Download Tennessee History Facts

Tennessee History Facts
The name "Tennessee" originated from the old Yuchi Indian word, "Tana-see," meaning "The
Meeting Place."
Tennessee is 440 miles long (east-to-west) and 120 miles wide.
There are three (3) grand divisions in Tennessee (east, middle, and west)
The city of Murfreesboro lies in the exact geographical center of the state.
The most important natural resource of Tennessee is its soil.
Tennessee won its nickname as The Volunteer State during the War of 1812 when volunteer
soldiers from Tennessee displayed marked valor in the Battle of New Orleans
There were more National Guard soldiers deployed from the state for the Gulf War effort than
any other state.
The chief deposits of copper are found in the Ducktown area of East Tennessee.
The Copper Basin is so different from the surrounding area it has been seen and is recognizable
by American astronauts. The stark landscape was caused by 19th-century mining practices.
The Mississippi River is the main drainage route for the region.
One of the most unusual natural wonders in Tennessee is Reelfoot Lake (18,000 acre lake). It is believed
to be created by a series of severe earthquakes in 1811 1812.
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The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the United States.
The park was named for the smoke-like bluish haze that often envelops these fabled mountains.
The Cherokee Nation was among the more advanced tribes in North America, and was the largest tribe in
the southeastern United States during the early historic period.
Sequoyah was the Native American who devised the Cherokee alphabet.
Daniel Boone was one of the earliest Long Hunters to visit what would later become the state of
Tennessee.
Davy Crockett was not born on a mountaintop in Tennessee, as the song says. He was born on
the banks of Limestone Creek near Greeneville, where a replica of the Crockett's log cabin stands
today.
Nancy Ward was the last and most noted of the Cherokee Beloved Women (the highest honor bestowed
upon a female by the Cherokee).
Tennessee was known as the State of Franklin in the 1780’s for Revolutionary War statesman Benjamin
Franklin.
Tennessee became the 16th state of the Union on June 1, 1796
The capitol building was designed by noted architect William Strickland, who died during its
construction and is buried within its walls.
John Sevier was elected to the first of six terms as governor of Tennessee beginning in 1796 when
Tennessee first became a state.
James K. Polk, Andrew Jackson, and Andrew Johnson (Johnson was impeached but not removed from
office) of Tennessee all served as President of the United States. James K. Polk is buried in Nashville at
the Capitol.
Andrew Johnson held every elective office at the local, state, and federal level, including
President of the United States. He was elected alderman, mayor, state representative, and state
senator from Greeneville. He served as governor and military governor of Tennessee and United
States congressman, senator, and vice president, becoming President of the United States
following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
East Tennessee remained loyal to the Union during the Civil War, although the state joined the
Confederacy. Some East Tennessee unionists moved to Kentucky, since it remained in the Union as a
border state. William G. ”Parson” Brownlow was elected governor in 1865. He was determined to punish
former confederates and those who supported secession.
Tennessee was the first state to return to the union after the Civil War, and it was the last to leave the
Union during the Civil War.
The Fisk Jubilee Singers went on a singing tour to raise money for their school, Fisk University.
Mary Church Terrell of Memphis was an educator, writer, lecturer, and activist. She helped start the
National Association of Colored Women.
Ida B. Wells of Memphis promoted the principles of self-help and thrift. She spoke out against lynching.
The War of the Roses was whereby two brothers, Alfred Taylor a republican and Robert
Taylor a democrat ran against each other for the governorship of Tennessee in 1886.
Robert Taylor won the race.
George Peabody College was established in Nashville to train teachers.
Elizabeth Avery Meriwether was an early crusader for women’s rights. Susan B. Anthony visited the state
to offer support for women’s rights.
The state’s centennial in 1896 which was held in Nashville was attended by President William McKinley
and other guests. A replica of the Greek Parthenon was built as part of the celebration. The Tennessee
Centennial was designed to display the state’s cultural progress during its first hundred years. At the end
of the nineteenth century, Nashville was known as the Athens of the South.
Anne Dallas Dudley was a suffragist who helped persuade the Tennessee legislature to ratify the 19th
amendment (women’s right to vote). By 1920, thirty-five states had ratified the amendment, only one
more state was needed and Tennessee became that state.
Harry Burn, a legislator from McMinn County, cast the crucial vote in Tennessee to pass the resolution
granting women the right to vote. He carried a note in his pocket from his mother to the legislature which
read, “Vote for suffrage and don’t keep them in doubt.”
Alvin C. York was one of the most decorated soldiers of World War I. This Tennessean’s statute stands
on the grounds of the state Capitol in Nashville. He received the Medal of Honor.
W. C. Handy was known as the “father of the blues”. He wrote such tunes as “A Good Man Is Hard to
Find and St. Louis Blues”. Beal Street in Memphis was a street associated with the Blues.
Diane Nash was a student at Fisk University in Nashville, TN who helped lead the student protesters in
Nashville during the Civil Rights movement.
The Tennessee Valley Authority was created by Congress in 1933 to develop the economic resources of
the Tennessee Valley and to conserve its natural resources.
Cordell Hull served as Franklin Roosevelt’s secretary of state. The State Education building in Nashville
is named in his honor. He was a prime architect of the United Nations.
Oak Ridge was an important. part of the top-secret World War II “Manhattan Project”. Oak Ridge
processed Uranium 235, a radioactive metallic chemical element and the basic ingredient for the atomic
bomb. The site that became Oak Ridge was chosen because it was close to the electric power needed for
the facility.
Frank Clement was the first Tennessee governor to be elected to a four-year term. The 1953 state
constitutional convention increased the governor’s term from two years to four years.
Alex Haley, author of such books as ROOTS and AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOM X was from
Henning, Tennessee. He later moved to Norris, TN where his home became known as the Haley Farm.
Today the land is owned by the Children’s Defense Fund.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968 while standing on
the balcony of the Lorraine Hotel. This hotel is now a Civil Rights Museum.
Ryman Auditorium in Nashville was home to the Grand Ole Opry. WSM was a country
music radio station in Nashville. Nashville's Grand Ole Opry is the longest continuously running
live radio program in the world. It has broadcast every Friday and Saturday night since 1925.
Nashville is known as Country Music USA. It is a large business
Bristol is known as the Birthplace of Country Music.
Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, in 1935 and became a favorite son of
Tennessee. He was one of the foremost rock n roll” artists. Elvis Presley first recorded at Memphis Sun
Studio. Elvis Presley's home called Graceland is located in Memphis. Graceland is the second
most visited house in the country.
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Lamar Alexander became Secretary of Education under President George H. W. Bush.
Albert Gore, Jr. served as Vice-President of the United States in President Clinton’s administration.
There are 95 counties in Tennessee and one of the counties is named in honor of a female
Grainger County in honor of Mary Grainger.
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Tennessee Symbols: Animal —raccoon, bird Mockingbird, Cultivated Flower- Iris,
Folk Dance Square Dance, Gem- Tennessee River Pearl, horse Tennessee Walking
Horse, Insects- Ladybug, firefly, Motto “Agriculture and Commerce”, nickname Volunteer State, Poem
“Oh Tennessee, My Tennessee’, public school song “My
Tennessee”, rocks Limestone, agate, slogan “Tennessee America at Its Best”
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Songs My Tennessee”, “The Tennessee Waltz”, “When It’s Iris Time in Tennessee”, “My Homeland,
Tennessee”, and “Rocky Top”, Tree Tulip Poplar, and Wildflower- Passion Flower.
Name the current governor of Tennessee.
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Tennessee cast the deciding vote for women’s suffrage; thereby, making it the “perfect 36”. This was the
number of states needed for ratification of the 19th amendment.
Governor Albert Roberts was Governor of Tennessee, 1919— 1921 during the period that Tennessee
considered the 19th amendment.
Kingston, TN was the Capitol of Tennessee for one day (September 21, 1807).
Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee served as Chairman of the Senate Special Committee to investigate
interstate organized crime. The committee became known as the Kefauver Committee. Civil Rights He
announced that he would support any plank adopted on Civil Rights by his party (Democratic Party).
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Coca-Cola was first bottled in 1899 at a plant on Patten Parkway in downtown Chattanooga after
two local attorneys purchased the bottling rights to the drink for $l.00.