Tennessee was the 16th state to be admitted to the Union on June 1st, 1796, 4 years after
Kentucky, the 15th state, joined the Union on June 1st, 1792.
Tennessee is the 16th most populous state in the country with an approximate 6.7 million
inhabitants.
This places it directly ahead of Indiana population wise with around 50,000 more inhabitants,
while it is directly behind Massachusetts with 140,000 less inhabitants.
Tennessee has an area of 42,143 square miles, making it larger than 14 states.
The state borders Kentucky in the North, Virginia in the Northeast, North Carolina in the East,
Georgia in the Southeast, Alabama and Mississippi in the South, Arkansas in the Southwest, and
Missouri in the Northwest.
Missouri and Tennessee are tied for the position of most other states bordered, with eight
each.
It’s location places it’s eastern side in the Eastern time zone, with the western
portion of the state being in the Central time zone.
The highest point in Tennessee is Clingmans Dome at 6,643 feet above sea level.
This peak is located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the sole national park in Tennessee
and the most visited park in the nation with around 11 million annual visitors.
The lowest point in Tennessee is along the Mississippi river with an elevation of 178
feet.
The state has a mean elevation of 900 feet.
Some major rivers in Tennessee include the Mississippi, Cumberland, Tennessee, Clinch,
and Duck rivers.
The Duck river is the longest river located entirely within the state of Tennessee.
The most populous city in Tennessee is Nashville, with an approximate 690,000 inhabitants in
the city proper and 1.9 million in the metropolitan area.
This city is located in North central Tennessee along the Cumberland river.
Nashville is well known for country music, as it is home to the Country Music Hall of
Fame as well as historic music venues like the Ryman Auditorium.
It is also the capital of Tennessee, first from 1812 to 1817 and again in 1826 until
the modern day.
Nashville is located in Davidson County, one of the 95 counties within the state and the
second most populous, only smaller than Shelby County, the location of Memphis.
This county has a population of 930,000, meaning it contains an approximate 14% of the population
of Tennessee.
The least populous county in Tennessee is Pickett County along the state’s Northern
border with Kentucky, with around 5,000 inhabitants.
The modern flag of Tennessee was adopted on April 17th, 1905.
It consists of three stars on a blue circle on a field of red, with a strip of blue on
the right.
The three stars in the center, which can also be found on the logos of Tennessee companies,
represent the three Grand Divisions of the state, East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and
West Tennessee.
As written in 1905 at the time of adoption, the stars are, ‘bound together in indissoluble
unity by an unending white band’.
The blue bar, having no symbolic meaning, was added to make the design more visual appealing
by designer Colonel Reeves of the Tennessee National Guard.
The first flag to be proposed, but not adopted, as a state flag was this simple design in
1861.
The first adopted flag would come in 1897, brandishing the state motto and the number
16, referring to the order of statehood.
This would remain in use until 1905, when the modern flag was adopted.
Throughout the mid 1500s, many Spanish conquistadors would pass through what is now Tennessee,
with the first being Hernando de Soto in 1540.
By 1772, English settlers of the Watauga Association would lease lands belonging to the Cherokees
in what is now East Tennessee, disregarding the British mandate restricting this settlement.
The constitution of the settlement outlined an organized government separate from the
governments of North Carolina and Virginia, meaning it was the first established government
within Tennessee.
Following the Revolution, Tennessee was initially a part of the state of North Carolina, however,
by 1784, several counties of East Tennessee would breakaway to form what was called the
State of Franklin.
The Constitutional Congress, however, would turn down this bid for statehood.
The calls for statehood by inhabitants of Franklin would not go unanswered for long,
however, as on June 1st, 1796, Tennessee was admitted as the 16th state, the first admitted
from territorial status with its capital at Knoxville, John Sevier as its governor, and
Andrew Jackson as its first Congressman.
Many inhabitants of Tennessee would volunteer to fight in the War of 1812, playing a crucial
role under the leadership of Jackson, leading to the nickname, ‘the volunteer state’.
Jackson’s victories in the War of 1812, particularly at the Battle of New Orleans,
created the perception of him as a man of the people, which in part allowed him to win
the Presidential election of 1828 and again in 1832.
From the beginning of the 19th century until the 1830s and 40s, the enslaved population
of Tennessee increased from a mere 4,000 to 140,000, with the slave population then doubling
by 1860 to 280,000, making up an approximate 25% of the state’s population before the
Civil War broke out.
On June 8th, 1861, Tennessee became the last state to secede from the Union, becoming fully
embroiled in the conflict, experiencing more battles than any other state besides Virginia.
Both the Union and Confederacy focused their efforts of securing control of Tennessee,
as its rivers as well as major roads served as valuable transportation and trade routes
for the C.S.A.
Perhaps the most important battle to occur within the state was the Battle of Shiloh,
the deadliest battle in American history at the time with around 23,000 casualties from
both sides.
This battle resulted in a Union victory, ending Confederate attempts to block the Union’s
advance into northern Mississippi.
Other major battles occurred at Stones River, Chattanooga, Nashville, and Franklin.
In the East mountains regions of Tennessee particularly, large areas of pro-Union sentiment
existed throughout the entire war, worsening matters for the Confederacy.
As the state was the last to secede, it would also be the first to be readmitted, joining
the Union on July 24th, 1866.
In 1897, Tennessee celebrated its centennial of statehood (one year late), constructing
the Nashville Parthenon, a 1:1 recreate of the Parthenon in Athens.
American music’s roots in Tennessee can also be seen in the former home of Elvis Presley,
known as Graceland, which is preserved outside of Memphis.
Today, Tennessee continues to have a thriving economy and is deeply rooted in American culture.
This is Morrethy.
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