What Year Did Tennessee Become a State?

What year did Tennessee become a state? Tennessee was the 16th state to enter the United States. It became a state on June 1, 1796.  

Before European settlers came to the New World, three Indian tribes occupied Tennessee. The Cherokee lived in the middle area, the Chicksaw lived in the Western region, and the Creek inhabited the southeastern area.

Some of the lands claimed in North America by England and France were in Tennessee. This dispute led to the French and Indian War, which lasted from 1754 to 1763. In the Treaty of Paris, the French surrendered all lands east of Mississippi to the English, so the area that would become Tennessee became part of the English colony called North Carolina.

During the Revolutionary War, from 1775 to 1783, soldiers from Tennessee helped win the Battle of Kings Mountain. There were also battles fought with the Indians during that time. When help did not come from North Carolina, several sections of Tennessee got together and formed their own government. North Carolina got control back, and gave the land to the federal government.

The land became the Southwest Territory on May 26, 1790, with Knoxville as its capital. By 1795, the population was at 70,000, so Governor Blount asked Congress to allow Tennessee to become a state. After much debate, statehood was granted.

The answer to the question, “What year did Tennessee become a state?” is Tennessee became the 16th state on June 1, 1796. It was the first state to come out of a government territory.

Andrew Jackson led a group of volunteer soldiers and defeated the British at the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812. He later became president and Tennessee became known as the volunteer state. By 1840, many Indians were forced out of Tennessee and traveled to what is currently Oklahoma. Their route is called the Trail of Tears.   

What Year Did Tennessee Become a State?

At the beginning of the Civil War, Tennessee was the last state that joined the Confederacy.  Many battles were fought in Tennessee, with over 10,000 Southern soldiers and 13,000 Northern soldiers dying there. When the war was over, Tennessee was the first state to rejoin the Union. So Tennessee became a state of the Union for the second time in July of 1866.By the 1900s, Tennessee had recovered from the war and was prospering again.  During the Great Depression, the Tennessee Valley Authority was founded to develop natural resources and conserve them. Many people found jobs building dams on the rivers of Tennessee.

Tennessee has prospered again and the economy is steady. Nashville is the center of a multi-billion dollar music industry, and the home of Graceland, which has more visitors than any other celebrity museum in the nation.    

Interesting Facts About Tennessee

Now that you know the answer to the question, “What year did Tennessee become a state?” perhaps you would like to know more about the state of Tennessee.

• Tennessee’s capital is Nashville and the largest city is Memphis.  
• Major industries include coal mining, electrical power, music, car manufacturing, farming, uranium production, tourism, and walking horses.  
• States that border Tennessee are: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, and Virginia. 
• Its nickname is The Volunteer State.
• Its flag was adopted on April 17, 1905 and has three white stars that represent the three areas of the state: the Great Smoky Mountains in the east, the highlands in central Tennessee, and the lowlands in western Tennessee.  The white circle binds the three stars together. 
• The name “Tennessee” comes from the name of a Cherokee village named “Tanasie.”
• The major rivers in Tennessee are the Mississippi, Tennessee, Cumberland, Clinch, and Duck.  
• The highest point is Clingmans Dome, located in the Great Smoky Mountains.
• Sevens songs are state songs in Tennessee: My Homeland Tennessee, The Tennessee Waltz, When It's Iris Time in Tennessee, My Tennessee, Rocky Top, Tennessee, and The Pride of Tennessee. 
• The state bird is the mockingbird, the state wild animal is the raccoon, and the state flower is the iris.