Tennessee

Tennessee entered the Union on June 1, 1796, as the sixteenth state. A southeast central state, it is bordered by Arkansas , Missouri , Kentucky , Virginia , North Carolina , Georgia , Alabama , and Mississippi .

The first Spanish conquistadors arrived in the early sixteenth century. By the eighteenth century, the Cherokee had established themselves among the Native Americans in the area as the dominant tribe. They remained in that powerful position until the 1830s, when the federal government forced them out.

The first European permanent settlements in Tennessee were established in the 1770s. One of them was Nashville (then called Nashborough), which later became the state capital. By 1809 Nashville and other early settlements had developed into thriving frontier towns. Tennessee at that time was a leading producer of iron.

Tennessee was divided over slavery . The west and middle regions of the state were cotton -growing country and relied heavily on slave labor. East Tennessee, however, supported emancipation. During the Civil War (1861–65), Tennessee became a prominent battleground. One of the major battles of the war, the Battle of Shiloh, took place in southwestern Tennessee on April 6 and 7, 1862. The Union claimed victory, but both sides suffered heavy casualties.

Within a few years after the war, Tennessee's economy had recovered, and flour, wool, and paper mills were established in urban areas by the early 1880s. Memphis was a leading cotton market by the late 1890s. At the turn of the century, a major crusade against the consumption of alcoholic beverages, which culminated in Prohibition , swept through the state. In 1920 Tennessee became the thirty-sixth state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution , giving women the right to vote.

The Great Depression (1929–41) hurt Tennessee farm prices and manufacturers. Industry grew throughout World War II (1939–45) as state firms were awarded defense contracts amounting to $1.25 billion. The chemical industry became a leading sector as well.

Tennessee was the site of many violent clashes during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) was assassinated in Memphis in 1968.

In 2006 Tennessee was home to more than six million people. Nearly 80 percent of the population was white, with 16.4 percent African American and another 3 percent Hispanic. Memphis was the largest city, with more than 672 residents. Tennessee, with its large number of fundamentalist Christian churches, is considered part of the Bible Belt. Most residents who claim religious affiliation are Baptist.

The state's economy is based mainly on industry, with manufacturing centers located in Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Kingsport-Bristol. Tennessee is home to a General Motors automobile facility and a Nissan vehicle plant. Declines in manufacturing have been balanced by growth in the service sector. Tourism is another healthy sector, with visitors attracted to Graceland, the former Memphis home of Elvis Presley (1935–1977); Opryland USA and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville; and Dollywood, a theme park owned by country music star Dolly Parton (1946–).