Native Americans had crossed and recrossed the Mississippi and entered and exited Illinois countless times before April 5, 1832. But, when Black Hawk and his band of Sauks and Foxes did so on that day, it sparked a war that involved the Illinois militia and the U.S. Army. Why?

To answer that question, we need to place this single event in context. We need to think about the Sauks and Foxes.

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• Who were they?
• What was the Social structure of Sauk Society?
• What was the Political structure of Sauk Society?
• What was his role in their society?
• Who opposed him among his own people?
• Why did Black Hawk and other Sauks and Foxes believe that their home was in Illinois?
• Why did the governor of Illinois, the president of the United States, and the secretary of war disagree with them?
• Why did Black Hawk expect aid from other tribes and from the British in Canada?
• How many non-Native American Illinoians were there in the early 1830s?
• Where did they live?
• Where were they moving?
• Why did settlers come to Illinois?
• How did they view Black Hawk, the Sauks and Foxes, and the other Illinois Indians?
• What were the respective roles of the federal government and the state government in Native American affairs?
• When did the government of the U.S. and the government of Illinois disagree? 
• When did the government of the U.S. and the government of Illinois cooperate?
• What happened immediately before April 5, 1832?
• Had there been a period of increased tensions before the explosion of war?
• Why had these tensions not led to a war previously?
• Why didn't the conflicts end after Black Hawk and the Sauks and Foxesmoved most of the Mississippi in 1831?
• Why did Black Hawk return?