The History of New Illinois

Not long ago, those of us who founded New Illinois were talking about moving away. Just like more than half the state’s residents, we found that in Illinois the taxes were too high, the opportunities limited, and the government corruption outrageous.

Then one day the thought struck – Why should WE have to leave? Our families and our roots are here, going back to 1870. Why not stay and fight for our home? In June 2018, we formed New Illinois, a nonprofit organization with the mission of educating Illinoisans about their RIGHT, under the U.S. Constitution, to pursue the formation of a new state. Rather than moving away, we wanted to leave Illinois without moving.

There have been efforts to split Illinois going back to the 1800s, but obviously none of these have succeeded. Possibly this was because these efforts were regional. All of them preceded the internet, and some even the telephone.

In the very beginning, we decided that, rather than re-inventing the wheel, we should learn from groups in other states who had been involved in similar movements. This effort brought us in contact with the founder of New California, Paul Preston. Paul has been an invaluable resource and a mentor to New Illinois.

Since there is strength in numbers, we began reaching out to other organizations across the state who had common interests. In October 2018, we held our first informational event in Decatur, and have continued holding them throughout the state. We also began establishing county committees, which carry out the mission of New Illinois on a local basis and will be creating an organizational infrastructure for a new state government. As of March 2022, New Illinois has committees in 28 of Illinois’ 102 counties, with several more forming.