M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I.
It’s hard to imagine the United States without Mississippi. But Mississippi wasn’t always a part of the country. In fact, there was a long path to statehood. Native tribes lived on the land for thousands of years. At times, France, England, and Spain controlled Mississippi. It took many years — and wars — for Mississippi to become what it is today.
The U.S. government claimed land from Spain in the late 1700s. President John Adams signed an act into law on April 7, 1798. This created the Mississippi Territory, which stretched from Georgia to the Mississippi River. There was already a European settlement on the land. The French had established Natchez on the Mississippi River. So, that became the first capital of the Mississippi Territory. However, the capital moved in 1802 to a nearby settlement called Washington.
Soon more settlers arrived in the Mississippi Territory and nearby areas. The Mississippi River and the soil helped bring wealth to the people. The Mississippi Territory in 1804. Now the territory included land all the way north to where Tennessee is today. However, Mississippi Territory did not have a port on the Gulf of Mexico. In 1812, the territory extended south to the gulf.
More people began to move to the Mississippi Territory. And since these people did not always agree, conflicts soon arose. Government leaders needed to find a solution. They voted to split the territory into the Mississippi Territory and the Alabama Territory. It would be easier for two governments to manage two smaller territories.
Mississippi became a state on December 10, 1817. Although state leaders first met in Washington, they decided to make Natchez Mississippi’s capital. Natchez had an important river port for trade. However, the city was on the far west side of the state and also flooded often. So, leaders soon planned a new capital in a more central location.
While Mississippi officials planned a new capital, they created a capital. The city of Columbia briefly served as Mississippi’s capital, from 1821 to 1822. At last, state leaders selected their new capital. They chose a village called Le Fleur’s Bluff. On the Pearl River in the middle of the state, the city was better situated to be Mississippi’s capital. Officials renamed it Jackson.
More than 200 years later, Mississippi’s capital remains in Jackson. It is home to more than 100,000 people — and many historical sites.
By Elizabeth Nuzzolese
