Lunch and Learn Series explains how Illinois rejected slavery but wasn’t free for all

The UIS Alumni SAGE Society and the Illinois State Historical Society recently hosted a presentation titled “Illinois Rejects Slavery,” featuring Illinois Humanities Road Scholar Dr. Caroline Kisiel. The presentation discussed the summer of 1824 in Illinois when the Illinois General Assembly was on the brink of changing the state constitution to permit slavery outright. Dr. Kisiel explained the sentiments at the time from both abolitionists and enslavers. She also shared how despite Illinois being a free state, slavery found its way within the state’s borders.