Mississippi History Essay

Mississippi is a state located in the southern United States. It has a long and varied history from Native Americans, to slavery, and finally to what it is today. Mississippians have made their living off the land using the resources natural to the area. This dependence on the land lead to slavery and the Civil Rights movement. A discussion of Mississippi, its people, and progress or lack thereof, cannot begin without a mention of Native Americans, cash crops, and the results of slavery. Native Americans are the first know settlers of Mississippi. The Northern and Eastern part of the state was home for the Chickasaw Nation. The Choctaw tribe roamed the Central Part of Mississippi while the famous Natchez Indians lived in the Southwest region of the State. Native American Indians have a long and active culture. Today, the Choctaw Nation owns and operates two casinos just outside Philadelphia, Mississippi. The Golden Moon Casino and Hotel and

Cotton has always been the king of crops in Mississippi. The Delta land is dark and ready for cotton fields. These fields hot with the sun, bringing long summer days made cotton king. Today other crops have been introduced to the Mississippi land and growers however cotton is still number one. It took many people to plant and harvest cotton. Plantation owners relied on slaves brought to American by ships from Africa. The slaves were treated harshly. Many were worked to death with very few enjoying a good life. Families were sold “down the river”. Children were separated from their parents never to be seen again. It took a Civil War and President Lincoln to usher in freedom and on a path that took many years to rectify. This legacy of slavery still lingers in the Mississippi of today. The Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s brought change but the battle is still