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State of Tennessee
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Flag Of Tennessee
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Volunteer State
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Nashville
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English
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Memphis
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Phil Bredesen (D)
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"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Lamar_Alexander" class="copylinks">Lamar Alexander (R)
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TN
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36<sup>th</sup>
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109,247
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106,846
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2,400
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22
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16<sup>th</sup>
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5,689,283
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19<sup>th</sup>
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5329
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16<sup>th</sup>
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June 1 , 1796
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-6/ -5 <small>(central and western)</small>
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35°N to 36°41'N
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81°37'W to 90°28'W
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195
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710
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2,025
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275
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US-TN
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is a
U.S. State located in the
Southern United States . In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the union.
1 Tennessee is known as the "Volunteer State", a nickname it earned during the
War Of 1812 , in which volunteer soldiers from Tennessee played a prominent role.
Brief History of Tennessee in the War of 1812 from the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Retrieved April 30, 2006.
Tennessee lies adjacent to 8 other states:
Kentucky and
Virginia to the north;
North Carolina on the east; on the south by
Georgia ,
Alabama and
Mississippi ; and on the west by
Arkansas and
Missouri . The state is trisected by the
Tennessee River . The highest point in the state is the peak of
Clingmans Dome at 6,643 feet (2,025 m), which lies on Tennessee's eastern border. The geographical center of the state is located several miles east of
Murfreesboro on Old Lascassas Pike and is marked by a roadside monument.
The state of Tennessee is traditionally divided into three ,
Middle Tennessee , and
West Tennessee .
Tennessee features six principal geographic regions. Roughly from west to east, these are:
Areas under the control and management of the
National Park Service include:
''See also:
List Of Tennessee Counties ,
List Of Tennessee State Parks ''
The area now known as Tennessee was first settled by
Paleo-Indians nearly 11,000 years ago. The names of the cultural groups that inhabited the area between first settlement and the time of European contact are unknown, but several distinct cultural phases have been named by archaeologists, including
Archaic ,
Woodland , and
Mississippian whose chiefdoms were the cultural predecessors of the
Muscogee People who inhabited the
Tennessee River Valley prior to Cherokee migration into the river's headwaters.
When
Spanish Explorers first visited the area, led by
Hernando De Soto in 1539–43, it was inhabited by tribes of Muscogee and
Yuchi people. For unknown reasons, possibly because of expanding European settlement in the north, the
Cherokee , an Iroquoian tribe, moved south from the area now called Virginia. As European colonists spread into the area, the native populations were forcibly displaced to the south and west, including all Muscogee and
Yuchi peoples, including the
Chickasaw and
Choctaw . From
1838 to
1839 , nearly 17,000 Cherokees were forced to march from Eastern Tennessee to
Indian Territory west of
Arkansas . This came to be known as the
Trail Of Tears , as an estimated 4,000 Cherokees died along the way.
1
Tennessee was admitted to the Union in
1796 as the 16th state; it was created by taking the north and south borders of North Carolina and extending them with only one small deviation to the
Mississippi River , Tennessee's western boundary.
The
American Civil War to a large extent was fought in Tennessee. It was the last border state to secede from the Union when it joined the
Confederate States Of America on
June 8 ,
1861 . Many battles were fought in the state--most of them Union victories.
Ulysses S. Grant and the U.S. Navy captured control of the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers in February 1862, and held off the Confederate counterattack at
Shiloh in April. Capture of Memphis and Nashville gave the U.S. control of the western and middle sections, and was confirmed at the battle of Mufreesboro in early January 1863. But the Confederates held East Tennessee despite the strength of Unionist sentiment there. The Confederates besieged Chattanooga in early fall 1863, but were driven off by Grant in November. The last major battles came when the Confederates invaded in November 1865 and were checked at Franklin, then totally destroyed by
George Thomas at Nashville, in December. Meanwhile
Andrew Johnson , a civilian appointed by Lincoln, was the military governor, and slavery was abolished.
After the war, Tennessee adopted
A New Constitution that abolished
Slavery (
February 22 ,
1865 ), ratified the
Fourteenth Amendment To The United States Constitution on July 18,
1866 , and was the first state readmitted to the Union (July 24 of the same year). Because it ratified the Fourteenth Amendment, Tennessee was the only state that seceded from the Union that did not have a military governor during
Reconstruction .
The Nashville ''Republican Banner'' on January 4, 1868, published an editorial calling for a counter-revolutionary movement to unseat Republican rule and restore the racial subjugation of the region's blacks. "In this State," the paper argued, "reconstruction has perfected itself and done its worst. It has organized a government which is as complete a close corporation as may be found, it has placed the black man over the white as the agent and prime-move of domination; it has constructed a system of machinery by which all free guarantees, privileges and opportunities are removed from the people.... The impossibility of casting a free vote in Tennessee short of a revolutionary movement ... is an undoubted fact." The Banner in conclusion urged readers to ignore the presidential election and instead put energies into building "a local movement here at home" that would end Republican rule.
in Harcourt 2005
In 1897, the state celebrated its centennial of statehood (albeit one year late) with a great
Exposition .
The need to create work for the unemployed during the
Great Depression , the desire for rural electrification, and the desire to control the annual spring floods on the Tennessee River drove the creation of the
Tennessee Valley Authority , the nation's largest public utility, in 1933.
During World War II, Oak Ridge was selected as a U.S.
Department Of Energy national laboratory, one of the principal sites for the
Manhattan Project 's production and isolation of weapons-grade
Fissile material.
Tennessee celebrated its bicentennial in
1996 after a yearlong statewide celebration entitled "Tennessee 200" by opening a new state park (
Bicentennial Mall ) at the foot of Capitol Hill in
Nashville .
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2005, Tennessee has an estimated population of 5,962,959, which is an increase of 69,661, or 1.2%, from the prior year and an increase of 273,697, or 4.8%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 117,203 people (that is 414,305 births minus 297,102 deaths) and an increase from net migration of 159,680 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 49,973 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 109,707 people.
African-Americans once made up one-fourth of the state's population and are 16.4 percent today. The state's African-American population is concentrated mainly in Western and Middle Tennessee and the cities of
Memphis ,
Nashville ,
Clarksville ,
Chattanooga , and
Knoxville .
6.6% of Tennessee's population were reported as under 5 years of age, 24.6% under 18, and 12.4% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 51.3% of the population.
The religious affiliations of the people of Tennessee are:
Source:
American Religious Identification Survey (2001)
According to U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, in 2003 Tennessee's gross state product was $199,786,000,000, 1.8% of the total
Gross Domestic Product .
In 2003, the per capita personal income was $28,641, 36th in the nation, and only 91% of the national per capita personal income of $31,472. Total earnings were $167,414,793,000.
Major outputs for the state include textiles, cotton, cattle, and electrical power.
The Tennessee
Income Tax does not apply to salaries and wages, but most income from stocks, bonds and notes receivable is taxable. All taxable dividends and interest which exceed the $1,250 single exemption or the $2,500 joint exemption are taxable at the rate of 6 percent. Generally, the state's
Sales and
Use Tax rate is 7 percent. Food is taxed at 6 percent, but candy, dietary supplements and prepared food are taxed at the increased 7-percent rate. Local sales taxes also are collected and those rates vary from 1.5 percent to 2.75 percent.
Intangible Personal Property is assessed on the shares of stock of stockholders of any loan company, investment company, insurance company or for-profit cemetery companies. The assessment ratio is 40 percent of the value multiplied by the tax rate for the jurisdiction. Tennessee imposes an
Inheritance Tax on decedents' estates that exceed maximum single exemption limits.
Tennessee is a
Right To Work state.
Interstate 40 crosses nearly the entire state in an east-west orientation. Its branch interstate highways include I-240 in Memphis; I-440 and I-840 in Nashville; and I-140 and I-640 in Knoxville.
I-24 and
I-26 are the other east-west interstates crossing Tennessee.
In a north-south orientation are highways I-55, I-65, I-75, and I-81.
Interstate 65 crosses the state through Nashville, while
Interstate 75 serves Knoxville and
Interstate 55 serves Memphis.
Interstate 81 enters the state at Bristol and terminates a its junction with I-40 near
Jefferson City . I-181 is a continuation of I-26 from its junction with I-81 to the border with Virginia, and I-155 is a branch highway from I-55.
Major airports within the state include Nashville International Airport (BNA), Memphis International Airport (MEM), McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) in Knoxville, and Tri-City Regional Airport (TRI).
on the
Hernando De Soto Bridge over the
Mississippi River .]]
The state of Tennessee is constitutionally divided into three culturally distinct ,
Middle , and
West Tennessee . The
Tennessee River is generally considered the dividing line between Middle and West Tennessee. The
Cumberland Plateau is generally considered the dividing line between East and Middle Tennessee.
Tennessee's governor holds office for a four year term and may serve a maximum of two terms. The governor is the only official who is elected statewide, making him one of the more powerful chief executives in the nation. The state does not elect the
Lieutenant-governor directly, contrary to most other states.
The
Tennessee General Assembly , the state legislature, consists of the 33-member
Senate and the 99-member
House Of Representatives . Senators serve four year terms, and House members serve two year terms. Each chamber chooses its own speaker. The speaker of the state Senate also holds the title of lieutenant-governor. Most executive officials are elected by the legislature.
The highest court in Tennessee is the state Supreme Court. It has a chief justice and four associate justices. No more than two justices can be from the same Grand Division. The Court of Appeals has 12 judges. The Court of Criminal Appeals has nine judges.
Tennessee's Current State Constitution was adopted in
1870 . The state had two earlier constitutions. The first was adopted in
1796 , the year Tennessee joined the union, and the second was adopted in
1834 .
Tennessee politics, like that of most U.S. States, revolves around the
Democratic and
Republican Parties. Democrats are very strong in metropolitan
Memphis ,
Nashville , and
Chattanooga . The
Democratic Party is also relatively strong in most of
Middle Tennessee and
West Tennessee north of Memphis.
The Republicans have the most strength in
East Tennessee , one of the few areas of the South with a Republican voting history that predates the 1960s. Much of this region has not elected a Democrat to
Congress since the
Civil War . In contrast, the Democrats dominated politics in the rest of the state until the 1960s. The Republicans also have much strength in Memphis and Nashville's suburbs.
Federally, Tennessee sends nine members to the House of Representatives. Currently, the delegation consists of five Democrats and four Republicans.
''See also:
List Of Tennessee Governors ,
U.S. Congressional Delegations From Tennessee ''
See Also: List of cities and towns in Tennessee
''': 569,891 (2000)]]
''': 680,768 (2005)]]
The current capital is
Nashville , though
Knoxville ,
Kingston , and
Murfreesboro have all served as
State Capitals .
Memphis has the largest population of any city in the state, but Nashville has a larger
Metropolitan Area .
Chattanooga and
Knoxville , both in the eastern part of the state near the
Great Smoky Mountains , each has approximately a third of Memphis or Nashville's population. The city of
Clarksville is the fifth significant population center, some 45 miles (70 km) northwest of Nashville. The
Johnson City -
Kingsport -
Bristol metropolitan area (known as Tri-Cities) is the state's fourth largest metropolitan area and is located in the extreme northeastern part of the state. As of
2000 , the population of the state is 5,689,283.
]]
]]
]]
The earliest variant of the name that became ''Tennessee'' was recorded by Captain
Juan Pardo , the
Spanish explorer, when he and his men passed through a
Native American village named "Tanasqui" in
1567 while traveling inland from
South Carolina . European settlers later encountered a
Cherokee town named
Tanasi (or "Tanase") in present-day
Monroe County, Tennessee . The town was located on a river of the same name (now known as the
Little Tennessee River ). It is not known whether this was the same town as the one encountered by Juan Pardo.
The meaning and origin of the word are uncertain. Some accounts suggest it is a Cherokee modification of an earlier
Yuchi word. It has been said to mean "meeting place", "winding river", or "river of the great bend".
{Link without Title} {Link without Title}
The modern spelling, ''Tennessee'', is attributed to
James Glen , the governor of
South Carolina , who used this spelling in his official correspondence during the
1750s . In
1788 ,
North Carolina named the third county to be established in what is now
Middle Tennessee "Tennessee County". When a
Constitutional Convention met in
1796 to organize a new state out of the
Southwest Territory , it adopted "Tennessee" as the name of the state.
- Bontemps, Arna. ''William C. Handy: Father of the Blues: An Autobiography.'' Macmillan Company: New York, 1941.
- Brownlow, W. G. ''Sketches of the Rise, Progress, and Decline of Secession: With a Narrative of Personal Adventures among the Rebels'' (1862)
- Satz, Ronald. ''Tennessee's Indian Peoples''. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press, 1979. ISBN 0870492853
- Schaefer, Richard T. "Sociology Matters". New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2006. ISBN 0072997753
- Ronald E Corlew. ''Tennessee, a Short History'' University of Tennessee Press 1990
- Wilma Dykeman. ''Tennessee: a bicentennial history'' W W Norton, 1975.
- Norton Herman. ''Religion in Tennessee, 1777-1945''. University of Tennessee Press, 1981.
- Lester C. Lamon. ''Blacks in Tennessee, 1791-1970.'' University of Tennessee Press. 1980.
- Jim Stokely, and Jeff Johnson, ''An Encyclopedia of East Tennessee'' (1981)
- Carroll Van West, ed. ''The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'' (1998)
- Carroll Van West ''Tennessee history: the land, the people, and the culture'' University of Tennessee Press 1998
- Terry Weeks, and Bob Womack. ''Tennessee: the history of an American state'' Montgomery, Ala.: Clairmont Press 1996 - middle school textbook
- Charles Wolfe, ''Tennessee Strings: The Story of Country Music in Tennessee.'' University of Tennessee Press, 1977.
- Abernathy Thomas Perkins. ''From Frontier to Plantation in Tennessee: A Study in Frontier Democracy.'' University of North Carolina Press, 1967.
- Fred Arthur Bailey; ''Class and Tennessee's Confederate Generation'' University of North Carolina Press, 1987
- Bergeron Paul H. ''Antebellum Politics in Tennessee.'' University of Kentucky Press, 1982.
- Cartwright, Joseph H. ''The Triumph of Jim Crow: Tennessee’s Race Relations in the 1880s''. University of Tennessee Press 1976.
- John Cimprich; ''Slavery's End in Tennessee, 1861-1865'' University of Alabama, 1985
- Thomas L. Connelly, ''Civil War Tennessee: Battles and Leaders'' ( 1979)
- Hart, Roger L. ''Redeemers, Bourbons, and Populists: Tennessee 1870-1886''. Louisiana State University Press, 1975.
- Mooney, Chase C. ''Slavery in Tennessee'' Indiana University Press. 1957.
- James Welch Patton; ''Unionism and Reconstruction in Tennessee, 1860-1869'' (1966)
- Biles, Roger. ''Memphis During the Great Depression.'' University of Tennessee Press. (1986)
- Don H. Doyle, ''Nashville in the New South, 1880-1930'' (1985)
- Don H. Doyle, '' Nashville since the 1920s.'' University of Tennessee Press, 1985.
- Honey, Michael K. ''Southern Labor and Black Civil Rights: Organizing Memphis Workers''. University of Illinois Press. 1993.
- Jeanette Keith and Jack Temple Kirby; ''Country People in the New South: Tennessee's Upper Cumberland.'' University of North Carolina Press.
- Miller, William D. ''Memphis During the Progressive Era, 1900-1917'' . Memphis State University Press. 1957.
- Daniel Meritt Robison . ''Bob Taylor and the Agrarian Revolt in Tennessee.'' University of North Carolina Press, 1935.
- Philip Selznick; ''TVA and the Grass Roots: A Study in the Sociology of Formal Organization'' University of California Press, 1949
- Tucker, David M. ''Memphis Since Crump: Bossism, Blacks and Civic Reformers, 1948-1968''. University of Tennessee Press. 1980.
- Christopher Waldrep; ''Night Riders: Defending Community in the Black Patch, 1890-1915'' Duke University Press. 1993
