Portal:Mississippi
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Mississippi (/ˌmɪsɪˈsɪpi/ (
listen)) is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mississippi's western boundary is largely defined by the Mississippi River. Mississippi is the 32nd largest and 35th-most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Jackson is both the state's capital and largest city. Greater Jackson is the state's most populous metropolitan area, with a population of 591,978 in 2020.
On December 10, 1817, Mississippi became the 20th state admitted to the Union. By 1860, Mississippi was the nation's top cotton-producing state and slaves accounted for 55% of the state population. Mississippi declared its secession from the Union on January 9, 1861, and was one of the seven original Confederate States, which constituted the largest slaveholding states in the nation. Following the Civil War, it was restored to the Union on February 23, 1870.
Until the Great Migration of the 1930s, African Americans were a majority of Mississippi's population. In 2010, 37.3% of Mississippi's population was African American, the highest percentage of any state. Mississippi was the site of many prominent events during the civil rights movement, including the Ole Miss riot of 1962 by white students objecting to desegregation, the 1963 assassination of Medgar Evers, and the 1964 Freedom Summer murders of three activists working on voting rights.
Mississippi frequently ranks low among U.S. states in measures of health, education, and development, while ranking high in measures of poverty. The adage "Thank God for Mississippi" became popular due to these rankings and is often said by natives of other low-ranking U.S. states, as Mississippi's extremely low ranking usually spares those states from a last place state ranking. (Full article...)
Selected article -
Simon Favre (May 31, 1760 – July 3, 1813) was an interpreter of the Muskogean languages, particularly Choctaw and Chickasaw, for the French, British, Spanish and Americans in the part of West Florida that became part of the states of Mississippi and Alabama. The son of another prominent interpreter, Favre spent the late 18th century in the vicinity of Mobile and the Tombigbee River, which changed hands from French to British, and then Spanish control. He became well versed in the language and culture of the Choctaws, and was involved with several treaties between the Europeans and natives. As a young man he had a Choctaw mistress with whom he had six known children, then at the age of 41 he was legally married in Mobile to a woman of European descent. Within a few years of his marriage, he moved with his new family from the Tombigbee area to a plantation on the Pearl River.
As the power of the Choctaws diminished, Favre became less important as an interpreter, and more important as a facilitator of the political changes occurring along the Gulf Coast. Once the Louisiana Purchase was concluded between France and the United States, American settlers from both inside and outside Spanish West Florida increased pressure on Spain for American control of the territory. While the transfer did not officially take place until 1821, the Spanish essentially put Florida under the trust of the United States in 1810, and Favre played a major role in facilitating the transfer, and keeping the Indians informed of the events. Favre was considered the top interpreter in the region by men of prominence, including Governor William C. C. Claiborne of Louisiana who made Favre a justice of the peace, and recommended him for the position of United States agent to the Choctaws. A "talk" that Favre gave to the Choctaws on the eve of the War of 1812 was touted by historian Russell Guerin as a masterpiece of diplomacy, and displayed Favre's deep understanding of the native language and culture.
Favre died in 1813, leaving many minor children and a substantial estate of more than 5000 acres of land and 57 slaves. He had 13 known children with three different women, and leaves numerous descendants. A well-known descendant is former National Football League quarterback Brett Favre. Simon Favre's associations with property owners and prominent officials demonstrate that he was a person of very high social standing. (Full article...) Did you know?
- ... that WXXX's broadcast license was challenged in the 1970s because the station employed no African Americans in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, a city that was 30 percent black?
- ... that Mississippi legislator Thelma Farr Baxter introduced a bill to keep livestock off the roads after her husband was fatally injured in a highway collision with a cow?
- ... that after Mississippi radio station WKNZ relaunched as "Zoo 107", it sponsored a name-the-zebra contest at its namesake, the Hattiesburg Zoo?
- ... that John Berry Meachum anchored the Floating Freedom School in the Mississippi River under federal government protection?
- ... that Betty Jane Long was Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives for less than a day?
- ... that a 1971 format change and firing of three Black disc jockeys contributed to the Mississippi radio station WSWG losing its broadcast license?
Related portals
General images -
Choctaw group in front of their cabin in 1909 (from Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians)
A Choctaw family in traditional clothing, 1908 (from Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians)
Battle of Brice's Crossroads (from History of Mississippi)
A proposed route for the de Soto Expedition, based on Charles M. Hudson map of 1997. (from History of Mississippi)
Before 1945, times were good when the price of cotton was above 20 cents. (from History of Mississippi)
The legislature of the State of Mississippi in 1890 (from History of Mississippi)
Mt. Zion Church state history marker near Philadelphia, Mississippi (from Freedom Summer)
A poster showing the members of the 1890 Mississippian state constitutional convention. The members were overwhelmingly white Democrats; the only black member was a man who was allowed into the convention for his willingness to support black disenfranchisement. (from History of Mississippi)
Group of eight Choctaw and two white men in 1909 (from Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians)
Confederate lines, Vicksburg, May 19, 1863. Shows assault by US 1st Battalion, 13th Infantry (from History of Mississippi)
Holly Bluff Site, located in Yazoo County, Mississippi (from History of Mississippi)
Location of Mississippi Choctaw Indian Reservation (from Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians)
Newton Knight, Unionist leader of "The Free State of Jones" in Jones County, Mississippi (from History of Mississippi)
Map of Old Choctaw country in Mississippi before removal. (from Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians)
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Selected picture -
Front view of Beauvoir, post-war home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, in Biloxi, Mississippi, on en:April 1, en:2006, seven months after flood/wind damage by Hurricane Katrina.
WikiProjects
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Hello! As a past or current member of WikiProject Mississippi, a WikiProject dedicated to developing and improving articles about Mississippi, you are cordially invited to edit, assess, and improve our coverage of all things Mississippi on Wikipedia! |
Mississippi topics
Topics: Constitution - Supreme Court - History - Music
Regions: Golden Triangle - Mississippi Plain - Mississippi Delta - Mississippi Gulf Coast - Natchez District - Pine Belt - Tennessee Valley
Cities: Biloxi - Clarksdale - Clinton - Columbus - Greenville - Gulfport - Hattiesburg - Jackson - Meridian - Olive Branch - Pascagoula - Pearl - Ridgeland - Southaven - Starkville - Tupelo - Vicksburg
Geography: Rivers - Lakes - Mountains - National forests - Islands - Wilderness areas - Natural disasters - Parks - State Parks
Industries: Agriculture - Oil
CDPs: Byram - Diamondhead - Kiln - Lyman - Pearlington - Saucier - Shoreline Park - West Hattiesburg
Metros: Gulfport‑Biloxi - Hattiesburg - Jackson - Memphis - Pascagoula
Statistics: Population
Lists: Mississippi-related lists
Categories
State symbols
| Flower | Magnolia | 
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|---|---|---|
| Motto | Virtute et armis (By Valor and Arms) | |
| Nickname | The Magnolia State | |
| Toy | Teddy bear | |
| Rock | Petrified wood | |
| See: | Mississippi Symbols for more |
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Web resources
| Official State of Mississippi website |
- Mississippi Governor
- Mississippi Lieutenant Governor
- Mississippi Attorney General
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- Mississippi State Auditor
- Mississippi State Treasurer
- Mississippi State Insurance Commissioner
- Mississippi State Supreme Court
- Mississippi State Legislature
- U.S. Census Bureau Mississippi Data
- USDA Mississippi Statistical Facts
- USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Mississippi
