In 1673–74, with a commission from the Canadian government, Marquette and Louis Jolliet explored the Mississippi River territory from Green Bay to the Arkansas River, including the Illinois River valley.

Why did Europeans come to Illinois?

In 1673, French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet were the first Europeans to arrive in Illinois. … They claimed the land for France and soon the French were moving in to establish the fur trade with the local natives.

What were Marquette and Joliet looking for?

Despite sharing a goal to find the river, the two leaders’ ambitions were different: Joliet, an experienced mapmaker and geographer, was focused on the finding itself, while Marquette wanted to spread the word of God among the people he encountered on the way there.

When did Marquette and Joliet explore Illinois?

On May 17, 1673, Father Jacques Marquette and fur trader Louis Joliet set out on a four-month voyage that carried them thousands of miles through the heart of North America to explore the path of the Mississippi River.

Where did Louis Joliet explore?

Louis Joliet was a 17th century Canadian explorer who, aided by Native American communities, explored the origins of the Mississippi River.

Was there slaves in Illinois?

For a free state, Illinois had a long tradition of slavery. The first black slaves were brought to the American Bottom area by the French in 1719. Some descendants of those first slaves were still in servitude at the time of statehood in 1818.

Who first discovered Illinois?

The first Europeans to visit Illinois were the French explorers Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette in 1673, when they explored the Mississippi and Illinois rivers.

Who did Louis Joliet sail for?

Under the patronage of François de Laval, he sailed for France and spent 1667–68 in Paris and La Rochelle.

What did Jacques Cartier discover?

During that first expedition, he explored the western coast of Newfoundland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence as far as today’s Anticosti Island, which Cartier called Assomption. He is also credited with the discovery of what is now known as Prince Edward Island.

What Native American tribe did Marquette and Joliet become friends with?

A symbol to all that their mission was a peaceful one. As the resumed their down river course, Marquette and Jolliet related their voyagers the tale of meeting with the tribe of Illini Indians. They had feasted and held counsel with their hosts and of the gift of the calumet. Bravery had been rewarded.

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Did Marquette and Joliet discover the Mississippi River?

Marquette and Joliet didn’t discover the Mississippi River, but their reports of the Indians they met and the natural resources they saw did lead French officials to construct a network of trading posts across the region to exploit its resources, primarily fur, and to introduce Christianity to native peoples.

What did Father Jacques Marquette do?

Jacques Marquette S.J. (June 1, 1637 – May 18, 1675), sometimes known as Père Marquette or James Marquette, was a French Jesuit missionary who founded Michigan’s first European settlement, Sault Sainte Marie, and later founded Saint Ignace.

When did Champlain established Quebec?

Known as the “Father of New France,” Champlain founded Quebec (1608), one of the oldest cities in what is now Canada, and consolidated French colonies. He also made important explorations of what is now northern New York, the Ottawa River, and the eastern Great Lakes.

When was Jacques Marquette born?

Jacques Marquette, byname Père (Father) Marquette, (born June 1, 1637, Laon, Fr. —died May 18, 1675, Ludington, Mich.), French Jesuit missionary explorer who, with Louis Jolliet, travelled down the Mississippi River and reported the first accurate data on its course.

What was Lasalle motivation?

By 1677, La Salle had prospered, controlling a large share of the fur trade, but relentless ambition drove him to seek more. He once again sailed to France to obtain permission to explore the western part of New France and the Mississippi in hopes of finding a water route to China.

What's the oldest city in Illinois?

Map Kaskaskia, the oldest town in the state and the first capitol of Illinois.

How old is Illinois?

It was founded in 1813. Illinois became the 21st state on December 3, 1818.

What was Illinois named after?

Illinois was named after the Illinois River, which was named by French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle in an attempt to map the region’s many rivers and waterways.

How did slavery start in Illinois?

It begins with the colonial slave laws that came from France (because Illinois was a French territory). And so slavery, at least the enslavement of Africans and then later African American people, started in the French settlements, at least as early as 1720, maybe even before that.

What year did Illinois become a free state?

Some residents wanted slavery to be permitted. However, Illinois was admitted to the Union in 1818 as a free state. However, the constitution of 1818 allowed for limited slavery in the salt mines and allowed current slave owners to retain there slaves.

What states were free states during slavery?

Slave statesYearFree statesVirginia1788New HampshireNorth Carolina1789New York (Slave until 1799)Kentucky1792Rhode IslandTennessee1796Vermont

Who named Canada?

European explorer Jacques Cartier transcribed the Saint-Lawrence Iroquoian word (pronounced [kanata]) as “Canada” and was the first European to use the word to refer not only to the village of Stadacona but also to the neighbouring region and to the Saint Lawrence River, which he called rivière de Canada during his …

What happened on Jacques Cartier's first voyage?

Jacques Cartier made three voyages to Canada. Believing he had discovered the passage to Asia, he travelled to the head of the bay, but then had to backtrack. … A storm drove him into the bay of Gaspé, where he met more than 300 people from Stadacona (Québec), who had come there to fish.

What did Robert de La Salle discover?

René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle (1643-1687), was a French explorer and colonizer, best known for his discovery of the Mississippi Delta. His career is a remarkable tale of wanderings in North America and of the intrigues of Versailles.

What did Henry Hudson discover?

Henry Hudson failed to find the passage to the Orient, he discovered New York City, the Hudson River, the Hudson Strait, and the Hudson Bay.

What did the French call the Mississippi River?

The Mississippi, otherwise called by the French, the Saint Louis River, river in North America, the most considerable part in Louisiana, which is crosses from one side to the other up until its outlet into the sea.

Was Jacques Marquette a priest?

Jacques Marquette, Jesuit priest, missionary, explorer (b at Laon, France 10 June 1637; d at the mouth of a river later called the Père Marquette R, Mich 18 May 1675). Contemporaries regarded Marquette as a gifted linguist who founded the St-Ignace Mission and opened the Illinois country to missionaries.

Did Robert De La Salle have a wife?

La Salle never married, but has been linked to Madeleine de Roybon d’Allonne, an early colonizer of New France.

Who sponsored Marquette and Joliet?

French officials commissioned Louis Joliet and Father Marquette to explore the region and to claim that vast stretch of land for the French Crown. Count de Frontenac, vice-regent to Louis XIV, saw this expedition as the first step in creating a French empire stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Who first explored the Mississippi River?

On May 8, 1541, south of present-day Memphis, Tennessee, Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto reaches the Mississippi River, one of the first European explorers to ever do so.

When was the Mississippi River discovered?

The Basics It shows Spanish conquistador and explorer Hernando De Soto (1500–1542), riding a white horse and dressed in Renaissance finery, arriving at the Mississippi River at a point below Natchez on May 8, 1541. De Soto was the first European documented to have seen the river.