Mississippi

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» Adams County 54 » Alcorn County 23 » Amite County 14 » Attala County 6 » Benton County 4 » Bolivar County 50 » Calhoun County 2 » Carroll County 11 » Chickasaw County 14 » Choctaw County 14 » Claiborne County 29 » Clarke County 3 » Clay County 7 » Coahoma County 39 » Copiah County 14 » Covington County 5 » DeSoto County 18 » Forrest County 29 » Franklin County 2 » George County 1 » Greene County 5 » Grenada County 19 » Hancock County 25 » Harrison County 84 » Hinds County 121 » Holmes County 16 » Humphreys County 8 » Issaquena County 4 » Itawamba County 16 » Jackson County 40 » Jasper County 4 » Jefferson County 23 » Jefferson Davis County 3 » Jones County 16 » Kemper County 9 » Lafayette County 46 » Lamar County 4 » Lauderdale County 39 » Lawrence County 6 » Leake County 5 » Lee County 28 » Leflore County 28 » Lincoln County 28 » Lowndes County 39 » Madison County 12 » Marion County 12 » Marshall County 17 » Monroe County 29 » Montgomery County 8 » Neshoba County 18 » Newton County 15 » Noxubee County 13 » Oktibbeha County 14 » Panola County 17 » Pearl River County 7 » Perry County 1 » Pike County 23 » Pontotoc County 17 » Prentiss County 12 » Quitman County 3 » Rankin County 15 » Scott County 10 » Sharkey County 9 » Simpson County 1 » Smith County 11 » Stone County 16 » Sunflower County 26 » Tallahatchie County 11 » Tate County 5 » Tippah County 12 » Tishomingo County 16 » Tunica County 10 » Union County 12 » Walthall County 6 » Warren County 65 » Washington County 57 » Wayne County 15 » Webster County 3 » Wilkinson County 17 » Winston County 7 » Yalobusha County 9 » Yazoo County 25

Mississippi was the first documented place where white people would do this two-step to your face, and then five hours later would kill you.
Morgan Freeman in The Daily Beast
Mississippi, admitted to the Union as the 20th state on December 10, 1817, has a rich and complex history. Initially inhabited by indigenous peoples, it became a pivotal region in the colonial era, passing through French and Spanish control before becoming a United States territory in 1798. The state's agrarian economy thrived on cotton cultivation, with a heavy reliance on enslaved labor, contributing to its role in the antebellum South. The Civil War brought significant devastation and upheaval, followed by the struggle for civil rights in the 20th century. Mississippi was a focal point of the Civil Rights Movement, with events like the murder of Emmett Till and the Freedom Summer highlighting the fight against racial segregation and discrimination. Over the years, the state has made strides in economic diversification and social progress, but its history remains deeply entwined with the challenges and triumphs of America's broader historical narrative.
Brief timeline of the history of the state of Mississippi:

  • 1540: Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto becomes the first recorded European to explore the area of present-day Mississippi.
  • 1699: French colonists, led by Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, establish the settlement of Fort Maurepas near present-day Ocean Springs, making it the first European settlement in the region.
  • 1763: The Treaty of Paris ends the French and Indian War, and France cedes the Mississippi region to Britain.
  • 1779-1781: During the American Revolutionary War, the Spanish captured the British-controlled Natchez District and gain control of the area.
  • 1798: Mississippi Territory is organized by the United States government, encompassing the present-day states of Mississippi and Alabama.
  • 1817: Mississippi becomes the 20th state of the United States, with its capital initially established in Natchez and later moved to Jackson.
  • 1820s-1830s: The forced removal of Native American tribes, particularly the Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Creek tribes, takes place as part of the Indian Removal Act. This leads to the Trail of Tears, as thousands of Native Americans are relocated to lands west of the Mississippi River.
  • 1861-1865: Mississippi secedes from the Union and joins the Confederacy during the American Civil War. It becomes a major battleground and suffers significant damage during the conflict.
  • 1890s: Mississippi enacts a series of segregationist Jim Crow laws that enforce racial segregation and suppress the rights of African Americans.
  • 1954: The landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education declares racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. Mississippi's response includes resistance and defiance of the ruling.
  • 1962: James Meredith becomes the first African American student to enroll at the University of Mississippi, facing significant resistance and protests.
  • 1964: Three civil rights activists—James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner—are murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi during the Freedom Summer campaign to register African American voters.
  • 1987: The Mississippi State Legislature votes to ratify the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which officially abolishes slavery, becoming the last state to do so.