June 1, 1796 – Tennessee Joins the Union as the 16th State

As settlers on the American continent expanded from the east toward the west, land speculators from eastern North Carolina and Virginia moved into the western area of North Carolina now called Tennessee. The Native Americans on the land were killed or pushed westward.

When North Carolina ratified the new Constitution of the United States in 1789, it ceded the western lands to the Federal government to use as payment for soldiers who fought in the American Revolution. Congress designated the area as the Territory of the United States South of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Southwest Territory.

In 1795, a territorial census revealed a sufficient population for statehood, and a referendum showed a three-to-one majority in favor of joining the Union. In a vote on June 1, 1796, the U.S. Congress approved the admission of Tennessee as the sixteenth state of the Union.

The new state grew quickly; between 1790 and 1800, the state’s population tripled. Slavery played a major role in Tennessee’s rapid expansion. With the invention of the cotton gin and rise of commercial cotton farming, and the lucrative tobacco farming business, whites saw an abundance of financial opportunity if they could bring slaves to do the work. The territorial census of 1791 showed blacks were ten percent of the population. By 1860, Tennessee’s slaves were one-quarter of the population, even though ownership of slaves was concentrated in only 4.5 percent of the state’s whites.

In February 1861, 54% voted against secession from the Union. But when Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to coerce the seceded states back into line, public sentiment turned against the federal government. Opinion was split between East and West Tennessee, with the former for the Union and the latter, where most of the slaves were, for the Confederacy. Middle Tennessee tipped the balance in favor of secession. Tennessee became the last state to withdraw from the Union.

Nevertheless, Tennessee – a border state – sent large numbers of men to fight on both sides of the Civil War. There were 187,000 Confederate and 51,000 Federal soldiers from Tennessee.

Tennessee was deemed critical to each side in the war. Two forts in Tennessee—Fort Henry on the Tennessee River and, twelve miles away, Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River, were considered key to the control of the rivers themselves. General Ulysses S. Grant came to national attention by capturing both forts, and the South lost a route for badly needed supplies. Another fateful moment for the nation occurred in Tennessee when the Union conquered the state and President Lincoln appointed former Governor Andrew Johnson to be the military governor. He would go on to become Lincoln’s second vice president, and then one of the worst presidents in history following the assassination of Lincoln.

General Ulysses S. Grant

Tennesseans gave a resounding majority to Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1932 presidential election. FDR’s “New Deal” included funding of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The TVA built hydroelectric dams and several coal-fired power plants to produce electricity. The resulting abundant and inexpensive electrical power helped bring electricity to the many rural households in the state without it. By 1945, TVA was the largest electrical utility in the nation. Its presence in Tennessee attracted large industries to relocate near one of its dams or steam plants.

Today, Tennessee’s two largest cities, Memphis and Nashville, are known as centers of blues and country music, respectively, and have played host to the likes of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Muddy Waters, Johnny Cash, B.B. King and Dolly Parton.

From the Tennessee Department of Tourism

Country music attractions, particularly live music and the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, are important to Tennessee’s $16 billion-a-year tourism industry. Elvis’s home, Graceland, is the most visited celebrity museum in the country.

On the Graceland website, you learn that you can visit a state-of-the-art entertainment and exhibit complex over 200,000-square-feet in size:

‘Elvis Presley’s Memphis’ enables you to follow the life path that Elvis took, surround yourself with the things that he loved, and experience the sights and sounds of the city that inspired him. Experience Elvis’ life and career like never before – his roots, his influences and his artistry.”

And of course, you can go shopping:

At Graceland, you will find the largest collection of Elvis merchandise in the world – everything from collectibles to apparel, accessories, jewelry, music, guitars, jumpsuits and more. Shops are located throughout the Elvis Presley’s Memphis complex and each store features its own unique merchandise that you can purchase to commemorate your Graceland adventure.”

Graceland Mansion

According to the Tennessee Tourism website, the most “iconic” Tennessee foods include biscuits, barbecue, catfish, fried chicken, banana pudding, country ham, and flapjacks. (As of 2017, heart disease was still Tennessee’s top cause of death – just saying.)

Movoto has a post on “How Not to Embarrass Yourself in Tennessee,” which includes advice such as not to call Jack Daniels “bourbon” – rather, it’s properly called Tennessee Whiskey. It also advises not to admit it, if you don’t like “Moon Pies,” writing: “Coming out of Chattanooga, these delicious chocolate, graham, and marshmallow sandwiches are one of the most Tennessee things around. Just make sure you don’t forget the RC Cola to wash it down.”

Finally, for a real thrill, you might want to try the SkyBridge in Gatlinburg, the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America. Located at the top of the iconic SkyLift, 1,800 feet above sea level, it stretches almost 700 feet across a deep valley in a single span.