The earliest European to come upon Mississippi was a Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto in 1540. He declared the land for Spain, but it was over a hundred years later that French explorer La Salle again traversed the area and claimed the land for France.
The Mississippi region exchanged to the British succeeding the French and Indian War. It then changed hands once more to the United States after the Revolutionary War. In 1798, Mississippi became a U.S. dependency with the city of Natchez as the capital. The territory continued to flourish and it took part in a vital role in the War of 1812.
The agricultural property owners in Mississippi began to agonize about their profession when northern states started to establish slavery illegal. They perceived the need for slaves to make money. In 1861, Abraham Lincoln became president and the Civil War commenced suddenly. Mississippi seceded from the United States and fastened the Confederacy. They were the second state to leave and one of the first members of the coalition.
Mississippi soldiers gotten involved in battles across the south. The most salient battle that took place in Mississippi was the Battle of Vicksburg. At this battle the Union Army under General Ulysses S. Grant conquered the Confederates and took command of the Mississippi River. In 1865, the war was over and the Confederacy had lost. Mississippi was permitted to rejoin the Union in 1870 after changing the state constitution to allow former slaves to vote.
