What does Illinois state motto State Sovereignty National Union mean?
The Illinois state motto is related to the issues surrounding the power of an individual state versus the power of the Union. Illinois entered the Union as a free state, but Mississippi, just before, had come into the Union as a slave state. Alabama was to follow Illinois as a slave state. The Civil War was still a polarizing reality and Illinois’ motto was symbolic of the issues that had been confronted during the brutal conflict.
