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History of Iowa

The State of Iowa, popularly known as the “Hawkeye State” or the “Tall Corn State”, is situated in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. It has been named after the Ioway people, a Siouan tribe of Native Americans, which formerly inhabited the area. The first people to explore Iowa were the Paleo-Indians, who arrived in this area near the end of the Ice Age, from 9500 BC to 7500 BC. The Sac and Fox tribes, now known as the Meskwaki Indians, were the first Europeans to inhabit the territory. It was in June 1833, following the Black Hawk Purchase, that the first American settlers officially moved to Iowa. These American families had migrated from Indiana, Missouri, and Illinois, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. On December 28, 1846, Iowa was added to the Union as the 29th state of the United States.

As more and more settlers began to pour into Iowa in the mid-19th century, the Iowans caught the nation’s railroad fever. The first railroad of the nation was built near Baltimore in 1831. The completion of five major railroads led to a significant economic change in the state during the latter half of the 19th century. In spite of the fact that there was a strong anti-war ‘Copperhead movement’ among Catholics and settlers of southern origins, Iowa extended full support to the Union during the American Civil War, voting heavily for Lincoln and the Republicans. Large supplies of food were sent to the eastern cities and the armies. Besides, thousands of Iowans served and participated in the War. The Civil War era not only led to a dramatic increase in the population but also brought several significant changes in the political arena. Iowa remained largely Republican until the early 20th century. Besides, Iowa also got woman suffrage with the rest of the country.

The state experienced economic prosperity since the beginning of the World War I in 1914. A number of farm-related industries developed in the 1870s and there was also a simultaneous increase in the number of business and manufacturing operations. However, there was a particular increase in the manufacturing operations only after the World War II. The major political change in the post-war era occurred in the 1960s when liquor by the drink came into effect. Iowans could purchase only packaged liquor until the early 1960s. Another turning point in the political area was the establishment of a fairly-competitive two-party structure within the state by the mid-1950s. This new two-party structure marked the end of nearly 100 years of Republic domination within the State.