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123-663: West Tennessee was originally inhabited by the Chickasaw , and was the last of the three Grand Divisions to be settled by Europeans. The region officially became part of the United States with the Jackson Purchase in 1818, 22 years after Tennessee's statehood. As part of the Mississippi River basin, West Tennessee enjoys rich soil that led to large-scale cotton farming during the antebellum period that

246-618: A Shawnee Indian, under a promise to him of five thousand dollars, to pilot him and his troops out of the Indian country safely without a collision with the Texas Confederates; which Black Beaver accomplished. By this act the United States abandoned the Choctaws and Chickasaws. . . Then, there being- no other alternative by which to save their country and property, they, as the less of the two evils that confronted them, went with

369-525: A matrilineal system, in which children were considered born into the mother's clan ; and they gained their status in the tribe from her family. Property and hereditary leadership passed through the maternal line, and the mother's eldest brother was the main male mentor of the children, especially of boys. Because of the status of their mothers, for nearly a century, the Colbert-Chickasaw sons and their descendants provided critical leadership during

492-642: A War Chief and Peace chief oversaw the respective red and white divisions. Over time, the French union would be dictated by the leaders of the white division, while the English relationship was defined by the red. Ultimately, despite French proximity to Chickasaw land, the tribe elected to prioritize their trade routes with the British. The alliance between the British and the Chickasaw was a strategic defense against

615-597: A backup landing strip for FedEx. The public universities and colleges in West Tennessee are the University of Memphis , the University of Tennessee at Martin , Dyersburg State Community College , Jackson State Community College , Southwest Tennessee Community College , and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, which has state medical, dental, nursing, and pharmacy schools, as well as

738-520: A below-replacement-rate birth/death ratio, and economic decline, including empty and neglected housing and business structures. Agriculture plays the largest role in the economy of West Tennessee out of all of the state's Grand Divisions, and is arguably still the region's largest economic sector. Tennessee ranks seventh in the nation in the production of cotton , nearly all of which is grown in West Tennessee. The northern half of West Tennessee also produces more corn and soybeans than any other region in

861-520: A common history with them. The Chickasaw were divided into two groups ( moieties ): the Imosak Ch a 'a' (chopped hickory) and the Inchokka' Lhipa' (worn out house), though the characteristics of these groups in relation to Chickasaw villages, clans, and house groups is uncertain. They traditionally followed a kinship system of matrilineal descent , in which inheritance and descent are traced through

984-573: A complex at the Memphis Regional Megasite near Stanton called " Blue Oval City " to manufacture electric vehicles and batteries . The facility, which is expected to be operational in 2025, will cost approximately $ 5.6 billion, making it the most expensive single investment in state history, and employ approximately 5,700. Large corporations based in the region include FedEx , International Paper , First Horizon Corporation , and AutoZone , all based in Memphis. Tourism also plays

1107-660: A graduate program in health sciences. The University of Memphis has a branch campus in Jackson after taking over the former Lambuth University campus. Private institutions of higher education located in the region include Christian Brothers University , LeMoyne–Owen College , Rhodes College , Union University , Lane College , Bethel University , and Freed-Hardeman University . 35°42′N 89°12′W  /  35.7°N 89.2°W  / 35.7; -89.2 Chickasaw The Chickasaw ( / ˈ tʃ ɪ k ə s ɔː / CHIK -ə-saw ) are an Indigenous people of

1230-676: A land west of the Mississippi River to reach present-day northeast Mississippi, northwest Alabama, and into Lawrence County, Tennessee . They had interaction with French, English, and Spanish colonists during the colonial period . The United States considered the Chickasaw one of the Five Civilized Tribes of the Southeast, as they adopted numerous practices of European Americans. Resisting European-American settlers encroaching on their territory, they were forced by

1353-1213: A major role in the region's economy, especially attractions related to its musical heritage. Major attractions include Graceland , the home of Elvis Presley , Beale Street , Sun Studio , the National Civil Rights Museum , the Memphis Zoo , and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music , all in Memphis; the Casey Jones Home & Railroad Museum in Jackson, the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center/ Tina Turner Museum in Brownsville , and Discovery Park of America in Union City . The National Park Service operates Shiloh National Military Park , and Fort Donelson National Battlefield in West Tennessee. Historically, West Tennessee

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1476-563: A nation of Indians who inhabit the country on the east side of the Mississippi, on the head branches of the Tombeckbe [ sic ], Mobille, and Yazoo rivers. Their country is an extensive plain, tolerably well watered from springs, and a pretty good soil. They have seven towns, and their number of fighting men is estimated at 575. George Washington (first U.S. President) and Henry Knox (first U.S. Secretary of War) proposed

1599-477: A national talking point on the issue of eminent domain and grassroots lobbying when the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) attempted to construct the highway through the city's Overton Park . A local activist group began fighting the project in 1957, and in 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the group and established the framework for judicial review of government agencies in

1722-744: A new peace treaty in 1866. It included the provision that they emancipate the enslaved African Americans and provide full citizenship to those who wanted to stay in the Chickasaw Nation. These people and their descendants became known as the Chickasaw Freedmen . Descendants of the Freedmen continue to live in Oklahoma. Today, the Choctaw-Chickasaw Freedmen Association of Oklahoma represents

1845-629: A number of African American sharecroppers in majority-Black Fayette and Haywood counties were evicted from their lands in retaliation for registering to vote. In response, they formed a makeshift encampment called Tent City with the assistance of Black landowners, which lasted until 1962. On April 4, 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis by James Earl Ray . King had traveled to Memphis days before to support striking African American sanitation workers . The construction of Interstate 40 through Memphis became

1968-568: A part of northern Mississippi . Although the vast majority of the purchase area lies in Tennessee, the term " Jackson Purchase " is used today mostly to refer solely to the Kentuckian portion of the acquisition. After West Tennessee was opened to European settlement in 1818, cotton planters began exploiting the fertile soils of the region in the 1820s, and an agrarian economy , heavily dependent on African American slave labor took hold in

2091-700: A series of offensives into West Tennessee between December 1862 and January 1863, which resulted in Confederate victories in minor battles at Lexington and Jackson , as well as a disputed outcome at Parker's Crossroads . The raids failed to completely stop Grant's movement southward. One of the most notorious events of the war occurred in April 1864 in Lauderdale County, when Confederate troops under Forrest's command massacred hundreds of surrendering Union soldiers , most of whom were Black. Like most of

2214-590: A smaller unionist presence, the Upstate region of the state would be a haven for Confederate Army deserters and resisters, as they used the Upstate topography and traditional community relations to resist service in the Confederate ranks. The Southern Unionists were referred to in Henry Clay Work 's song Marching Through Georgia : Yes and there were Union men who wept with joyful tears, When they saw

2337-682: A stratified society, with centers throughout the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys and their tributaries. In the 15th century, proto-Chickasaw people left the Tombigbee Valley after the collapse of the Moundville chiefdom. Chickasaw culture believe that the foundation of Chickasaw from proto-Chickasaw peoples was determined by the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River is referred to as Sakti Lhafa’ Okhina in Chikashanompa ', which means “scored bluff waterway", known today as

2460-731: Is at the edge of the New Madrid Seismic Zone . In 1811 and 1812, three of the largest quakes in American history hit this region when it had few European settlers. By some reports, the earthquakes briefly reversed the flow of the Mississippi River . A lasting legacy of the earthquakes is the Reelfoot Lake , a large but shallow body of water in northwestern Tennessee that was created by the earthquakes. There are 21 counties in West Tennessee: Seven of

2583-635: Is flatter than the eastern parts of the state. Areas along the Mississippi River are located within the Mississippi Alluvial Plain , which is primarily a floodplain with many swamps . However, much of the western counties of the region are protected from flooding by the Chickasaw Bluffs , ridges of loess rising 50 to 200 feet (15 to 61 m) above the floodplain. Although the land is lower and flatter than Middle and East Tennessee, some hilly terrain exists, especially along

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2706-488: Is in Jackson . Similar rules apply to certain other state commissions and boards, as well, to prevent them from showing any geographical biases. Until the year 2001, West Tennessee, including all of Hardin County , was in the area code 901 . After a large amount of population growth necessitated two area codes for West Tennessee, Memphis , its northern and eastern suburbs, as well as Fayette and Tipton counties, retained

2829-461: Is the hub for FedEx , it is the busiest freight airport in the world. West Tennessee also has two important regional airports. McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport (MKL) is located outside of Jackson and Dyersburg Regional Airport (DYR) is southwest of Dyersburg. In addition to these, several general aviation exist along with two former military airstrips. Arnold Field in Lauderdale County maintains an airstrip and Millington Regional Jetport serves as

2952-424: The 901 area code , with the remainder of West Tennessee being placed into area code 731 . The Memphis area is one of the largest metropolitan areas that does not require 10-digit dialing, and it is anticipated it will remain this way for many years to come. Interstate 40 (I-40) is West Tennessee's primary interstate highway , which runs for 134 miles (216 km) from the Mississippi River in Memphis and crosses

3075-771: The Arkansas Ozarks , and the Boston Mountains in Arkansas. These areas provided thousands of volunteers for Union military service. Western North Carolinians, for example, formed their own loyalist infantry, cavalry, and artillery regiments, while West Virginians formed a new Union state admitted in 1863. The term Southern Unionist , and its variations, incorporate a spectrum of beliefs and actions. Some, such as Texas governor Sam Houston , were vocal in their support of Southern interests, but believed that those interests could best be maintained by remaining in

3198-462: The Chickasaw Bluffs . Settling upon the river provided the people with a symbolic sense of new beginngings, washing away the past of the proto-Chickasaw and entering into a new modern age of the Chickasaw. The migration marked their split from other Native American communities like the Choctaws. They settled into the upper Yazoo and Pearl River valleys in present-day Mississippi. Historian Arrell Gibson and anthropologist John R. Swanton believed

3321-777: The Confederate States of America opposed to secession. Many fought for the Union during the Civil War . These people are also referred to as Southern Loyalists , Union Loyalists , or Lincoln's Loyalists . Pro-Confederates in the South derided them as " Tories " (in reference to the pro-Crown Loyalists of the American Revolution ). During Reconstruction , these terms were replaced by " scalawag " (or "scallywag"), which covered all Southern whites who supported

3444-754: The Cross Timbers . The area was subject to continual raiding by the Indians on the Southern Plains. The United States eventually leased the area between the 100th and 98th meridians for the use of the Plains tribes. The area was referred to as the "Leased District". Because the Chickasaw allied with the Confederacy, after the Civil War the United States government required the nation to make

3567-593: The Mississippi River , following routes established by the Choctaw and Creek . During the journey, often referred to as the Trail of Tears , more than 500 Chickasaw died of dysentery and smallpox . When the Chickasaw reached Indian Territory, the United States began to administer to them through the Choctaw Nation, and later merged them for administrative reasons. The Chickasaw wrote their own constitution in

3690-506: The Northeast and Midwest for better economic opportunities and to escape increasing racial segregation imposed by Jim Crow laws passed by the state legislature. During this time, many West Tennessee residents, Black and White, also relocated from rural areas to Memphis and other cities in the state. Beginning during this time and lasting until the latter 20th century, Memphis experienced an explosive population and economic boom, whereas

3813-581: The Province of Carolina after that colony was established in 1670. After acquiring firearms from colonial merchants in Carolina, Chickasaw raiders began to attack settlements belonging to a rival tribe, the Choctaw , in order to acquire captives which they sold to the colonists . These raids largely subsided after the Choctaw acquired firearms of their own from the French. Allied with British colonists in

West Tennessee - Misplaced Pages Continue

3936-498: The Republican Party in this part of the state. West Tennessee is represented by part of the 7th district , and all of the 8th and 9th districts. The 7th district covers Benton, Decatur, Henderson, Hardeman, Chester, McNairy, and Hardin counties. The 8th district represents the remaining counties except for Memphis and Millington, which are represented by the 9th district. The Supreme Court building for West Tennessee

4059-566: The Republican Party . Tennessee (especially East Tennessee ), North Carolina , and Virginia (which included West Virginia at that time) were home to the largest populations of Unionists. Other (primarily Appalachian ) areas with significant Unionist influence included North Alabama , North Georgia , Western North Carolina , the Texas Hill Country , northern Loudoun County in Virginia, North Mississippi , North Texas ,

4182-803: The Southern Colonies , the Chickasaw were often at war with the French and the Choctaw in the 18th century, such as in the Battle of Ackia on May 26, 1736. Skirmishes continued until France ceded its claims to the region east of the Mississippi River after being defeated by the British in the Seven Years' War (called the French and Indian War in North America). Following the American Revolutionary War , in 1793–94,

4305-628: The Treaty of Tuscaloosa , which ceded all claims to land north of the southern border of Tennessee up to the Ohio River (the southern border of Indiana and the Illinois Territory ). This was known as the " Jackson Purchase ." The Chickasaw were allowed to retain a four-square-mile reservation but were required to lease the land to European immigrants. In the mid-18th century, an American-born trader of Scots and Chickasaw ancestry by

4428-498: The landmark case of Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe . The group's efforts eventually resulted in TDOT cancelling the route in 1981. Since the 1960s, West Tennessee has seen cycles of population booms and stagnation. Agriculture has remained a central tenet of the region's economy, and despite the creation of new economic sectors and employment opportunities, the region has not overall benefitted from these changes as much as

4551-546: The 10-year period; predominantly black Haywood County was the most rapidly diminishing county in the state, losing 5.1% of its population. Only three counties ( Chester , Fayette , and Tipton , all increasingly playing a role as bedroom suburbs of metropolitan areas ) recorded a growth rate of more than 10% from 2000 to 2010. Many West Tennessee counties are not on the state's major transportation routes (railroads or highways) and have no air transport to speak of; and rely heavily on agriculture. With fewer farms and farmers, and

4674-581: The 1850s, an effort contributed to by Holmes Colbert . After several decades of mistrust between the two peoples, in the twentieth century, the Chickasaw re-established their independent government. They are federally recognized as the Chickasaw Nation. The government is headquartered in Ada, Oklahoma . The Chickasaw Nation was the first of the Five Civilized Tribes to become allies of the Confederate States of America . In addition, they resented

4797-666: The 20th century. Rivers that empty into the Mississippi River include the Obion River , Forked Deer River , Hatchie River (which has not been channelized), Loosahatchie River , Wolf River , and Nonconnah Creek . Rivers that empty into the Tennessee River include the Big Sandy River and Beech River . West Tennessee sits on top of an artesian aquifer. This aquifer is the main source of water for Memphis and Shelby County , as well as many other communities. In

4920-474: The American people, but always stood as their faithful allies." Cushman believed the Chickasaw, along with the Choctaw, may have had origins in present-day Mexico and migrated north. Frenchman Le Clerc Milfort , when writing about the Creek Indians, echoed the same view. That theory, however, does not have consensus; archeological research, as noted above, has revealed the peoples had long histories in

5043-844: The Chaloklowa Chickasaw Indian People's later petition for recognition as a State Recognized tribe in October 2005, the Commission of Minority Affairs review committee, upon rereview, found that the indigenous ancestry originally being claimed by the group was incorrect. The organization remains recognized as a group as of 2023. In 2003, they unsuccessfully petitioned the US Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs to try to gain federal recognition as an Indian tribe. For many tribes in

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5166-406: The Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muskogee, and Seminole, a history of the Choctaw and Chickasaw was included that was written by R.W. McAdam. McAdam claimed that the word "Chikasha" meant "rebel" in the Choctaw language. Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto had recorded the people as Chicaza when his expedition came into contact with them in 1540; the Spanish were the first known Europeans to explore

5289-407: The Chickasaw Council, representing clans and villages, signed a letter in November 1832 by Levi Colbert to President Andrew Jackson , complaining about treaty negotiations with his appointee General John Coffee . After Levi's death in 1834, the Chickasaw people were forced upon the Trail of Tears . His brother, George Colbert, reluctantly succeeded him as chief and principal negotiator, because he

5412-523: The Chickasaw Nation did not provide citizenship to their freedmen after the Civil War (it would have been akin to formal adoption of individuals into the tribe), they were penalized by the U.S. Government. It took more than half of their territory, with no compensation. They lost territory that had been negotiated in treaties in exchange for their use after removal from the Southeast. The Chaloklowa Chickasaw Indian People , an organization that alleges to be composed of descendants of Chickasaw who did not leave

5535-448: The Chickasaw Old Fields were in Madison County, Alabama . The Chicasaws [ sic ], they being (although a small tribe) accounted the mother nation on this part of the continent, and their language, universally adopted by most, if not all the western [American Indian] nations. The Choctaws relayed to Bernard Romans their creation myth, saying that they came "out of a hole in the ground, which they shew between their nation and

5658-402: The Chickasaw and Choctaw split into distinct peoples in the 17th century from the remains of Plaquemine culture and other groups whose ancestors had lived in the lower Mississippi Valley for thousands of years. When Europeans first encountered them, the Chickasaw were living in villages in what is now northeastern Mississippi. The Chickasaw are believed to have migrated into Mississippi from

5781-407: The Chickasaw tribe immigrated to its now-home in Oklahoma. While their current residence is far from their native territory, the ancestral remains of many Chickasaw members are still located in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama. Among these remains, many were excavated and stored within the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH). In 2021 the MDAH repatriated 403 Chickasaw ancestors to

5904-400: The Chickasaw under Chief Piomingo fought as allies of the new United States under General Anthony Wayne against the Indians of the old Northwest Territory . The Shawnee and other, allied Northwest Indians were defeated in the Battle of Fallen Timbers on August 20, 1794. A 19th-century historian, Horatio Cushman , wrote, "Neither the Choctaws nor Chicksaws ever engaged in war against

6027-452: The Chickasaws." Another version of the Chickasaw creation story is that they arose at Nanih Waiya , a great earthwork mound built about 300 CE by Woodland peoples. It is also sacred to the Choctaw, who share a similar story. The mound was built about 1400 years before the coalescence of each of these peoples as ethnic groups. The first European contact with the Chickasaw was in 1540 when Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto encountered

6150-461: The Civil War. The Chickasaw passed a resolution allying with the Confederacy, which was signed by Governor Cyrus Harris on May 25, 1861. Up to this time, our protection was in the United States troops stationed at Fort Washita, under the command of Colonel Emory. But he, as soon as the Confederate troops had entered our country, at once abandoned us and the Fort; and, to make his flight more expeditious and his escape more sure, employed Black Beaver,

6273-399: The Civil War. In February 1862, the U.S. Navy , under the command of General Ulysses S. Grant , captured the Tennessee River in February 1862 at the Battle of Fort Henry near the Kentucky border. Grant then proceeded south to Pittsburg Landing, and two months later held off a Confederate counterattack, led by Albert Sidney Johnston and P. G. T. Beauregard at the Battle of Shiloh , which

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6396-428: The French and their native allies. Supported by the slave trade, the Chickasaw sought weapons in exchange for captured members of rival tribes. As they were smaller than the Choctaw and other abutting indigenous groups, the weapons were critical to the defense of their native land. In 1797, a general appraisal of the tribe and its territorial bounds was made by Abraham Bishop of New Haven, who wrote: The Chickasaws are

6519-404: The House of Representatives of the Confederate States of America. Because the Chickasaw sided with the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War , they had to forfeit some of their land afterward. In addition, the US renegotiated their treaty, insisting on their emancipation of slaves and offering citizenship to those who wanted to stay in the Chickasaw Nation. If they returned to

6642-423: The Memphis area and areas along the bluffs, the loess and gravel serves as a cap over the sand making up the aquifer. The rest of West Tennessee serves as a recharge area for the aquifer. This aquifer provides some of the cleanest water in the United States. The entire West Tennessee region, especially the area closest to the Mississippi River, lies in a zone of fairly high estimated risk for earthquakes . This area

6765-503: The Memphis area. One is operated by Norfolk Southern in Rossville, one operated by BNSF in Southeast Memphis, and one operated by Canadian National in Southwest Memphis. Amtrak runs the City of New Orleans passenger rail service along the CN rail line. There are two stops in West Tennessee along this route, which are in Downtown Memphis at Central Station and in Newbern north of Dyersburg. West Tennessee has one international airport, Memphis International Airport (MEM). Because it

6888-401: The Mississippi River to Dyersburg. I-269 serves as an outer bypass around Memphis, passing to the east of the city. An extension of I-69 is proposed to run from the Mississippi state line in Memphis to the Kentucky line near South Fulton. The U.S. Highways that travel through West Tennessee are: Freight railways crisscross West Tennessee. Norfolk Southern maintains a line running through

7011-412: The Mississippi River, becoming the first Europeans to map the Mississippi Valley. In 1682, a French expedition led by René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle constructed Fort Prudhomme on the Chickasaw Bluffs along the Mississippi River north of present-day Memphis. In 1739, the French constructed Fort Assumption under the command of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville on the Mississippi River at

7134-511: The Mississippi River. In 1836 after a bitter five-year debate within the tribe, the Chickasaw had reached an agreement to purchase land in Indian Territory from the previously removed Choctaw. They paid the Choctaw $ 530,000 for the westernmost part of their land. The first group of Chickasaw moved in 1837. The Chickasaw gathered at Memphis, Tennessee , on July 4, 1837, with all of their portable assets: belongings, livestock, and enslaved African Americans . Three thousand and one Chickasaw crossed

7257-449: The Mississippi area and independently developed complex cultures. Despite being smaller than many surrounding tribes, the Chickasaw established themselves as a trade power within the region. Aided by their strategic location on the Mississippi, the tribe was able to exchange goods with neighboring parties. The tactical importance of the Chickasaw was not lost on the British; in 1755, the Imperial Indian Superintendent Edmund Atkin recognized

7380-423: The North American Southeast. The suffix -mingo (Chickasaw: minko ) is used to identify a chief. For example, Tishomingo was the name of a famous Chickasaw chief. The towns of Tishomingo in Mississippi and Oklahoma were named for him, as was Tishomingo County in Mississippi. The origin of the Chickasaw is uncertain; 20th-century scholars, such as the archaeologist Patricia Galloway, theorize that

7503-427: The River on the Frisco Bridge . Union Pacific maintains a short line through Memphis crossing the river on the Harahan Bridge and connects with other lines in the area. CSX runs a line from Memphis through Memphis, Brownsville, Humboldt, Milan, McKenzie, and Camden, then crossing the Tennessee River. Many other short line railroads exist scattered throughout the region. There are three intermodal facilities around

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7626-562: The South and tried to stay neutral. The term could also be used for any Southerner who worked with the Republican Party or Union government in any capacity after the war ended in 1865. A study of Southern Unionists in Alabama who continued to support the Union during the war found that they were typically "old fashioned" or " Jackson " conservative Democrats, or former Whigs , who viewed the federal government as worthy of defending because it had provided economic and political security. They saw secession as dangerous, illegitimate, and contrary to

7749-489: The South, West Tennessee was greatly devastated by the effects of the Civil War. After the War and during the beginning of Reconstruction , most large cotton plantations were divided into smaller farms. Most freed slaves were forced into sharecropping , and many also worked as agricultural wage laborers. The region was characterized by racial tension between former slaves and their White allies and former Confederates, which often resulted in violence and lynchings perpetrated by

7872-467: The Southeast, were recognized as a "state-recognized group" in 2005 by South Carolina . They are headquartered in Hemingway, South Carolina . Historian Edward J. Cashin , a professor of colonial era history and Director of the Center for the Study of Georgia History at Augusta State University , was unable to ascertain the organization's connection to the Savannah River Chickasaws or other bands of Chickasaw. After receiving letters of complaint concerning

7995-424: The Southeastern Woodlands , United States . Their traditional territory was in northern Mississippi , northwestern and northern Alabama , western Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky . Their language is classified as a member of the Muskogean language family. In the present day, they are organized as the federally recognized Chickasaw Nation . Chickasaw people have a migration story in which they moved from

8118-457: The Southern Confederacy. At the beginning of the American Civil War , Albert Pike was appointed as Confederate envoy to Native Americans. In this capacity, he negotiated several treaties, including the Treaty with Choctaws and Chickasaws in July 1861. The treaty covered sixty-four terms, covering many subjects such as Choctaw and Chickasaw nation sovereignty , Confederate States of America citizenship possibilities and an entitled delegate in

8241-514: The Spanish entering their territory. In the winter of 1540, conflict finally struck between Chickasaw warriors and the Spanish Explorers. The reasonings for the battle vary from Spanish looting Chickasaw food storages, to general heated animosity between the two groups. After various disagreements, the Chickasaw attacked the De Soto expedition in a nighttime raid, nearly destroying the force. The Spanish moved on quickly. The Chickasaw began to establish trading relationships with English colonists in

8364-419: The Tennessee River in Benton County , passing near Brownsville and through Jackson in between. Interstate 240 (I-240) is an auxiliary bypass route of I-40 that runs to the south of Memphis. Interstate 55 (I-55) runs for 13 miles (21 km), entirely within southwest Memphis, from the Mississippi state line to the Mississippi River. I-155 is located in the northwestern part of West Tennessee, running from

8487-468: The Tennessee River in Hardin County, and resulted in the electrification of many rural parts of the region. During World War II , the U.S. Army constructed an ammunition plant in Milan , which also later produced ammunition for the Korean War and Vietnam War . As part of the second wave of the Great Migration , African Americans fled West Tennessee in greater numbers than before, which further exacerbated population decline in rural counties. In 1960,

8610-408: The U.S. and agreeing to find land and relocate west of the Mississippi River. Between 1832 and 1837, the Chickasaw would make further negotiations and arrangements for their removal. Unlike other tribes who received land grants in exchange for ceding territory, the Chickasaw held out for financial compensation: they were to receive $ 3 million U.S. dollars from the United States for their lands east of

8733-412: The U.S. government to sell their traditional lands in the 1832 Treaty of Pontotoc Creek and move to Indian Territory ( Oklahoma ) during the era of Indian removal in the 1830s. Most of their descendants remain as residents of what is now Oklahoma. The Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma is the 13th-largest federally recognized tribe in the United States. Its members are related to the Choctaw and share

8856-630: The Union as it existed. Some Unionists initially opposed secession (especially in the states of Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia), but afterward either actively served and fought with the Confederate armies, or supported the Confederacy in other ways. Others refused to fight, went North or stayed North to enlist in the Union Army , or fought informally as partisans in the South. Some remained in

8979-441: The Union defined the region as part of the state. West Tennessee did not come under American control until it was obtained in a series of cessions by the Chickasaw in 1818, an acquisition known as the Jackson Purchase , which was negotiated by Andrew Jackson , who later became the 7th President of the United States, and former-Kentucky governor Isaac Shelby . This purchase also included the westernmost area of Kentucky as well as

9102-417: The United States constructed Fort Hampton in 1810 in present-day Limestone County, Alabama . The fort was designed to keep settlers out of Chickasaw territory and was one of the few forts constructed in the United States to protect Native American land claims. The Chickasaw signed the Treaty of Hopewell in 1786. Article 11 of that treaty states: "The hatchet shall be forever buried, and the peace given by

9225-593: The United States government, which had forced them off their lands and failed to protect them against the Plains tribes in the West. In 1861, as tensions rose related to the sectional conflict, the US Army abandoned Fort Washita , leaving the Chickasaw Nation defenseless against the Plains tribes. Confederate officials recruited the American Indian tribes with suggestions of an Indian state if they were victorious in

9348-466: The United States of America, and friendship re-established between the said States on the one part, and the Chickasaw nation on the other part, shall be universal, and the contracting parties shall use their utmost endeavors to maintain the peace given as aforesaid, and friendship re-established." Benjamin Hawkins attended this signing. In 1818, leaders of the Chickasaw signed several treaties, including

9471-597: The United States, they would have US citizenship. This was the first time in history the Chickasaws have ever made war against an English speaking people. The Chickasaws were first combined with the Choctaw Nation and their area was called the Chickasaw District. Although originally the western boundary of the Choctaw Nation extended to the 100th meridian , virtually no Chickasaw lived west of

9594-555: The United States, which many of their ancestors had fought for in 1776 and 1812 , was the unmanly and dishonorable act. In 2003, historian James Alex Baggett profiled more than 1,400 Southern political activists (742 Southern Unionists, and 666 Redeemers who eventually replaced them) in three regions (the Upper South, the Southeast, and the Southwest). He coded them as follows: Baggett claimed that each activist's score

9717-467: The United States. In addition, the two each served as interpreters and negotiators for chiefs of the tribe during the period of removal. Levi Colbert served as principal chief, which may have been a designation by the Americans, who did not understand the decentralized nature of the chiefs' council, based on the tribe reaching broad consensus for major decisions. An example is that more than 40 chiefs from

9840-495: The bluffs bordering the Mississippi River and the land bordering the Tennessee River, known as the West Tennessee Highlands. Hilly land in these areas is forested. Otherwise, most of the land in West Tennessee is used as farmland. The soil in this part of the state comes from when a prehistoric sea dried up and left sediment in its place. Unlike in the rest of the state, bedrock is buried a few thousand feet below

9963-559: The city to temporarily lose its charter. Many rural West Tennesseans relocated to Memphis and other cities during the latter 19th century. While the region remained predominantly rural, Memphis experienced modest industrialization, and became known as the "Cotton Capitol of the World" during the late 19th century. As part of the first wave of the Great Migration , many African American West Tennesseans relocated to industrial cities in

10086-540: The claims of these Northerners were greatly embellished. In fact, there were fewer Unionists in the South than many Northerners believed, and they tended to be concentrated in areas such as northwest Virginia, East Tennessee , and parts of North Carolina where slave owners and slaves themselves were few. Furthermore, in the states that had already seceded, irreversible action had already taken place; federal buildings, mints, and courthouses had been seized. Many Southern soldiers remained loyal when their states seceded. During

10209-427: The continuing decline of manufacturing, economic opportunities diminish in these counties, and young residents look outside the area for jobs, leading to substantial out-migration. Thus, the population in West Tennessee is increasingly older, with median ages above the state average in most counties; and the over-65 age group constitutes a larger percentage of the total population than the state average, leading in turn to

10332-953: The cultural transformation of Native Americans. Washington believed that Native Americans were equals, but that their society was inferior. He formulated a policy to encourage the "civilizing" process, and Thomas Jefferson continued it. Historian Robert Remini wrote, "They presumed that once the Indians adopted the practice of private property, built homes, farmed, educated their children, and embraced Christianity, these Native Americans would win acceptance from white Americans." Washington's six-point plan included impartial justice toward Indians; regulated buying of Indian lands; promotion of commerce; promotion of experiments to civilize or improve Indian society; presidential authority to give presents; and punishing those who violated Indian rights. The government-appointed Indian agents , such as Benjamin Hawkins , who became Superintendent of Indian Affairs for all

10455-469: The diverse culture of the Chickasaw. The Chikasha Inchokka' Traditional Village features a Council House, two winter and summer houses, a replica mound, a corn crib and a stickball field. There are often stomp dances or stickball demonstrations, and cultural performers often display traditional Chickasaw culture, including art, cooking, language and storytelling. To the Chickasaw, the Mississippi River helped "define their geographic homeland and history", and

10578-582: The entire state overall. West Tennessee is the smallest of the state's three Grand Divisions, and has a land area of approximately 10,650 square miles (27,600 km), about 25.8% of the state's total land area. The region is bounded by the Mississippi River to the west, and the Tennessee River to the east, except for in Hardin County , which is bisected by the Tennessee River. The region's boundaries have been expanded slightly to include all of this county. The states of Kentucky and Mississippi provide

10701-541: The exception of the southeastern parts of the region along the Tennessee River, where the terrains and soils did not allow for large plantations as in most of West Tennessee. As a result, most residents of this area were Unionists . In 1860, slaves composed more than one third of West Tennessee's population, compared to about one fourth statewide. This was the highest percentage of the state's three Grand Divisions, although Middle Tennessee had more slaves. A number of crucial battles and events took place in West Tennessee during

10824-432: The family member of the man would return with the news of approval. The man would put on his finest clothing and apply vermilion , a paint associated with love, power, and purity. The man would go to the house of the woman he wanted to marry, and would have supper alone with his future father-in-law, without the company of the wife or mother-in-law. The bed of the wife would be prepared, and the bride would go to sleep before

10947-494: The fourteen cities in West Tennessee with a population greater than 10,000 are located within Shelby County, which comprises Memphis and its six suburbs. West Tennessee is by slight amounts less populous and smaller in land area than the other two Grand Divisions. At the 2020 census , West Tennessee had 1,557,649 inhabitants living in its 21 counties, a decrease of 4,992, or 0.32%, over the 2010 figure of 1,562,650. This

11070-412: The groom joined. Once they were both in the same bed, they were officially married. The Chickasaw people held ancient beliefs about four "Beloved Things": the sun, the clouds, the sky and Aba' Binni'li , also known as "He that lives in the clear sky". He was believed to be the sole creator of light, life, and warmth. He was believed to reside both in the clouds and in the holy fire, and due to this, fire

11193-416: The honored flag they had not seen for years; Hardly could they be restrained from breaking forth in cheers, While we were marching through Georgia. Southern Unionists were extensively used as anti- guerrilla forces and as occupation troops in areas of the Confederacy occupied by the Union. Ulysses S. Grant noted: We had many regiments of brave and loyal men who volunteered under great difficulty from

11316-603: The intentions of the Founding Fathers , and believed that the Confederacy could not improve on the United States government. The desire for security was a motivation for Unionist slaveholders, who feared that secession would cause a conflict that would result in the loss of their slaves; however, some stated that they would rather give up slavery than dissolve the Union. The Southern ideals of honor, family, and duty were as important to Unionists as to their pro-secession neighbors. They believed, however, that rebelling against

11439-434: The interests of freedmen descendants in both of these tribes. But the Chickasaw Nation never granted citizenship to the Chickasaw freedmen. The only way that African Americans could become citizens at that time was to have one or more Chickasaw parents or to petition for citizenship and go through the process available to other non-Natives, even if they were of known partial Chickasaw descent in an earlier generation. Because

11562-524: The latter, and continued for many decades afterwards. One of the worst acts of racial violence in the Reconstruction era occurred in Memphis in 1866 , when White mobs attacked and looted Black neighborhoods in the city, killing 46. A number of deadly epidemics swept though the region during this time, including yellow fever , which killed more than one-tenth of Memphis' residents in 1878 and caused

11685-503: The maternal line. Children are considered born into the mother's family and clan , and gain their social status from her. Women controlled most property and hereditary leadership in the tribe passed through the maternal line. The name Chickasaw, as noted by anthropologist John Swanton , belonged to a Chickasaw minko', or leader. "Chickasaw" is the English spelling of Chikashsha ( Creek pronunciation: [tʃikaʃːa] ), meaning "comes from Chicsa". In an 1890 extra census bulletin on

11808-610: The name of James Logan Colbert settled in the Muscle Shoals area of Alabama. He lived there for the next 40 years, where he married three high-ranking Chickasaw women in succession. Chickasaw chiefs and high-status women found such marriages of strategic benefit to the tribe, as it gave them advantages with traders over other groups. Colbert and his wives had numerous children, including seven sons: William, Jonathan, George, Levi, Samuel, Joseph, and Pittman (or James). Six survived to adulthood (Jonathan died young.) The Chickasaw had

11931-511: The population of most West Tennessee counties remained relatively stagnant or declined. Smaller cities such as Jackson and Dyersburg also experienced modest industrialization during this time. West Tennessee was particularly devastated by the Great Depression , even by national standards. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) played a much lesser role in the region than in the rest of the state, but constructed Pickwick Landing Dam on

12054-580: The present-day location of Memphis, which they used as a base against the Chickasaw during the 1739 Campaign of the Chickasaw Wars . In 1795, Spanish Governor-General of Louisiana , Francisco Luis Héctor de Carondelet , sent his lieutenant governor, Manuel Gayoso de Lemos , to negotiate an agreement with the local Chickasaw so that a fort could be erected on the Chickasaw Bluffs in present-day Memphis. Fort San Fernando De Las Barrancas

12177-403: The region, corn was one of the most important foods. The Green Corn Ceremony , which occurs annually and starts when the corn crops begin to develop, usually in late June or early July, ties corn into the culture of the Chickasaw. This ceremony celebrated both the crop and the sense of community in the tribe. It was also a time of starting from scratch in a sense. Villages were cleaned, old pottery

12300-550: The region. West Tennessee quickly became one of the most productive cotton-producing regions in the nation, along with much of the Deep South and the largest cotton-farming region in Tennessee. After the election of Abraham Lincoln as president in 1860 , most West Tennesseans favored joining the Confederacy in order to preserve the slavery-based economy of the region. This was true throughout most of West Tennessee, with

12423-542: The respective northern and southern boundaries, with the exception of a portion of Lauderdale County , Alabama , which lies southeast of the portion of Hardin County east of the Tennessee River. West Tennessee borders Arkansas and Missouri to the west. West Tennessee is located almost entirely within the Mississippi Embayment , part of the Gulf Coastal Plain . Because of this, the terrain

12546-560: The southern counties from Memphis to the shoals area of Alabama. They also maintain a line which runs from South Fulton through Martin, Milan, Jackson, and Selmer crossing into Mississippi. Canadian National runs a line from South Fulton, through Union City, Dyersburg and Memphis. From here the line splits into two: one runs through the Mississippi Delta and the other one runs through the center of Mississippi. BNSF runs through Memphis from Mississippi to downtown Memphis, crossing

12669-432: The state. Other important agricultural commodities cultivated in the region include beef cattle , sorghum , wheat , poultry , and timber and forestry products. West Tennessee is home to manufacturing establishments which produce such products as automotive components, chemicals, electronics, appliances, and fabricated metal products. On September 27, 2021, it was announced that Ford and SK Innovation would construct

12792-511: The states that had not yet seceded might be persuaded to stay within the Union. This idea was predicated on the fact that many believed that the newly elected President Lincoln would declare a relaxed policy toward the South that would ease tensions. Given the fact that there were a good number of Southern Unionists known to be found in the South it was hoped that this deliberate policy of non-provocation would subvert extremists from irreversible action. Admirable though their sentiments might have been,

12915-683: The surface. West Tennessee's highest elevation is approximately 840 feet (260 m) in Hardin County east of the Tennessee River, which is slightly lower than the state's mean elevation of 900 feet (270 m); the region's highest elevation west of the Tennessee River is approximately 740 feet (230 m) in Chester County . Several rivers and streams, besides the Mississippi and Tennessee, exist in West Tennessee. All of them were originally slowly moving swamps or low-gradient meandering streams before nearly all of them were channelized in

13038-592: The territory south of the Ohio River. He and other agents lived among the Indians to teach them, through example and instruction, how to live like whites. Hawkins married a Muscogee Creek woman and lived with her people for decades. In the 19th century, the Chickasaw increasingly adopted European-American practices, as they established schools, adopted yeoman farming practices, converted to Christianity, and built homes in styles like their European-American neighbors. Due to settlers encroaching into Chickasaw territory,

13161-454: The tribe and stayed in one of their towns, most likely near present-day Starkville, Mississippi . The Chickasaw were alert around the Spanish, placing war banners implying their intentions for when they would meet the Spanish. The Chickasaw additionally gathered intel that the Spanish recently fought a nearly-lost battle in the town of Mabila, led by leader Tascalusa, only a few months prior to

13284-693: The tribe's greatest challenges. They had the advantage of growing up bilingual. Of these six sons, William "Chooshemataha" Colbert (named after James Logan's father, Chief/Major William d'Blainville "Piomingo" Colbert ) served with General Andrew Jackson during the Creek Wars of 1813–14. He also had served during the Revolutionary wars and received a commission from President George Washington in 1786 along with his namesake grandfather. His brothers Levi ("Itawamba Mingo") and George Colbert ("Tootesmastube") also had military service in support of

13407-515: The tribe. The organizations director of archaeology, Meg Cook, addressed the MDAH’s efforts: “We’re doing everything that we can to reconcile the past and move forward, in a very transparent way. It’s our responsibility to tell the Mississippi story. And that means all of the bad parts, too." Southern Unionist In the United States , Southern Unionists were white Southerners living in

13530-488: The tribe’s position: "It is not possible to cast an Eye ever so lightly over a Map, without being struck with the Importance of the [Chickasaws'] situation." The Chickasaw made their first formal contact with the British shortly after the founding of Charles Town in 1670; this occurred when Dr. Woordward of Carolina attempted to establish trade ties while on course to Alabama. Although the British outpost of Charles Town

13653-513: The war, many Southern Unionists went North and joined the Union armies. Others joined when Union armies entered their hometowns in Tennessee, Virginia, Arkansas, Louisiana, and elsewhere. Around 100,000 Southern Unionists served in the Union Army during the Civil War, with every Southern state except South Carolina raising official organizations of white troops. Though no regiments of Southern Unionists were formed in South Carolina due to

13776-517: The west, as their oral history attests. They and the Choctaw were once one people and migrated from west of the Mississippi River into present-day Mississippi in prehistoric times; the Chickasaw and Choctaw split along the way. The Mississippian Ideological Interaction Sphere spanned the Eastern Woodlands . The Mississippian cultures emerged from previous moundbuilding societies by 880 CE. They built complex, dense villages supporting

13899-535: Was bilingual and bicultural. George "Tootesmastube" Colbert never reached the Chickasaw's "Oka Homa" (red waters); he died on Choctaw territory, Fort Towson , en route. In 1832 after the state of Mississippi declared its jurisdiction over the Chickasaw Indians, outlawing tribal self-governance, Chickasaw chiefs assembled at the national council house on October 20, 1832 and signed the Treaty of Pontotoc Creek , ceding their remaining Mississippi territory to

14022-643: Was broken, and most old fires were put out. Fasting was done by most tribes to obtain purity, and the Chickasaw specifically would fast from the afternoon of the first day of the ceremony until the second sunrise. In 2010, the tribe opened the Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur, Oklahoma . It includes the Chikasha Inchokka’ Traditional Village, Honor Garden, Sky and Water pavilion, and several in-depth exhibits about

14145-451: Was established in May of that year to defend Spanish claims and prevent further westward expansion of the United States. The part of Tennessee west of the Tennessee River was first recognized as Chickasaw territory by the 1786 Treaty of Hopewell , and continued to be after Tennessee's statehood in 1796. However, both the state's constitution and the legislative act that admitted Tennessee to

14268-486: Was heavily dependent on slave labor . As a result, it forms the northwestern tip of the Black Belt . The first Europeans to reach what is now West Tennessee were part of an expedition led by Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto , who in 1541 became the first Europeans to reach the Mississippi River south of present-day Memphis. In 1673, a French expedition led by missionary Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet explored

14391-400: Was important for trade, transportation, and irrigation. Referred to as "scored bluff waterway", Chickasaw warriors limited the movement of Europeans along the river. Before marriage, a Chickasaw man would send a gift with his mother or sister to be given to the parents of the woman he would like to marry. If the parents consented, they would offer the gift to the woman. If the woman accepted,

14514-515: Was located over 850 km from Chickasaw territory, the two groups managed to engage initially in an exchange of deerskin. Shortly after making contact with the British, the Chickasaw began to trade with the French as the Europeans established themselves within Louisiana. Within Chickasaw society, trade was categorized under either white (peace) or red (war) routes. To maintain this duality,

14637-547: Was predominately Democratic following the American Civil War , but the significant minority of African Americans joined the Republican Party. The white-dominated state legislature in the 1880s passed four laws that effectively disenfranchised most blacks and many poor whites, particularly due to the requirement of payment of a poll tax in order to register to vote, which reduced the competitiveness of

14760-490: Was respected. It became unlawful to extinguish any fire, even a small cooking fire, with water, as this was considered to be the work of evil spirits. Bad weather such as rain, thunder and heavy wind was thought to be holy people at war above the clouds. Warriors would fire their guns at the sky to show that they were willing to die if they could aid the holy spirits above. After they signed the treaty of Pontotoc Creek in 1832 and were forced from their native land in Mississippi,

14883-461: Was roughly proportional to the probability that the activist was a Southern Unionist. Baggett further investigated the lives of those Southern Unionists before, during, and after the war, with respect to birthplace, occupation, value of estate, slave ownership, education, party activity, stand on secession, war politics, and postwar politics. Before the war there was widespread belief in the North that

15006-500: Was the bloodiest battle of the war at the time. This battle claimed the life of Johnston, and remained one of the most costly engagements of the entire war. Memphis fell to the Union in June after a naval battle on the Mississippi River, which effectively resulted in the Union gaining control of West Tennessee. In an effort to disrupt Grant's campaign southward along the Mississippi River, Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest launched

15129-605: Was the first recorded net population decrease in any of the state's three Grand Divisions in history. West Tennessee's population was about 22.54% of the state's total, and its population density was about 146.26 inhabitants per square mile (56.47/km). About 60% of the population of West Tennessee resides in Shelby County. West Tennessee registered a population growth rate significantly below the state and national average (11.5% and 9.7% respectively) from 2000 to 2010, significantly less than that of Middle and East Tennessee (18.0% and 10.4%). West Tennessee's population grew only 4.2% during

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