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Essay On Mississippi History

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Mississippi has a very rich history, and its history has made it the glorious state it is today. The first inhabitants of Mississippi were the Native Americans; the three main tribes were the Chickasaw Indians who settled in the north and eastern parts of the state, the Choctaw Indians who lived in the middle part of the state, and the Natchez Indians who occupied the southwest region of the state. Many present day cities in Mississippi get their names from these early tribes. Hernando De Soto was the first European to explore the state. He was from Spain and came in search of gold. When he did not find great riches in gold, De Soto moved on to explore other regions of North America. Next came the French explorer, Robert Cavalier who claimed the entire Mississippi Valley for France in 1682. The first French settlement was started in Biloxi which today is called Ocean …show more content…

On December 10th, 1817 Mississippi became the 20th state of the Union. Slaves were used to operate the large plantations, and, in fact, slaves outnumbered the white settlers by 1860. The Civil War marked a big change in Mississippi. With the election of Abraham Lincoln, slavery was abolished. Many Civil War battles were fought in Mississippi. The most notable was the Battle of Vicksburg where Union and Confederate forces fought for 47 straight days. Much of Mississippi lay in ruins after the war and had to be rebuilt. The lumber industry flourished during this period of reconstruction. The Great Depression was a very hard time for Mississippians. Many farmers lost their land between 1929 and 1930. Cotton prices fell dramatically and many people were living in poverty. With the coming of World War II industry soared and the building of an oil refinery once again made the state’s economy successful. By the late 1960’s there were more workers in manufacturing than there were farmers for the first time in the state’s

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