Union as the 20th state in 1817. The
years after 1820 were marked by the
creation of the cotton plantation system.
This consisted of large farms called plantations
that depended on slave labor to
keep operating. In 1861 Mississippi
withdrew from the Union because its
leaders were afraid the government
would outlaw slavery. Mississippi joined
other Southern states in forming the
Confederate States of America.
The American Civil War (1861–65)
turned Mississippi into a battlefield.
One of the state’s harshest battles was
fought at Vicksburg in 1863. After the
Confederacy’s defeat, Mississippi was
readmitted to the United States in
1870.
Like many other states, Mississippi
experienced racial problems. Despite
the end of slavery, African American
residents were denied some of the
opportunities available to whites. The
civil rights movement of the 1960s
made an impact on Mississippi and
helped to change the way African
Americans were treated.
New industries developed in Mississippi
during the last quarter of the 20th century.
The state made significant economic
progress in the 1990s. Average
incomes grew and the poverty level
dropped. Nevertheless, Mississippi
remained one of the poorest states in the
nation in the early 21st century.
..More to explore
American CivilWar • Civil Rights
Movement • Jackson
A home built in the 1800s (right) and a
Presbyterian church stand side by side in
Biloxi, Mississippi.
Facts About
MISSISSIPPI
Flag
Population
(2000 census)
2,844,658—
rank, 31st state;
(2008 estimate)
2,938,618—
rank, 31st state
Capital
Jackson
Area
48,430 sq mi
(125,434 sq
km)—rank, 32nd
state
Statehood
December 10,
1817
Motto
Virtute et Armis
(By Valor and
Arms)
State bird
Mockingbird
State flower
Magnolia
142 Mississippi BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Mississippian
Culture
In about AD 800 groups of Native
Americans developed a culture along the
Mississippi River and in what is now the
southeastern United States. This Mississippian
culture is best known for building
mounds of earth. The culture ended
by about 1700, but many of the mounds
still stand.
The Mississippians lived in both large
and small communities. Chiefs ruled
towns or regions, called chiefdoms. The
chiefs were also religious leaders. Chiefdoms
had contact with each other
through wars, trade, and alliances.
The people were mainly farmers who
grew corn and other crops. They also
produced pottery and detailed carvings.
They used stone, shell, wood, and copper
to make headdresses, masks, weapons,
and other items.
Every Mississippian chiefdom had one
or more mounds of earth, usually at the
center of town. Some mounds were
small and round. Others were large
pyramids or platforms. The chief’s home
always sat at the top of a mound.
The largest Mississippian mound is
Monks Mound, which is a part of the
Cahokia Mounds in southern Illinois.
Monks Mound measures about 1,000
feet (300 meters) long and 700 feet (200
meters) wide. It stands about 100 feet
(30 meters) high.
The Mississippian culture had already
begun to weaken when European
explorers arrived in the 1500s. Many
Mississippians then died of diseases
brought by the Europeans. The last
people of the Mississippian culture were
probably the Natchez.
#More to explore
Mound Builder • Natchez • Native
Americans
Mississippi River
The Mississippi is North America’s
longest river. Native Americans gave the
Mississippi its name, which means
“father of waters.” The writings of Mark
Twain have made the river a part of U.S.
legend.
Geography
The Mississippi River begins at Lake
Itasca in northern Minnesota and flows
south, passing Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Near Saint Louis, Missouri, the Missis-
Mississippians made gorgets, or jewelry
that hangs around the neck, from shell.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Mississippi River 143
sippi is joined by the muddy Missouri
River. Farther along, at Cairo, Illinois,
the Mississippi meets the mighty Ohio
River. The Mississippi flows into the
Gulf of Mexico near New Orleans,
Louisiana.
The Mississippi River alone is 2,350
miles (3,780 kilometers) long. If the
length of the Missouri River system is
added, the Mississippi flows for 3,710
miles (5,971 kilometers). By that measure,
the Mississippi is the world’s
fourth longest river.
Animals
Millions of ducks, geese, and swans
move along the Mississippi during their
spring and autumn migrations. The path
they follow is called the Mississippi Flyway.
Common fish in the river include
catfish, walleye, and carp.
Economy
The Mississippi River has a long history
of trade. Today it is one of the busiest
commercial water routes in the world.
Products shipped on the river include
oil, coal, iron, steel, chemicals, and grain
from Midwestern farms.
A tugboat pushes barges on the Mississippi River in Louisiana. Barges are boats that carry
goods along rivers and other waterways.
144 Mississippi River BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
History
The first European to explore the Mississippi
was Hernando de Soto of Spain.
He entered the river from the Gulf of
Mexico in 1541. The French explorers
Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet traveled
part of the way down the river in
1673. Another French explorer, La Salle,
