The Republican Party by then was chiefly supported by African Americans. They were noted for a spirit of frontier democracy and egalitarianism, but this declined after the slave society developed. Selma's Confederate Nitre Works procured niter for the Nitre and Mining Bureau for gunpowder, from limestone caves. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Due to later cessions by the Cherokee, Chickasaw and Choctaw in 1816, they retained only about one-quarter of their former territories in Alabama. In 1812, Congress added the Mobile District of West Florida to the Mississippi Territory, claiming that it was included in the Louisiana Purchase. How did Alabama get its name? By 1860 the investment and profits in cotton production resulted in planters holding 435,000 enslaved African Americans, who made up 45% of the state's population. Throughout the 1970s, Alabama continued to struggle with issues related to racial inequality and segregation. In 1880 there were 7 Alabama families living in Louisiana. ", McKenzie, Robert H. "Clios Partners: The Significance of Alabama History and the Contributions of Its Contemporary Historians. [51] Birmingham experienced such rapid growth that it was nicknamed "The Magic City." He is a graduate of Indiana University. State bonds were issued and public lands were sold to secure capital, and the notes of the banks, loaned on security, became a medium of exchange. "Caste in Steel: Jim Crow Careers in Birmingham, Alabama. A new constitution was adopted in 1875, which omitted the guarantee of the previous constitution that no one should be denied suffrage on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude. Here's what Hugh Roberts did have to say about the low-scoring tie back in 1907: "For these reasons the following of Alabama accepted the verdict as a virtual victory and Auburn admitted a virtual defeat," Roberts wrote. 16th Street Baptist Church had been a rallying point and staging area for civil rights activities in Birmingham prior to the bombing. Many people ask how Alabama got its name, and there are varying accounts. Tens of thousands of African Americans from Alabama joined the Great Migration out of the South from 1915 to 1930[4] and moved for better opportunities in industrial cities, mostly in the North and Midwest. Or the locals preferred three-syllable OR-a-gun? Virginia was named for Queen Elizabeth I of England, also known as the Virgin Queen. The book tells the stories of the "village" and its people, street by street, act by act, over nearly two centuries. Before his November 1963 assassination, President John F. Kennedy had supported civil rights legislation. In 1972, federal court ordered the city of Birmingham to desegregate its public schools. This was about 64% of all the recorded Alabama's in USA. General Andrew Jackson was the commander of the American forces during the Creek War and in the continuing effort against the British in the War of 1812. A rapid pace of change across the country, especially in growing cities, combined with new waves of immigration and migration of rural whites and blacks to cities, all contributed to a volatile social environment and the rise of a second Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in the South and Midwest after 1915. Test your memory with thisgeography quiz. In 1819, Alabama became the 22 nd state to join the Union, but European settlers arrived in Alabama in the 16 th century. It was the name of a noted southern Indian tribe whose habitat when first known to Europeans was in what is now central Alabama. In 1832, the national government provided for the removal of the Creek via the Treaty of Cusseta. LSU crushes Florida in Game 3 of MCWS finals. While their team wasn't always known as the Crimson Tide, the name did come about relatively early in their history. The following year, General James Wilkinson occupied the Mobile District with a military force. Orange Beach History: This Beach Town Has a Story to Tell - iTrip 01 (11thed.). For example, Alabama Klansmen such as Hugo Black were among the foremost advocates of better public schools, effective Prohibition enforcement, expanded road construction, and other "progressive" measures to benefit poor whites. The shut out was long-lasting. Though the French claimed the territory as their own and attempted to rule it from Fort Toulouse, so as to engage in trade with the Indians, English traders based out of the Carolinas infiltrated the region, also engaging in trade. Alabama gets its name from the Native Americans that lived there. Thanks to a quartet of famous nurserymen in Mobile, the revered flower slowly - very slowly - became a mainstay in yards across the state. Two years later, the boundaries of Mississippi Territory were extended so as to include all of the Georgia cession. The name is sometimes loosely translated from the Aleut word Alyeska meaning great land, which is understandable because the state is bigger than Texas, California, and Montana combined. Fierce political battles raged in Alabama on issues ranging from banking to the removal of the Creek Indians. What's in a Name? - History of Auburn University Names The media covered the series of peaceful marches that the Birmingham police, headed by Police Commissioner Bull Connor, attempted to divert and control. Tens of thousands of slaves were transported to and sold in the state by slave traders who purchased them in the Upper South. The first recorded use predates 1689 when the area was referred to as the great kingdom of Texas by a Spanish explorer. In 1991, a federal court ordered the state to redraw its congressional districts to ensure greater representation for African American voters.[63]. A mining lobbyist claimed it was an Indian word that meant gem of the mountains, and hoped to name the territory that included Colorado accordingly. Game days in Tuscaloosa are special. Most of the yeoman farmers owned few or no slaves. Stratified societies developed, with hereditary religious and political elites, and flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from 800 to 1500 C.E. How Each US State Got Its Name - Insider From the early to mid-19th century, the state's wealthy planter class considered slavery essential to their economy. Other sources claim it is derived from the Choctaw language, translating as "thicket-clearers" or "vegetation-gatherers." In addition, the state legislature had a senate based on one for each county. In 1974, George Wallace, who as governor stood in the doorway of the University of Alabama in 1963 to block the enrollment of African American students, was re-elected to the governorship for a third term. ", Wiggins, Sarah Woolfolk. It's complicated. Rushmore. Prior to the adoption of the nickname of "Crimson Tide," newspaper accounts from the early 1900s called Alabama simply the "Alabama football team," "Crimson," "Crimson and White," or "the Alabama football eleven," with "eleven" being a common refrain a century ago in reference to the number of players on the field for each team. There are numerous theories as to the origins of the states namenot to mention how its pronounced: Ore-gun? Its constitution provided for equal suffrage for white men, a standard it abandoned in its constitution of 1901, which reduced suffrage of poor whites and most blacks, disenfranchising tens of thousands of voters. Wisconsin was originally Meskonsing, which is the Native American name for the river (now called Wisconsin as well) that runs 430 miles through the state. Despite some resistance in the northern part of the state, Alabama joined the Confederate States of America (CSA). Several powerful Native American tribes still occupied most of the land, with some formal ownership recognized by treaty with the United States. Okla humma was a phrase in the Choctaw language that described the skin-color of Native Americans as a whole. From the Dakota peoples. Orange Beach History: 5 Facts About This Alabama Hot Spot. The word has often been interpreted to mean muddy water, but according to the Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology, the name means town of the large canoes.. A state convention met in September of the same year, and declared the ordinance of secession null and void and slavery abolished. The progressives worked hard to upgrade the hospital and public health system, with provisions to require the registration of births and deaths to provide the information needed. The name New Mexico was given to the land ceded to the United States by Mexico after the Mexican-American War. The culture spread along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and their tributaries. The distance between the colonies and the home countries meant they could always operate with some freedom. They did not succeed in carrying the state. Like many state names, the etymology of Hawaii is subject to debate. "Labor at the Ballot Box: Alabama Politics from the New Deal to the Dixiecrat Movement. His leadership and military success during the wars made him a national hero. The first mention of the name can be found in a letter from 1524 from the explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano: He refers to an island near the mouth of Narragansett Bay that looks like the Isle of Rhodes in the Aegean Sea. With President Lincoln's call to arms in April 1861, most opposition to secession ended. ALASKA: From Eskimo word "alakshak", meaning peninsula; also said to mean "great lands." What does the name Karen mean? ", Madhuri Sharma, "Spatial perspectives on diversity and economic growth in Alabama, 19902011. Despite outbreaks of cholera, the population of this 'Pittsburgh of the South' grew from 38,000 to 132,000 from 1900 to 1910, attracting rural white and black migrants from all over the region. Manufacturing also began to take hold in the state, with the establishment of cotton mills, sawmills, and other industries. [68] As of 2018, the state of Alabama offers online voter registration. The Populist coalition had less success in the next campaigns. From a Caddo word meaning "allies," used by the Spanish to describe the Caddo and the region they lived in. For the next nine years this was the French seat of government of New France, or La Louisiane (Louisiana). And in 1863, Congress dubbed the state territory Idaho. The cities of Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile quickly adopted the commission form[47], Women energized by the prohibition wars turned their crusading energies to woman suffrage. The French and the English engaged in competition for Indian trade in what is now the state of Alabama between roughly the 1690s and the 1750s, at which point the French and Indian War broke out. Alabama was an important player in the United States home front during World War II. Selma Arsenal made most of the Confederacy's ammunition. That left Idaho free for the takingand now it had a reputation. Johnson ordered the army to allow the inauguration of the governor after the legislature ratified the Thirteenth Amendment in December 1865. In 1986, the election of Guy Hunt as governor marked a shift in Alabama toward becoming a Republican stronghold in Presidential elections as its voters also leaned Republican in statewide elections. Here are the geography mistakes were all guilty of making. The name comes from the celebration, Pascua Florida (Feast of the Flowers). The contemporary interests of urbanizing, industrial cities and tens of thousands of citizens were not adequately represented in the government. Charles II of England included most of the territory of modern Alabama in the Province of Carolina, with land granted to certain of his favorites by the charters of 1663 and 1665. ", Moore, A. At the same time, KKK vigilantesthinking they enjoyed governmental protectionlaunched a wave of physical terror across Alabama in 1927, targeting both blacks and whites. Tourist attractions such as Gulf Shores and Orange Beach drawing visitors from across the country. They named the region as La Florida, which extended to the southeast peninsular state now bearing the name. Finally, Birmingham leaders King and Shuttlesworth agreed to end the marches when the businessmen's group committed to end segregation in stores and public facilities. It declared its secession in January 1861, joining the Confederate States of America in February 1861. Mechanical cotton pickers became available in the postwar era, reducing the need for many agricultural workers. Some 29 earthwork mounds survive at this site. The owners' wealth depended on the labor of hundreds of thousands of enslaved African Americans, many initially transported in the domestic trade from the Upper South, which resulted in one million workers being relocated to the South. The story behind Alabama's elephant mascot - Yahoo Sports In 1539 he made an arduous expedition along the Coosa, Alabama and Tombigbee rivers. During the agitation over the Wilmot Proviso, which would bar slavery from territory acquired from Mexico as a result of the Mexican War (1848), Yancey induced the Democratic State Convention of 1848 to adopt what was known as the "Alabama Platform". Later, federal troops became the main fighting force for the United States. In North Alabama, there was an attempt to organize a neutral state to be called Nickajack. ALABAMA: From an Indian tribe of the Creek Confederacy originally called the Alabamas or Alibamons, who in turn gave the name to a river from which the State name was derived. In 1819, Alabama was admitted as the 22nd state to the Union. Other sources claim it is derived from the Choctaw language, translating as "thicket-clearers" or "vegetation-gatherers." The mill now employs 2,700 workers. The western portion, which had attracted population more quickly, became the state of Mississippi. Congressman Williamson R. W. Cobb was a Unionist and pleaded for compromise. The English also laid claims to the region north of the Gulf of Mexico. That year, Johnson helped achieve passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act to gain federal oversight and enforcement to ensure the ability of all citizens to vote. In 1843 the banks were placed in liquidation. ", Pearson, Joseph W. "A Conversation with J. When news of the ship's exploits reached prospectors in California sympathetic to the Confederates, they named many mining claims after the ship, and the name came to be applied to the entire range. Formal disenfranchisement was ended only after the mid-1960s after African Americans led the Civil Rights Movement and gaining Federal legislation to protect their voting and civil rights. The land that is now North Dakota was acquired from the French as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Alabama elected the first Republican governor since Reconstruction, Bob Riley, in 2002. These court decisions caused redistricting in many northern and western states as well as the South, where often rural interests had long dominated state legislatures and prevented reform. Since the amount of money in circulation was not sufficient to meet the demands of the increasing population, a system of state banks was instituted. Texas. They are believed to have migrated south at an earlier time from the Great Lakes area, based on their language's similarity to those of the Iroquois Confederacy and other Iroquoian-speaking tribes around the Great Lakes. This provision was insisted upon by the whites in the northern hill counties so they could control local government. In 1817, the Mississippi Territory was divided. Most soldiers were recruited locally and served with others they knew, which built esprit and strengthened ties to home. Reformers wanted to end the convict lease system, but it was producing a profit to the government of several hundred thousand dollars a year. Of course, the area was first discovered by the French. In the early part of the Civil War, Alabama was not the scene of military operations. Its name is derived from the Spanish word montana meaning mountain, even though Montanas average elevation of 3,400 feet makes it the lowest of all the Rocky Mountain States. In 1863, Union forces secured a foothold in northern Alabama in spite of the opposition of General Nathan B. Forrest. Historians disagree over how Arizona got its name: One theory is that the name is derived from Papago tribal words meaning place of the young spring. Another theory is that the name derives from a Spanish word meaning good oak tree. The office of the governor notes that the written history of Arizona began in Spanish (when exploration parties ventured northward from Mexico). You can see how Alabama families moved over time by selecting different census years. [38] In 1900 fourteen Black Belt counties (which were primarily African American) had more than 79,000 voters on the rolls. Alabama Name Meaning & Alabama Family History at Ancestry.com Where things get interesting, however, is that neither the words "crimson" nor "tide" appear in the story, which means either The Tuscaloosa News didn't publish Roberts' entire story (remember, Roberts worked for the Birmingham Age-Herald, not The Tuscaloosa News), which meant the newspaper unknowingly left out the portion where Alabama would get its future nickname, or perhaps through the passage of time, the origin of "Crimson Tide" was credited to the wrong newspaper, writer, year or game recap. The rural white minority's hold on the legislature continued, however, suppressing attempts by more progressive elements to modernize the state. When the Democratic National Convention at Charleston, South Carolina, failed to approve the "Alabama Platform" in 1860, the Alabama delegates, followed by those of the other "cotton states", withdrew. A state's name can give a lot of backstory to the region's history. Around 2,700 white men from Alabama who were adherent Southern Unionists served in the Union Army, many of whom served in the 1st Alabama Cavalry Regiment. Thirty-nine Alabamians attained flag rank, most notably Lieutenant General James Longstreet and Admiral Raphael Semmes. "Railroad Building in Alabama During the Reconstruction Period,". Origins of all 67 By KELLY KAZEK W hen it comes to the number of counties within its borders, Alabama is fairly evenly divided: It ranks 20 th among. Timber was also an important part of the economy, as large tracts of pine forests were harvested for lumber and naval stores such as turpentine and rosin. The rural-dominated legislature refused to redistrict state House and Senate seats from 1901 to the 1960s. But the legislature's passage of Black Codes to control the freedmen who were flocking from the plantations to the towns, and its rejection of the Fourteenth Amendment to grant suffrage, intensified Congressional hostility to the Presidential plan. Violence between Creeks and Americans escalated, culminating in the Fort Mims massacre. ", Bethel, Elizabeth. Lauren Cahn is a New Yorkbased writer whose work has appeared regularly on Reader's Digest and in a variety of other publications since 2008. A people calling themselves the Alabama did live in the area and were plant gatherers. King George II demanded that the thirteenth colony (which later became the state of Georgia) be named after him. The MDB is a fixture of Alabama football games, performing pregame favorites like the "Elephant Stomp ," playing "Yea Alabama" during halftime shows and leading Bryant-Denny Stadium in "Rammer Jammer" after a win. Kansas takes its name from the Kansa tribe that lived in the area; the name loosely translates to people of the South Wind. The first recorded use of the name was by French explorers, who first explored the land in 1812. Some say believe it means homeland. Others say it means small and raging. Others say it comes from the traditional settler of the islands, Hawaiiloa. Believe what you want. The Alabama family name was found in the USA between 1880 and 1920. Lauren is also an author of crime fiction, and her first full-length manuscript, "The Trust Game," was short-listed for the 2017 CLUE Award for emerging talent in the genre of suspense fiction. Civil Rights Movement and redistricting (19451975), Historical Census Browser, 1900 Federal Census, University of Virginia. The livestock supply shrank too, as the number of horses fell from 127,000 to 80,000, and mules from 111,000 to 76,000. ", Mathis, Ray. Some states were named after the native tribes that lived in the land, while others were named after the kings and queens of the empires who sent explorers to colonize them. And Sir Carteret? Tennessee. [7] Vol. Passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Bill and uncertainty about agitation against slavery led the State Democratic convention of 1856 to revive the "Alabama Platform". The party unwillingly accepted the Compromise and denied that the Constitution provided for secession. Etymology The city gained its name from the Mobile tribe that the French colonists encountered living in the area of Mobile Bay. This articleincorporates text from a publication now in the public domain:.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#3a3;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}Chisholm, Hugh, ed. [12][13], Analysis of artifacts recovered from archaeological excavations at Moundville were the basis of scholars' formulating the characteristics of the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (SECC). The following graph shows the popularity of the term "Alabama Crimson Tide," according to the newspapers.com database. They also have one of the best nicknames in sports. Since the turn of the 19th century, development of large cotton plantations had taken place across the upland Black Belt after the invention of the cotton gin made short-staple cotton profitable. How every Alabama county got its name - al.com In the mid-20th century cotton would fade in economic importance, with mechanization technologies, the reduced need for farm labor, as well as their now being new job opportunities in different industries. Garden State nickname is well-deserved: geography mistakes were all guilty of making, states that were almost a part of the United States, amazing places to retire around the world, named for the first president of the United States, facts about George Washington your teachers never taught you in school, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. [8] In the early 21st century, Alabama's economy was fueled in part by aerospace, agriculture, auto production, and the service sector.[9]. Original industry: In the late 1800s, Satsuma oranges became a popular crop as orange groves filled the area. The legal challenge was settled in Browder v. Gayle (1956), a case in which the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama found the segregation policy to be unconstitutional under Fourteenth Amendment provisions for equal treatment; it ordered that public transit in Alabama be desegregated. By 1903 only 2,980 had managed to "qualify" to register, although at least 74,000 black voters were literate. ", Simpson, Robert R. The Origin of the Alabama Department of Archives and History,, Stephenson, Wendell H. Some Pioneer Alabama Historians III: Thomas M. Owen., Sulzby, James F., Jr. Alabama Historical Association: Human Retrospective of Forty Years., This page was last edited on 27 June 2023, at 01:26. But the Republican biracial coalition created the first system of public education in the state, which would benefit poor white children as well as freedmen. When the English took over from the French, the territory became a county of Virginia before being separated into the Northwest Territory. Eufaula, city, Barbour county, southeastern Alabama, U.S. A strip of land 12 or 14 miles wide near the present northern boundary of Alabama and Mississippi was claimed by South Carolina, as part of the eastern colonies' previous hopeful extensions to the west. Alabama - Wikipedia Smith also gave New England its name. The origin of the name is unknown, though it possibly comes from a Cherokee rendering of a Yuchi word. During that time, its biracial government established the first public schools and welfare institutions in the state. Dont forget to check out Burlington, as well as these other amazing places to retire around the world. [22], One of the first problems of the new state was finance. These cities had many industrial jobs, but the migrants also had to compete with new waves of European immigrants. To settle the matter, the Maine legislature adopted a resolution in 2001 stating that Maine was named after the French province by the same name. [14] Contrary to popular belief, the SECC appears to have no direct links to Mesoamerican culture, but developed independently. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. ", Atkins, Leah Rawls. The States' Rights faction were in a minority; nevertheless, under their persistent leader, William L. Yancey (18141863), they prevailed upon the Democrats in 1848 to adopt their most radical views.[25]. The next year Governor Robert M. Patton estimated that 20,000 veterans had returned home with permanent disabilities. Most whites boycotted the polls and the new constitution fell short. Gunga Din Temple movie set The Alabama Hills were named for the CSS Alabama, a Confederate warship deployed during the American Civil War. The protest nearly brought the city bus system to bankruptcy and changes were negotiated. But Hawaiian King Kamehameha I wasnt buying into the anglicized naming; he united the islands under his rule by 1819 as the Kingdom of Hawaii.