ABOUT Mississippi
Capital: Jackson
State abbreviation/Postal code: Miss./MS
Nickname: Magnolia State
Origin of name: Indian words "mici zibi," loosely meaning great river.
Briefs on Mississippi:
This southern state of United States derives its name from the Mississippi river flowing around its western border. While the origins of the name can be traced back to the Native American language or the Algonquian language where the term stands for "Great River".
Also referred to as the Magnolia State the Mississippi is located between Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee with a tiny stretch of Gulf coast in the south. The state is known for its charismatic scenic splendor, wide-open spaces, porch swings and picturesque towns and rich history.
With white sandy beaches at Biloxi and Gulfport, rich cultural background acquired from the different inhabitants of the region, vibrant traditional festivals and events, wonderful architecture in and out of museums and pulsating nightlife, Mississippi appears all the more enticing to every visitor.
The capital city of Mississippi, Jackson is also a great pull. The elegant and organized city offers great outdoors, more than hundred campgrounds, six national forests and several exiting activities such as hunting, fishing, hiking, cycling and boating etc.
On reflecting at the history of this perfect vacation destination it is found that in the beginning of second millennium AD Mississippi was part of the Mississippian culture. The Native American tribes later inhabited the region, prominent among which were Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes.
In 1540 Mississippi witnessed its foremost expedition. The first expedition was that of Hernando de Soto, a Spanish navigator and conquistador. In 1699 Pierre Le Moyne d'lverville settled the first settlement, Ocean Springs in Mississippi. In 1716 Fort Rosalie or Natchez was founded on the Mississippi river. Natchez later turned into a crucial town and significant trading post if Mississippi.
For a long time Mississippi was under the Spanish, British and French jurisdiction. But after the French and Indian war, the Treaty of Paris resulted in the transfer of Mississippi in the hands of the British regime.
On 7th April 1798 the Mississippi Territory was organized. The territory was founded from the land ceded by Georgia and South Carolina. After the organization the territory was expanded twice. The expansion was due to the inclusion of disputed territory that was claimed by both US and Spain.
On 10th December 1817 Mississippi was admitted to the union as the 20th state. On 9th January 1861 Mississippi became the second state to break away from the union as one of the Confederate Sates of America. But the state had to rejoin the Union after the Confederate States lost the battle during the Civil War. Thus due to the Reconstruction task coming into place, Mississippi again became a part of the Union. It was on 23rd February 1870 that Mississippi was readmitted to the United States.
During 1940s Mississippi came into limelight due to the different music traditions, gospel music, jazz music, blues and rock and roll mushrooming in the state. Mississippi also won recognition for its contribution to the literary work by the noteworthy authors such as William Faulkner and Tennessee Williams.
During the American Civil Rights Movement Mississippi served as the base. In 1966 Mississippi became the last state to repeal prohibition and in 1995 it ratified the Thirteenth Amendment to abolish slavery.
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