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Social studies activity

Illinois's Story: The City That Rebuilt Itself & Invented the Modern World

In 1871, a huge fire burned through Chicago — but here's the wild part: within 20 years, Chicago had become the SECOND biggest city in America! How does a city have a big fire and come back even bigger and better? Let's find out — and build our own city!

Hands OnAbout 25 minutesScreen-freeParent help expected

Materials and setup

How this changes by age

Pre-K (ages 3–4)

In 1871, a huge fire burned through Chicago — but here's the wild part: within 20 years, Chicago had become the SECOND biggest city in America! How does a city have a big fire and come back even bigger and better? Let's find out — and build our own city!

Difficulty 1 of 3

Steps

  1. Draw two pictures side by side: on the left, lots of houses and buildings. On the right, draw the same neighborhood with even TALLER, shinier buildings — the new Chicago!
  2. Ask: 'If you could rebuild something from scratch, what would you make it look like?'
  3. Say: 'When Chicago rebuilt, they invented something brand new — buildings held up by steel skeletons instead of thick walls. That meant buildings could go way up into the sky for the FIRST TIME EVER!'
  4. Use blocks or books to build a tall tower together. Count how many layers you can stack.
  5. Count together: the fire was in 1871. Chicago became the second-biggest city in 1890. How many years did that take? (19 years) That is SO fast!

Learning objectives

  • Wonder at how a city could rebuild and come back even bigger and better
  • Notice that challenges can lead to exciting new inventions and ideas
  • Ask: what would YOU invent if you had to start over and build something new?

Kindergarten (ages 5–6)

After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, Chicago's people made an incredible decision — they didn't leave. They rebuilt! And because they were rebuilding everything at once, they got to invent totally new ideas. Within 22 years Chicago hosted the 1893 World's Fair, drawing 27 million visitors — more than the entire U.S. population at the time! Draw Chicago before the fire and after — two panels, one incredible comeback story.

Difficulty 2 of 3

Steps

  1. Fold your paper into two panels. Label them: '1870: Before' and '1893: After.'
  2. Panel 1 (Before): Draw wooden buildings packed close together along a river. Ask: 'Why would wooden buildings so close together be a problem if a fire started?'
  3. Panel 2 (After): Draw tall new stone and steel buildings — taller than before! Add a giant Ferris wheel (the very first one was built for Chicago's 1893 World's Fair!) and a sign: '27 million visitors!'
  4. Ask: 'Why would Chicago want to host a giant World's Fair right after rebuilding? What would they want to show the world?'
  5. Write or dictate: 'Chicago rebuilt and became even better because the people decided to _____.'

Learning objectives

  • Retell the two-part story of Chicago: before the fire and the amazing comeback
  • Explain that the 1893 World's Fair showed the world what Chicago had built
  • Wonder at what it means to rebuild something even better than before

Early elementary (ages 6–8)

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 did something unexpected: it forced Chicago to invent the modern city. Because they had to rebuild everything at once, Chicago's architects invented the SKYSCRAPER — the world's first buildings held up by steel skeletons instead of thick walls. The same city also gave the world the first Ferris wheel (1893 World's Fair), deep dish pizza, and more miles of lakefront beach than almost any city in America. Create a 'Chicago Invented It' discovery map!

Difficulty 2 of 3

Steps

  1. Draw a T-chart. Left side: 'Old Chicago (wood, 1870).' Right side: 'New Chicago (steel and brick, 1880s onward).'
  2. For Old Chicago: draw 2-3 story wooden buildings. Write: 'Why were they wood? Because it was cheap and fast to build.'
  3. For New Chicago: draw a 10-story steel-frame building. Write: 'The Home Insurance Building (1885) was the world's FIRST skyscraper — 10 stories, steel skeleton. Chicago invented it!'
  4. Add a fun facts box: 'The first Ferris wheel in history was built for Chicago's 1893 World's Fair. 27 million people came to see it — more than the ENTIRE population of the U.S. at the time!'
  5. Connection: Look up photos of New York City, Tokyo, or any modern city. Can you see Chicago's influence in their tall buildings?
  6. Write one sentence: 'Chicago accidentally helped the whole world because rebuilding the city forced people to _____.'

Learning objectives

  • Explain how rebuilding Chicago led to the invention of the skyscraper
  • Compare Chicago's built environment before and after the fire with specific evidence
  • Name at least two other Chicago firsts (Ferris wheel, deep dish pizza, lakefront beaches)
  • Connect Chicago's architectural invention to the modern cities of today

Upper elementary (ages 8–10)

Abraham Lincoln gave a speech in 1858 called the 'House Divided' speech — named after a Bible verse — in which he predicted that the United States could not survive being half free and half slave. He was right. Two years later he was president. But here is the question historians still argue: was Lincoln, who grew up poor in log cabins in Kentucky and Indiana, truly an abolitionist — or was he primarily trying to preserve the Union, and abolition was the strategy he used? Illinois is also where the world's first skyscraper rose from the ashes of the Great Fire, where the first Ferris wheel thrilled 27 million people at the 1893 World's Fair, and where Abraham Lincoln found his political voice. It is a state full of first things.

Difficulty 3 of 3

Steps

  1. Research Lincoln's 'House Divided' speech (1858). Find and write down three specific quotes. What exactly was he predicting?
  2. Research the Lincoln-Douglas debates: Stephen Douglas accused Lincoln of wanting racial equality. Lincoln denied it. Find Lincoln's actual words on this. Write one quote that surprises you.
  3. Research the Emancipation Proclamation (1863): which people in bondage did it actually free? (Hint: only those in Confederate states — not in border states still loyal to the Union.) What does this tell you about Lincoln's priorities?
  4. The historical debate: Was Lincoln a moral abolitionist, or a strategic politician who used abolition to win the war? Write down two pieces of evidence for EACH side.
  5. Write a 5-7 sentence analytical paragraph arguing your position. Use at least two direct quotes from Lincoln.
  6. Connection: Lincoln was born in Kentucky in 1809 and grew up in Indiana and Illinois (free states). Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy, was born in Kentucky in 1808 — less than 100 miles away and barely a year before Lincoln — but was raised mostly in Mississippi (a slave state). How did two men born so close together end up leading opposite sides of the most consequential conflict in American history?
  7. In 1865 Chicago opened the Union Stock Yards, where cattle sold for about $30 a head. Pretend you ship 200 cattle by rail from Texas for $5 per head in freight. Calculate total revenue, total freight, and profit. Would you spend your profit on refrigerated rail cars to ship beef farther east?
  8. Chicago steelworkers riveted the first skyscrapers in the 1880s, including the 10-story Home Insurance Building. Draw a steel I-beam frame of a 5-story building, label the columns and beams, and explain why steel holds more weight than brick. Sketch one feature you would add to make it safer.

Learning objectives

  • Analyze Lincoln's 'House Divided' speech and Lincoln-Douglas debates as primary sources
  • Evaluate the Emancipation Proclamation's actual scope and what it reveals about Lincoln's strategy
  • Argue a nuanced historical interpretation — moral crusader vs. strategic politician — using direct quotes as evidence
  • Connect Lincoln and Jefferson Davis's shared origins to the larger paradox of the Civil War

Safety and evidence note

Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.

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