposes 9 amendments be adopted including the provision that all powers not expressly granted to the federal government be reserved to the states. (Morris, op.cit., p. 119).
June 21 The state of New Hampshire becomes the 9th state to ratify the newly proposed Constitution. It now becomes binding on the states. Twelve amendments are proposed. (Morris, op.cit., p. 120).
September 13 The last Congress under the Articles of Confederation adopts a resolution fixing New York City as the seat of the new government. (Morris, op. cit., p. 120).
1789 (February 4) Presidential electors, pursuant to the provisions of the new federal Constitution, gather in New York City and cast votes for election of the first President of the United States. George Washington of Virginia receives 69 unanimous votes. (Morris, op.cit., p. 121).
April 30 George Washington is sworn in as the first President of the United States of America under the new federal Constitution. (Morris, op.cit., p. 121).
September 9 The House of Representatives recommends the adoption of 12 amendments to the federal Constitution. They are submitted to the states for ratification on September 25th. (Morris, op.cit., p. 121).
November 20 The state of New Jersey becomes the first state to ratify 10 of the 12 amendments proposed for adoption. (Morris, op.cit., p. 121).
1791 (December 15) The previously ratified "Bill of Rights" become effective. (Morris, op.cit., p. 121).
1794 (August) General "Mad Anthony" Wayne attacks a force of Potawatomi Indians at Fallen Timbers, near present-day Toledo, Ohio. As the British are under orders not to join battle with the Americans, the Potawatomi are defeated. (Clifton, op.cit., p. 63-4).
1795 (August 3) Treaty of Greenville (Indiana) is signed by 12 Indian Tribes, including the Potawatomi, Delaware, Miami, Seneca, Shawnee, and Wyandot. This treaty separated Indian lands from lands available for settlement by American settlers. The following described land was ceded: "one piece of land, six miles square, at the mouth of the Chicago River, emptying into the southwest end of Lake Michigan, where the fort formerly stood". (Morris, op.cit., p. 117 / Andreas, op.cit., pp. 35, 70, 79 / Beckwith, op.cit. p. 163 / Bennett, op.cit., p. 7 / Johnson, op.cit., p. 16 / Morrison, op.cit., V. 1, p. 143).
The first record of land in Niles Township owned by a non-native American appears in print. ("The World's Largest Village", Forest Emerson, Omnibus, October 1964, V. 1, #12, pp. 22-41). 4
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