Tennessee

Lore & Background

Tennessee is rooted in the Watauga Association, a 1772 frontier pact regarded as the first constitutional government west of the Appalachian Mountains. Its name derives from Tanasi, a Cherokee town preceding the first European American settlement. Initially part of North Carolina and later the Southwest Territory, Tennessee was admitted to the Union as the 16th state on June 1, 1796. A slave state until the American Civil War, Tennessee was politically divided, with most of its western and middle parts supporting the Confederacy and most of the eastern region harboring pro-Union sentiment. It was the last state to secede and the first former Confederate state readmitted to the Union after the war.

Reader's Guide

Tennessee's significance lies in its role as a borderland between the Upland South, Appalachia, and the Deep South, reflected in its diverse terrain and cultural features. During the 20th century, it transitioned from a predominantly agrarian society to a diversified economy, aided by federal investment in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the city of Oak Ridge, established during World War II for the Manhattan Project's uranium enrichment facilities. The state's economy is now dominated by health care, music, finance, automotive, chemical, electronics, and tourism sectors. Tennessee has played a major role in the development of many forms of popular music, including country, blues, rock and roll, soul, and gospel. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the nation's most visited national park, is located in eastern Tennessee.

Did You Know?

• Tennessee's name derives from the Cherokee town of Tanasi.
• The state is twice bisected by the Tennessee River, and the Mississippi River forms its western border.
• Tennessee was the last state to secede from the Union and the first former Confederate state readmitted after the Civil War.