Abstract
Illinois has called six constitutional conventions, beginning with its statehood in 1818, resulting in four approved state constitutions, approved in 1818, 1847, 1870, and 1970, and two constitutions rejected by voters in 1862 and 1920–1922. Conventions have been called seeking constitutional remedies for various problems that arose as the state’s population grew. These included broad, general issues like the distribution of powers between government branches, the veto power of the governor, slavery, and suffrage, as well as more discrete issues, like improvement of rivers, the contracting out of convict labor, and the many concerns associated with the rapid growth of the Chicago metropolitan area. There currently exists no comprehensive annotated bibliography on the conventions and constitutions of Illinois. The intent of this work is to fill a dearth in the literature regarding Illinois constitutional conventions by providing bibliographic, and, when available, virtual, access to the published materials produced before, during, and after each of Illinois’ six constitutional conventions. This work anticipates the bibliographic needs of anyone wishing to research the state’s constitutional history, gathering together in one document the citations and, when freely available, links to all published materials produced before, during, and after each of Illinois’ six constitutional conventions.
Recommended Citation
Douglas W. Lind & Alicia G. Jones,
The Constitutional Conventions of Illinois; An Annotated Bibliography,
40
S. Ill. U. L.J.
221
(2015).
Available at:
https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/siulj/vol40/iss2/6