The man who ended lllinois’ ‘black laws’

Nov. 4, 1864: A wealthy Chicago abolitionist, John Jones (1817-1879), distributes his pamphlet, “The Black Laws of Illinois and a Few Reasons Why They Should Be Repealed,” spurring the General Assembly to repeal all of them. With only a few dollars to his name, Jones and his family moved from downstate Madison County to Chicago in 1845. Jones opened a tailor shop in his home on …

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