Tennessee: Difference between revisions
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{{two other uses|the U.S. state of Tennessee|the river|Tennessee River|other uses}} |
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{{Infobox U.S. state |
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|Name = Tennessee |
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|Fullname = State of Tennessee |
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|Flag = Flag of Tennessee.svg |
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|Seal = Tennessee-StateSeal.svg |
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|Map = Tennessee in United States.svg |
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|Nickname = The Volunteer State |
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|Motto = Agriculture and Commerce |
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|Former = Southwest Territory |
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|Capital = [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] |
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|OfficialLang = [[English language|English]] |
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|Demonym = Tennessean |
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|LargestCity = [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] |
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|LargestMetro = [[Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area|Nashville Metropolitan Area]] |
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|Governor = [[Bill Haslam]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]]) |
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|Lieutenant Governor = [[Ron Ramsey]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]]) |
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|Legislature = [[Tennessee General Assembly|General Assembly]] |
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|Upperhouse = [[Tennessee Senate|Senate]] |
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|Lowerhouse = [[Tennessee House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] |
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|Senators = [[Lamar Alexander]] (R)<br/>[[Bob Corker]] (R) |
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|Representative=7 Republicans, 2 Democrats |
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|PostalAbbreviation = TN |
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|TradAbbreviation = Tenn. |
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|AreaRank = 36th |
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|TotalAreaUS = 42,143 |
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|TotalArea = 109,247 |
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|LandAreaUS = 41,217 |
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|LandArea = 106,846 |
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|WaterAreaUS = 926 |
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|WaterArea = 2,400 |
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|PCWater = 2.2 |
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|PopRank = 17th |
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|2010Pop = 6,495,978 (2013 est)<ref name=PopEstUS /> |
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|DensityRank = 21st |
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|2010DensityUS = 153.9 |
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|2010Density = 60.0 |
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|AdmittanceOrder = 16th |
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|AdmittanceDate = June 1, 1796 |
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|TimeZone = [[Eastern Time Zone (North America)|Eastern]]: [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] [[Eastern Time Zone|-5]]/[[Eastern Daylight Time|-4]] |
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|TZ1Where = [[East Tennessee]] |
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|TimeZone2 = [[Central Time Zone (North America)|Central]]: [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] [[Central Standard Time|-6]]/[[Central Daylight Time|-5]] |
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|TZ2Where = [[Middle Tennessee|Middle]] and [[West Tennessee|West]] |
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|Latitude = 34° 59′ N to 36° 41′ N |
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|Longitude = 81° 39′ W to 90° 19′ W |
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|WidthUS = 120 |
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|Width =195 |
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|LengthUS = 440 |
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|Length = 710 |
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|HighestPoint = [[Clingmans Dome]]<ref name=USGS>{{cite web|url=http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html|title=Elevations and Distances in the United States|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|year=2001|accessdate=October 24, 2011}}</ref><ref name=NAVD88>Elevation adjusted to [[North American Vertical Datum of 1988]].</ref> |
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|HighestElevUS = 6,643 |
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|HighestElev = 2025 |
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|MeanElevUS = 900 |
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|MeanElev = 270 |
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|LowestPoint = [[Mississippi River]] at {{nobreak|[[Mississippi]] border}}<ref name=USGS/><ref name=NAVD88/> |
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|LowestElevUS = 178 |
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|LowestElev = 54 |
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|ISOCode = US-TN |
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|ElectoralVotes = 11 |
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|Website = www.tennessee.gov |
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}} |
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{{Infobox U.S. state symbols |
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<!-- Sources: http://www.tn.gov/state-symbols.html, http://www.tn.gov/sos/symbols/symbols.htm, http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/tn_symb.htm --> |
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|Name = Tennessee |
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|Flag = Flag of Tennessee.svg |
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|Flagsize = 175px |
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|Seal = Tennesseestateseallrg.png |
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|Amphibian = [[Tennessee Cave Salamander]] |
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|Bird = [[Mockingbird]] <br /> [[Northern Bobwhite|Bobwhite Quail]] |
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|Butterfly = [[Protographium marcellus|Zebra Swallowtail]] |
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|Crustacean = |
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|Fish = [[Channel catfish]] <br /> [[Smallmouth bass]]<!--changed from Largemouth in 2005--> |
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|Flower = [[Iris (plant)|Iris]] <br /> [[Passiflora|Passion Flower]] <br /> [[Echinacea tennesseensis|Tennessee Echinacea]] |
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|Insect = [[Firefly]] <br /> [[Coccinellidae|Lady beetle]] <br /> [[Honey bee]] |
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|Mammal = [[Tennessee Walking Horse]] <br /> [[Raccoon]] |
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|Reptile = [[Eastern box turtle]] |
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|Tree = [[Liriodendron tulipifera|Tulip Poplar]] <br /> [[Juniperus virginiana|Eastern Red Cedar]] |
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|Beverage = [[Milk]] |
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|Dance = [[Square dance]] |
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|Food = [[Tomato]] |
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|Fossil = [[Trigoniidae|Pterotrigonia (Scabrotrigonia) thoracica]] |
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|Gemstone = [[Pearl|Tennessee River Pearl]] |
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|Mineral = [[Agate]] |
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|Motto = Agriculture and Commerce |
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|Poem = "Oh Tennesssee, My Tennessee" by [[William P. Lawrence|William Lawrence]] |
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|Rock = [[Tennessee marble|Limestone]] |
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|Slogan = Tennessee - America at its Best |
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|Song = [[List of Tennessee state symbols#State songs|9 songs]] |
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|Tartan = [http://www.tartans.scotland.net/tartan_info.cfm@tartan_id=2530.htm Tennessee State Tartan] |
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|Route Marker = Tennessee 1.svg |
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|Quarter = 2002 TN Proof.png |
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|QuarterReleaseDate = 2002 |
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}} |
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'''Tennessee''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Tennessee.ogg|t|ɛ|n|ɨ|ˈ|s|iː}}) ({{lang-chr|ᏔᎾᏏ}}, ''Tanasi'') is a [[U.S. state]] located in the [[Southeastern United States]]. Tennessee is the [[List of U.S. states and territories by area|36th most extensive]] and the [[List of U.S. states and territories by population|17th most populous]] of the [[List of U.S. states|50 United States]]. Tennessee is bordered by [[Kentucky]] and [[Virginia]] to the north, [[North Carolina]] to the east, [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[Alabama]], and [[Mississippi]] to the south, and [[Arkansas]] and [[Missouri]] to the west. The [[Appalachian Mountains]] dominate the eastern part of the state, and the [[Mississippi River]] forms the state's western border. Tennessee's capital and second largest city is [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]], which has a population of 624,496. [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] is the state's largest city, with a population of 655,155.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012-3.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012|format=[[comma-separated values|CSV]]|work=2012 Population Estimates|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division|date=January 7, 2014|accessdate=January 7, 2014}}</ref> |
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The state of Tennessee is rooted in the [[Watauga Association]], a 1772 frontier pact generally regarded as the first constitutional government west of the Appalachians.<ref>John Finger, ''Tennessee Frontiers: Three Regions in Transition'' (Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press, 2001), pp. 46–47.</ref> What is now Tennessee was initially part of North Carolina, and later part of the [[Southwest Territory]]. Tennessee was admitted to the Union as the 16th state on June 1, 1796. Tennessee was the last state to leave the Union and join the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] at the outbreak of the [[U.S. Civil War]] in 1861 and the first state to be readmitted to the Union at the end of the war.<ref name=guide>[http://www.usm.edu/armyrotc/Shiloh%20Staff%20Ride/TN%20Civil%20War%20Heritage%20Trail.pdf Tennessee's Civil War Heritage Trail]. Retrieved: November 25, 2009. {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> |
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Tennessee furnished more soldiers for the Confederate Army than any other state, and more soldiers for the Union Army than any other Southern state.<ref name=guide /> Beginning during Reconstruction, it had competitive party politics, but a Democratic takeover in the late 1880s resulted in passage of [[Disfranchisement after the Reconstruction Era|disfranchisement]] laws in 1889 that excluded most blacks and many poor whites from voting, sharply reducing competition in politics in the state until passage of civil rights legislation in the mid-20th century.<ref name="tnencycl-disfranchising"/> In the 20th century, Tennessee transitioned from an agrarian economy to a more diversified economy, aided by massive federal investment in the [[Tennessee Valley Authority]] and, in the early 1940s, the city of [[Oak Ridge, Tennessee|Oak Ridge]]. This city was established to house the [[Manhattan Project]]'s uranium enrichment facilities, helping to build the world's first atomic bomb. |
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Tennessee has played a critical role in the development of many forms of American popular music, including [[rock and roll]], [[blues music|blues]], [[country music|country]], and [[rockabilly]]. [[Beale Street]] in Memphis is considered by many to be the birthplace of the blues, with musicians such as [[W.C. Handy]] performing in its clubs as early as 1909.<ref>Bobby Lovett, [http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=67 Beale Street]. ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'', 2002. Retrieved: November 25, 2009.</ref> Memphis is also home to [[Sun Records]], where musicians such as [[Elvis Presley]], [[Johnny Cash]], [[Carl Perkins]], [[Jerry Lee Lewis]], [[Roy Orbison]], and [[Charlie Rich]] began their recording careers, and where rock and roll took shape in the 1950s.<ref>Michael Bertrand, [http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1661 Sun Records]. ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'', 2002. Retrieved: November 25, 2009.</ref> The [[Bristol sessions|1927 Victor recording sessions]] in [[Bristol, Tennessee|Bristol]] generally mark the beginning of the country music genre and the rise of the [[Grand Ole Opry]] in the 1930s helped make [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] the center of the country music recording industry.<ref name=tehcwolfe>Charles Wolfe, [http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=956 Music]. ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'', 2002. Retrieved: November 25, 2009.</ref><ref>Ted Olson and Ajay Kalra, "Appalachian Music: Examining Popular Assumptions". ''A Handbook to Appalachia: An Introduction to the Region'' (Knoxville, Tenn.: University of Tennessee Press, 2006), pp. 163–170.</ref> Three brick-and-mortar museums recognize Tennessee's role in nurturing various forms of popular music: the [[Memphis Rock N' Soul Museum]], the [[Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum]] in Nashville, and the International Rock-A-Billy Museum in Jackson. Moreover, the [[Rockabilly Hall of Fame]], an online site recognizing the development of rockabilly in which Tennessee played a crucial role, is based in Nashville. |
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Tennessee's major industries include agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism. [[Poultry]], [[soybean]]s, and [[cattle]] are the state's primary agricultural products,<ref>[http://www.tn.gov/agriculture/publications/annualreport/annualreport.pdf]. ''Tennessee Agriculture 2010: Growing the Future'', 2010. Retrieved: January 15, 2010.</ref> and major manufacturing exports include chemicals, transportation equipment, and electrical equipment.<ref>James Fickle, [http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=683 Industry]. ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'', 2002. Retrieved: November 25, 2009.</ref> The [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]], the nation's most visited national park, is headquartered in the eastern part of the state, and a section of the [[Appalachian Trail]] roughly follows the Tennessee-North Carolina border.<ref>[http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm Great Smoky Mountains National Park]. Official site. Retrieved: November 25, 2009.</ref> Other major tourist attractions include the [[Tennessee Aquarium]] in [[Chattanooga, Tennessee|Chattanooga]]; [[Dollywood]] in [[Pigeon Forge, Tennessee|Pigeon Forge]]; the [[Parthenon (Nashville)|Parthenon]], the [[Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum]], and [[Ryman Auditorium]] in [[Nashville]]; the [[Jack Daniel's|Jack Daniel's Distillery]] in Lynchburg; and Elvis Presley's [[Graceland]] residence and tomb, the [[Memphis Zoo]], and the [[National Civil Rights Museum]] in Memphis. |
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==Name origin== |
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[[Image:Tanasi-monument-cherokee-tennessee.jpg|right|thumb|Monument near the ancient site of Tanasi in Monroe County]] |
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The earliest variant of the name that became ''Tennessee'' was recorded by Captain [[Juan Pardo (explorer)|Juan Pardo]], the [[Spain|Spanish]] explorer, when he and his men passed through an [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]] village named "Tanasqui" in 1567 while traveling inland from [[South Carolina]]. In the early 18th century, British traders encountered a Cherokee town named [[Tanasi]] (or "Tanase") in present-day [[Monroe County, Tennessee]]. The town was located on a river of the same name (now known as the [[Little Tennessee River]]), and appears on maps as early as 1725. It is not known whether this was the same town as the one encountered by Juan Pardo, although recent research suggests that Pardo's "Tanasqui" was located at the confluence of the [[Pigeon River (Tennessee - North Carolina)|Pigeon River]] and the French Broad River, near modern [[Newport, Tennessee|Newport]].<ref>Charles Hudson, ''The Juan Pardo Expeditions: Explorations of the Carolinas and Tennessee, 1566–1568'' (Tuscaloosa, Ala.: University of Alabama Press, 2005), 36–40.</ref> |
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The meaning and origin of the word are uncertain. Some accounts suggest it is a [[Cherokee]] modification of an earlier [[Yuchi]] word. It has been said to mean "meeting place", "winding river", or "river of the great bend".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.state.tn.us/sos/statelib/pubsvs/faq.htm#01 |title=Tennessee State Library and Archives FAQ |publisher=Web.archive.org |date= |accessdate=July 31, 2010 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20041023191026/http://www.state.tn.us/sos/statelib/pubsvs/faq.htm#01 |archivedate = October 23, 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tngenweb.org/campbell/hist-bogan/tennessee.html |title=Tennessee's Name Dates Back To 1567 Spanish Explorer Captain Juan Pardo |publisher=Tngenweb.org |date=January 1, 2005 |accessdate=July 31, 2010}}</ref> According to [[James Mooney]], the name "can not be analyzed" and its meaning is lost.<ref>Mooney, pg. 534</ref> |
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The modern spelling, ''Tennessee'', is attributed to [[James Glen]], the governor of South Carolina, who used this spelling in his official correspondence during the 1750s. The spelling was popularized by the publication of [[Henry Timberlake|Henry Timberlake's]] "[[:File:Draught of the Cherokee Country.jpg|Draught of the Cherokee Country]]" in 1765. In 1788, North Carolina created "[[Tennessee County, Tennessee|Tennessee County]]", the third county to be established in what is now Middle Tennessee. (Tennessee County was the predecessor to current-day [[Montgomery County, Tennessee|Montgomery County]] and [[Robertson County, Tennessee|Robertson County]]). When a [[constitutional convention (political meeting)|constitutional convention]] met in 1796 to organize a new state out of the [[Southwest Territory]], it adopted "Tennessee" as the name of the state. |
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===Nickname=== |
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Tennessee is known as the "Volunteer State," a nickname earned during the [[War of 1812]] because of the prominent role played by volunteer soldiers from Tennessee, especially during the [[Battle of New Orleans]].<ref name="volunteer">{{cite web |url=http://www.state.tn.us/TSLA/history/military/tn1812.htm |title=Brief History of Tennessee in the War of 1812|publisher=Tennessee State Library and Archives |accessdate=April 30, 2006}} Other sources differ on the origin of the state nickname; according to the [http://www.bartleby.com/65/te/Tenn.html#17 Columbia Encyclopedia], the name refers to volunteers for the [[Mexican-American War]].</ref> |
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==Geography== |
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{{See also|List of counties in Tennessee|Geology of Tennessee}} |
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[[File:National-atlas-tennessee.PNG|thumb|300px|Map of Tennessee]] |
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Tennessee borders eight other states: [[Kentucky]] and [[Virginia]] to the north; [[North Carolina]] to the east; [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[Alabama]], and [[Mississippi]] on the south; [[Arkansas]] and [[Missouri]] on the [[Mississippi River]] to the west. Tennessee ties Missouri as the state bordering the most other states. The state is trisected by the [[Tennessee River]]. |
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The highest point in the state is [[Clingmans Dome]] at 6,643 feet (2,025 m).<ref name="usgs">{{cite web |date=April 29, 2005 |url=http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html#Highest |title=Elevations and Distances in the United States |publisher=U.S Geological Survey |accessdate=December 16, 2008}}</ref> Clingmans Dome, which lies on Tennessee's eastern border, is the highest point on the [[Appalachian Trail]], and is the third highest peak in the United States east of the Mississippi River. The state line between Tennessee and North Carolina crosses the summit. The state's lowest point is the Mississippi River at the Mississippi state line (the lowest point in [[Memphis]], nearby, is at 195 ft (59 m)). The geographical center of the state is located in [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee|Murfreesboro]]. |
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The state of Tennessee is geographically, culturally, economically, and legally divided into three [[Grand Divisions of Tennessee|Grand Divisions]]: [[East Tennessee]], [[Middle Tennessee]], and [[West Tennessee]]. The state [[Tennessee Constitution|constitution]] allows no more than two justices of the five-member [[Tennessee Supreme Court]] to be from one Grand Division and a similar rule applies to certain commissions and boards. |
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Tennessee features six principal physiographic regions: the [[Blue Ridge Mountains|Blue Ridge]], the [[Ridge-and-valley Appalachians|Appalachian Ridge and Valley]] Region, the [[Cumberland Plateau]], the [[Highland Rim]], the [[Nashville Basin]], and the [[Gulf Coastal Plain]]. Tennessee is home to the most caves in the United States, with over 9,600 documented caves to date.<ref>[http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/tennessee/placesweprotect/tennessee-caves.xml Protecting Caves in Tennessee | The Nature Conservancy]. Nature.org (May 9, 2013). Retrieved on September 5, 2013.</ref> |
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===East Tennessee=== |
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{{Main|East Tennessee}} |
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[[Image:Map of East Tennessee counties.png|thumb|300px|left|Map of Tennessee highlighting [[East Tennessee]]]] |
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The Blue Ridge area lies on the eastern edge of Tennessee, bordering North Carolina. This region of Tennessee is characterized by the high mountains and rugged terrain of the western Blue Ridge Mountains, which are subdivided into several subranges, namely the [[Great Smoky Mountains]], the [[Bald Mountains]], the [[Unicoi Mountains]], the [[Unaka Range|Unaka Mountains]] and [[Roan Highlands]], and the [[Iron Mountains]]. |
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The average elevation of the Blue Ridge area is 5,000 feet (1,500 m) above sea level. [[Clingmans Dome]], the state's highest point, is located in this region. The Blue Ridge area was never more than sparsely populated, and today much of it is protected by the [[Cherokee National Forest]], the [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]], and several federal wilderness areas and state parks. |
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Stretching west from the Blue Ridge for approximately {{convert|55|mi|km}} is the Ridge and Valley region, in which numerous tributaries join to form the Tennessee River in the [[Tennessee Valley]]. This area of Tennessee is covered by fertile [[valley]]s separated by wooded ridges, such as [[Bays Mountain]] and [[Clinch Mountain]]. The western section of the Tennessee valley, where the depressions become broader and the ridges become lower, is called the [[Great Appalachian Valley|Great Valley]]. In this valley are numerous towns and two of the region's three urban areas, [[Knoxville, Tennessee|Knoxville]], the 3rd largest city in the state, and [[Chattanooga, Tennessee|Chattanooga]], the 4th largest city in the state. |
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The [[Cumberland Plateau]] rises to the west of the Tennessee Valley; this area is covered with flat-topped mountains separated by sharp valleys. The elevation of the Cumberland Plateau ranges from 1,500 to over 2,000 feet (450 to over 600 m) above sea level. |
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===Middle Tennessee=== |
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{{Main|Middle Tennessee}} |
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[[Image:Map of Middle Tennessee counties.png|thumb|300px|left|Map of Tennessee highlighting [[Middle Tennessee]]]] |
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West of the Cumberland Plateau is the [[Highland Rim]], an elevated plain that surrounds the [[Nashville Basin]]. The northern section of the Highland Rim, known for its high [[tobacco]] production, is sometimes called the [[Pennyroyal Plateau]]; it is located primarily in Southwestern Kentucky. The Nashville Basin is characterized by rich, fertile farm country and great diversity of natural wildlife. |
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Middle Tennessee was a common destination of settlers crossing the Appalachians from Virginia in the late 18th century and early 19th century. An important trading route called the [[Natchez Trace]], created and used for many generations by American Indians, connected Middle Tennessee to the lower [[Mississippi River]] town of [[Natchez, Mississippi|Natchez]]. The route of the Natchez Trace was used as the basis for a scenic highway called the [[Natchez Trace Parkway]]. |
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Some of the last remaining large [[American Chestnut]] trees grow in this region. They are being used to help breed [[blight]]-resistant trees. |
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Middle Tennessee is one of the primary state population and transportation centers along with the heart of state government. [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] (the capital), [[Clarksville, Tennessee|Clarksville]], and [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee|Murfreesboro]] are its largest cities. Fifty percent of the US population is within {{convert|600|mi|km}} of Nashville.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vanderbilt.edu/sociology/VDOS_Nashville.shtml |title=What's Happening in Nashville |publisher=Vanderbilt.edu |date= |accessdate=August 7, 2010}}</ref> Interstates I-24, I-40, and I-65 trisect the Division. |
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===West Tennessee=== |
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{{Main|West Tennessee}} |
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[[Image:Map of West Tennessee counties.png|thumb|300px|left|Map of Tennessee highlighting [[West Tennessee]]]] |
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West of the Highland Rim and Nashville Basin is the [[Gulf Coastal Plain]], which includes the [[Mississippi embayment]]. The Gulf Coastal Plain is, in terms of area, the predominant land region in Tennessee. It is part of the large geographic land area that begins at the [[Gulf of Mexico]] and extends north into southern [[Illinois]]. In Tennessee, the Gulf Coastal Plain is divided into three sections that extend from the [[Tennessee River]] in the east to the [[Mississippi River]] in the west. |
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The easternmost section, about {{convert|10|mi|km}} in width, consists of hilly land that runs along the western bank of the Tennessee River. To the west of this narrow strip of land is a wide area of rolling hills and streams that stretches all the way to the Mississippi River; this area is called the Tennessee Bottoms or bottom land. In Memphis, the Tennessee Bottoms end in steep bluffs overlooking the river. To the west of the Tennessee Bottoms is the [[Mississippi Alluvial Plain]], less than 300 feet (90 m) above sea level. This area of lowlands, flood plains, and swamp land is sometimes referred to as [[Mississippi Delta|the Delta]] region. [[Memphis Tennessee|Memphis]] is the economic center of West Tennessee and the largest city in the state. |
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Most of West Tennessee remained Indian land until the [[Jackson Purchase (U.S. historical region)|Chickasaw Cession of 1818]], when the [[Chickasaw]] ceded their land between the Tennessee River and the Mississippi River. The portion of the Chickasaw Cession that lies in Kentucky is known today as the [[Jackson Purchase]]. |
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===Public lands=== |
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[[File:Clifftops4-7-07.jpg|thumb|right|View from atop [[Mount Le Conte (Tennessee)|Mount Le Conte]] in the [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]], April 2007]] |
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Areas under the control and management of the [[National Park Service]] include the following: |
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*[[Andrew Johnson National Historic Site]] in [[Greeneville, Tennessee|Greeneville]] |
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*[[Appalachian National Scenic Trail]] |
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*[[Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area]] |
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*[[Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park]] |
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*[[Cumberland Gap National Historical Park]] |
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*[[Foothills Parkway]] |
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*[[Fort Donelson National Battlefield]] and [[Fort Donelson National Cemetery]] near [[Dover, Tennessee|Dover]] |
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*[[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]] |
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*[[Natchez Trace Parkway]] |
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*[[Obed Wild and Scenic River]] near [[Wartburg, Tennessee|Wartburg]] |
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*[[Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail]] |
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*[[Shiloh National Cemetery]] and [[Shiloh National Military Park]] near [[Shiloh, Hardin County, Tennessee|Shiloh]] |
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*[[Stones River National Battlefield]] and [[Stones River National Cemetery]] near [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee|Murfreesboro]] |
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*[[Trail of Tears National Historic Trail]] |
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Fifty-four state parks, covering some {{convert|132,000|acre|km2}} as well as parts of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and [[Cherokee National Forest]], and [[Cumberland Gap National Historical Park]] are in Tennessee. Sportsmen and visitors are attracted to [[Reelfoot Lake]], originally formed by the New Madrid earthquake; stumps and other remains of a once dense forest, together with the lotus bed covering the shallow waters, give the lake an eerie beauty. |
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{{See also|List of Tennessee state parks}} |
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===Climate=== |
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[[File:Roadway in David Crockett State Park (Autumn 2008 - Horizontal Image).jpg|thumb|250 px|Autumn in Tennessee. Roadway to Lindsey Lake in David Crockett State Park, located a half mile west of Lawrenceburg]] |
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[[File:Seymour-chilhowee-mtn-tn1.jpg|thumb|250 px|Chapman Highway (US-441) traversing Seymour, during winter time]] |
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Most of the state has a [[humid subtropical climate]], with the exception of some of the higher elevations in the Appalachians, which are classified as having a [[oceanic climate|mountain temperate climate]] or a [[humid continental climate]] due to cooler temperatures.<ref name=Climate>{{cite web |url=http://koeppen-geiger.vu-wien.ac.at/pdf/kottek_et_al_2006_A1.pdf |title=World Map of Köppen−Geiger Climate Classification |format=PDF |accessdate= December 19, 2008 }} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> The [[Gulf of Mexico]] is the dominant factor in the climate of Tennessee, with winds from the south being responsible for most of the state's annual precipitation. Generally, the state has hot summers and mild to cool winters with generous precipitation throughout the year. On average the state receives 50 inches (130 cm) of precipitation annually. Snowfall ranges from 5 inches (13 cm) in West Tennessee to over 16 inches (41 cm) in the higher mountains in East Tennessee.<ref name="Tennessee Agriculture">{{cite web |url=http://www.agclassroom.org/kids/stats/tennessee.pdf |title=A look at Tennessee Agriculture |publisher=Agclassroom.org |accessdate=November 1, 2006|format=PDF}}</ref> |
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Summers in the state are generally hot and humid, with most of the state averaging a high of around 90 °F (32 °C) during the summer months. Winters tend to be mild to cool, increasing in coolness at higher elevations. Generally, for areas outside the highest mountains, the average overnight lows are near freezing for most of the state. The highest recorded temperature is {{convert|113|F|C}} at [[Perryville, Tennessee|Perryville]] on August 9, 1930 while the lowest recorded temperature is {{convert|-32|F|C}} at [[Mountain City, Tennessee|Mountain City]] on December 30, 1917. |
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While the state is far enough from the coast to avoid any direct impact from a [[hurricane]], the location of the state makes it likely to be impacted from the remnants of tropical cyclones which weaken over land and can cause significant rainfall, such as [[Tropical Storm Chris (1982)|Tropical Storm Chris in 1982]] and [[Hurricane Opal|Hurricane Opal in 1995]].{{Tropical Cyclone Rainfall in the Southeastern United States}} The state averages around 50 days of thunderstorms per year, some of which can be severe with large [[hail]] and damaging winds. [[Tornado]]es are possible throughout the state, with West and Middle Tennessee the most vulnerable. Occasionally, strong or violent tornadoes occur, such as the devastating [[April 25–28, 2011 tornado outbreak|April 2011 tornadoes]] that killed 20 people in North Georgia and Southeast Tennessee.<ref name="Thunderstorm Hazard">{{cite web |url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/key/HTML/tstmhazards.htm |title=US Thunderstorm distribution |publisher=src.noaa.gov |accessdate=November 1, 2006 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20061015060809/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/key/HTML/tstmhazards.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = October 15, 2006}}</ref> On average, the state has 15 tornadoes per year.<ref name="Annual Average Number of Tornadoes">{{cite web |url=http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/tornado/small/avgt5304.gif |title=Mean Annual Average Number of Tornadoes 1953–2004 |publisher=ncdc.noaa.gov |accessdate=November 1, 2006}}</ref> Tornadoes in Tennessee can be severe, and Tennessee leads the nation in the percentage of total tornadoes which have fatalities.<ref name="Tornado Top 10 Lists">{{cite web |url=http://www.tornadoproject.com/toptens/topten1.htm |title=Top ten list |publisher=tornadoproject.com |accessdate=November 1, 2006}}</ref> Winter storms are an occasional problem, such as the infamous [[Blizzard of 1993]], although [[ice storm]]s are a more likely occurrence. [[Fog]] is a persistent problem in parts of the state, especially in East Tennessee. |
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{| class="wikitable" "text-align:center;font-size:90%;"| |
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| colspan="13" style="text-align:center;font-size:120%;background:#E8EAFA;"|Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various Tennessee Cities (F)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weather.com/ |title=National and Local Weather Forecast, Hurricane, Radar and Report |publisher=Weather.com |date= |accessdate=July 31, 2010}}</ref> |
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|- |
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! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000001; height:17px;"| City |
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! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Jan |
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! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Feb |
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! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Mar |
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! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Apr |
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! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| May |
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! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Jun |
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! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Jul |
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! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Aug |
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! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Sep |
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! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Oct |
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! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Nov |
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! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;"| Dec |
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|- |
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! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000; height:16px;"| Bristol |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 44/25 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 49/27 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 57/34 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 66/41 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 74/51 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 81/60 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 85/64 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 84/62 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 79/56 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 68/43 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 58/35 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 48/27 |
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|- |
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! style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000; height:16px;"| Chattanooga |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 49/30 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 54/33 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 63/40 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 72/47 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 79/56 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 86/65 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 90/69 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 89/68 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 82/62 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 72/48 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 61/40 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 52/33 |
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|- |
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! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000; height:16px;"| Knoxville |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 47/30 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 52/33 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 61/40 |
|||
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 71/48 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 78/57 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 85/65 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 88/69 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 87/68 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 81/62 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 71/50 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 60/41 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 50/34 |
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|- |
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! style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000; height:16px;"| Memphis |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 49/31 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 55/36 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 63/44 |
|||
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 72/52 |
|||
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 80/61 |
|||
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 89/69 |
|||
| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 92/73 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 91/71 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 85/64 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 75/52 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 62/43 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#f8f3ca; color:#000;"| 52/34 |
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|- |
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! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000; height:16px;"| Nashville |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 46/28 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 52/31 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 61/39 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 70/47 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 78/57 |
|||
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 85/65 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 90/70 |
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| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 89/69 |
|||
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 82/61 |
|||
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 71/49 |
|||
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 59/40 |
|||
| style="text-align:center; background:#c5dfe1; color:#000;"| 49/32 |
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|} |
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==Important cities and towns== |
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{{See also|List of municipalities in Tennessee}} |
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The capital is [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]], though [[Knoxville, Tennessee|Knoxville]], [[Kingston, Tennessee|Kingston]], and [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee|Murfreesboro]] have all served as [[List of capitals in the United States|state capitals]] in the past. [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] has the largest population of any city in the state. Nashville's 13-county [[metropolitan area]] has been the state's largest since c. 1990. [[Chattanooga, Tennessee|Chattanooga]] and Knoxville, both in the eastern part of the state near the Great Smoky Mountains, each has approximately one-third of the population of Memphis or Nashville. The city of [[Clarksville, Tennessee|Clarksville]] is a fifth significant population center, some {{convert|45|mi|km}} northwest of Nashville. Murfreesboro is the sixth-largest city in Tennessee, consisting of some 108,755 residents. |
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{| |
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|- |
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|valign="top" width="150px"| |
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;Major cities |
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*[[Chattanooga, Tennessee|Chattanooga]] |
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*[[Clarksville, Tennessee|Clarksville]] |
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*[[Knoxville, Tennessee|Knoxville]] |
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*[[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] |
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*[[Murfreesboro, Tennessee|Murfreesboro]] |
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*[[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] |
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;{{nowrap|Secondary cities}} |
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*[[Bartlett, Tennessee|Bartlett]] |
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*[[Brentwood, Tennessee|Brentwood]] |
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*[[Bristol, Tennessee|Bristol]] |
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*[[Cleveland, Tennessee|Cleveland]] |
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*[[Collierville, Tennessee|Collierville]] |
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*[[Columbia, Tennessee|Columbia]] |
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*[[Cookeville, Tennessee|Cookeville]] |
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*[[Franklin, Tennessee|Franklin]] |
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*[[Germantown, Tennessee|Germantown]] |
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*[[Hendersonville, Tennessee|Hendersonville]] |
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*[[Jackson, Tennessee|Jackson]] |
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*[[Johnson City, Tennessee|Johnson City]] |
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*[[Kingsport, Tennessee|Kingsport]] |
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*[[Morristown, Tennessee|Morristown]] |
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*[[Oak Ridge, Tennessee|Oak Ridge]] |
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|valign="top"| |
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<center><gallery heights="145px" mode="packed"> |
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Image:Chattanooga, Tennessee Skyline.JPG|[[Chattanooga, Tennessee|Chattanooga]] |
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File:Clarksville TN.jpg|[[Clarksville, Tennessee|Clarksville]] |
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Image:Cleveland-tennessee-ocoeestreet1.jpg|[[Cleveland, Tennessee|Cleveland]] |
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File:Johnsoncitydowntown.jpg|[[Johnson City, Tennessee|Johnson City]] |
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File:Kingsport skyline circa 2005.jpg|[[Kingsport, Tennessee|Kingsport]] |
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Image:Knoxville TN skyline.jpg|[[Knoxville, Tennessee|Knoxville]] |
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Image:Memphis skyline from the air.jpg|[[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] |
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File:JacksonTN.JPG|[[Jackson, Tennessee|Jackson]] |
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Image:Swanson building 9743.JPG|[[Murfreesboro, Tennessee|Murfreesboro]] |
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Image:Nashvilleskyline.jpg|[[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] |
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</gallery></center> |
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|} |
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==History== |
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{{Main|History of Tennessee}} |
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===Early history=== |
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[[File:Castalian Springs Braden style Warrior gorget HRoe 2012.jpg|thumb|200px|right|[[Mississippian culture|Mississippian-period]] [[shell gorget]], [[Castalian Springs Mound Site|Castalian Springs]], [[Sumner County, Tennessee|Sumner County]]]] |
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[[File:Ftloudouninterior.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Reconstruction of [[Fort Loudoun (Tennessee)|Fort Loudon]], the first British settlement in Tennessee]] |
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The area now known as Tennessee was first inhabited by [[Paleo-Indians]] nearly 12,000 years ago.<ref>[http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/permanent/native/index.shtml "Archaeology and the Native Peoples of Tennessee". University of Tennessee, Frank H. McClung Museum. Retrieved on April 26, 2012.]</ref> The names of the cultural groups that inhabited the area between first settlement and the time of European contact are unknown, but several distinct cultural phases have been named by archaeologists, including [[Archaic period in the Americas|Archaic]] (8000–1000 BC), [[Woodland period|Woodland]] (1000 BC–1000 AD), and [[Mississippian culture|Mississippian]] (1000–1600 AD), whose chiefdoms were the cultural predecessors of the [[Creek people|Muscogee people]] who inhabited the Tennessee River Valley prior to Cherokee migration into the river's headwaters. |
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The first recorded European excursions into what is now called Tennessee were three expeditions led by [[Conquistador|Spanish explorers]], namely [[Hernando de Soto (explorer)|Hernando de Soto]] in 1540, [[Tristán de Luna y Arellano|Tristan de Luna]] in 1559, and [[Juan Pardo (explorer)|Juan Pardo]] in 1567. Pardo recorded the name "Tanasqui" from a local Indian village, which evolved to the state's current name. At that time, Tennessee was inhabited by tribes of [[Creek people|Muscogee]] and [[Yuchi]] people. Possibly because of European diseases devastating the Indian tribes, which would have left a population vacuum, and also from expanding European settlement in the north, the [[Cherokee]] moved south from the area now called Virginia. As European colonists spread into the area, the Indian populations were forcibly displaced to the south and west, including all Muscogee and Yuchi peoples, the [[Chickasaw]], and [[Choctaw]]. |
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The first British settlement in what is now Tennessee was built in 1756 by settlers from the [[colony of South Carolina]] at [[Fort Loudoun (Tennessee)|Fort Loudoun]], near present-day [[Vonore, Tennessee|Vonore]]. Fort Loudoun became the westernmost British outpost to that date. The fort was designed by [[John William Gerard de Brahm]] and constructed by forces under British Captain Raymond Demeré. After its completion, Captain Raymond Demeré relinquished command on August 14, 1757 to his brother, Captain Paul Demeré. Hostilities erupted between the British and the neighboring [[Overhill Cherokee]]s, and a siege of Fort Loudoun ended with its surrender on August 7, 1760. The following morning, Captain Paul Demeré and a number of his men were killed in an ambush nearby, and the most of the rest of the garrison was taken prisoner.<ref>Stanley Folmsbee, Robert Corlew, and Enoch Mitchell, ''Tennessee: A Short History'' (Knoxville, Tenn.: University of Tennessee Press, 1969), p. 45.</ref> |
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In the 1760s, [[Longhunter|long hunters]] from Virginia explored much of East and Middle Tennessee, and the first permanent European settlers began arriving late in the decade. The vast majority of 18th century settlers were [[English people|English]] or of primarily [[English-American|English descent]] but nearly 20% of them were also [[Scotch-Irish American|Scotch-Irish]].<ref>Robert E. Corlew, Tennessee: A Short History (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1981), page 106</ref> These settlers formed the [[Watauga Association]], a community built on lands leased from the [[Cherokee]] peoples. |
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During the [[Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War|American Revolutionary War]], Fort Watauga at [[Sycamore Shoals]] (in present-day [[Elizabethton, Tennessee|Elizabethton]]) was attacked (1776) by [[Dragging Canoe]] and his warring faction of Cherokee who were aligned with the British Loyalists. These renegade Cherokee were referred to by settlers as the [[Chickamauga Indian|Chickamauga]]. They opposed North Carolina's annexation of the [[Washington District, North Carolina|Washington District]] and the concurrent settling of the [[Transylvania (colony)|Transylvania Colony]] further north and west. The lives of many settlers were spared from the initial warrior attacks through the warnings of Dragging Canoe's cousin, [[Nancy Ward]]. The frontier fort on the banks of the [[Watauga River]] later served as a 1780 staging area for the [[Overmountain Men]] in preparation to trek over the [[Appalachian Mountains]], to engage, and to later defeat the British Army at the [[Battle of Kings Mountain]] in [[South Carolina]]. |
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Three counties of the Washington District (now part of Tennessee) broke off from North Carolina in 1784 and formed the [[State of Franklin]]. Efforts to obtain admission to the [[Perpetual Union|Union]] failed, and the counties (now numbering eight) had re-joined North Carolina by 1789. North Carolina ceded the area to the federal government in 1790, after which it was organized into the [[Southwest Territory]]. In an effort to encourage settlers to move west into the new territory, in 1787 the mother state of North Carolina ordered a road to be cut to take settlers into the Cumberland Settlements—from the south end of [[Clinch Mountain]] (in East Tennessee) to French Lick ([[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]]). The Trace was called the “North Carolina Road” or “[[Avery’s Trace]],” and sometimes “The Wilderness Road (although it should not be confused with [[Daniel Boone]]'s "[[Wilderness Road State Park|Wilderness Road]]" through the [[Cumberland Gap]]). |
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===Statehood (1796)=== |
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Tennessee was admitted to the Union on June 1, 1796 as the 16th state. It was the first state created from territory under the jurisdiction of the United States federal government. Apart from the former [[Thirteen Colonies]] only [[Vermont]] and [[Kentucky]] predate Tennessee's statehood, and neither was ever a federal territory.<ref>{{cite book |last= Hubbard |first= Bill, Jr. |title= American Boundaries: the Nation, the States, the Rectangular Survey |year= 2009 |publisher= University of Chicago Press |isbn= 978-0-226-35591-7 |page= 55}}</ref> The state boundaries, according to the Constitution of the State of Tennessee, Article I, Section 31, stated that the beginning point for identifying the boundary was the extreme height of the Stone Mountain, at the place where the line of Virginia intersects it, and basically ran the extreme heights of mountain chains through the Appalachian Mountains separating North Carolina from Tennessee past the Indian towns of Cowee and Old Chota, thence along the main ridge of the said mountain (Unicoi Mountain) to the southern boundary of the state; all the territory, lands and waters lying west of said line are included in the boundaries and limits of the newly formed state of Tennessee. Part of the provision also stated that the limits and jurisdiction of the state would include future land acquisition, referencing possible land trade with other states, or the acquisition of territory from west of the Mississippi River. |
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During the administration of [[Martin Van Buren|U.S. President Martin Van Buren]], nearly 17,000 Cherokees—along with approximately 2,000 black slaves owned by Cherokees—were uprooted from their homes between 1838 and 1839 and were forced by the U.S. military to march from "emigration depots" in Eastern Tennessee (such as [[Fort Cass]]) toward the more distant [[Indian Territory]] west of Arkansas.<ref>Carter (III), Samuel (1976). ''Cherokee sunset: A nation betrayed: a narrative of travail and triumph, persecution and exile''. New York: Doubleday, p. 232.</ref> During this relocation an estimated 4,000 Cherokees died along the way west.<ref name="Ronald Satz">{{cite book |last=Satz |first=Ronald |title=Tennessee's Indian Peoples |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |location=[[Knoxville, Tennessee]] |isbn=0-87049-285-3 |year=1979}}</ref> In the [[Cherokee language]], the event is called ''Nunna daul Isunyi''—"the Trail Where We Cried." The Cherokees were not the only American Indians forced to emigrate as a result of the [[Indian removal]] efforts of the United States, and so the phrase "[[Trail of Tears]]" is sometimes used to refer to similar events endured by other American Indian peoples, especially among the "[[Five Civilized Tribes]]". The phrase originated as a description of the earlier emigration of the [[Choctaw]] nation. |
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===Civil War and Reconstruction=== |
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{{main|Tennessee in the American Civil War}} |
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In February 1861, secessionists in Tennessee's state government—led by Governor [[Isham Harris]]—sought voter approval for a convention to sever ties with the United States, but Tennessee voters rejected the referendum by a 54–46% margin. The strongest opposition to secession came from East Tennessee (which later tried to form a [[East Tennessee Convention of 1861|separate Union-aligned state]]). Following the Confederate [[Battle of Fort Sumter|attack upon Fort Sumter]] in April and Lincoln's call for troops from Tennessee and other states in response, Governor Isham Harris began military mobilization, submitted an ordinance of secession to the General Assembly, and made direct overtures to the Confederate government. The Tennessee legislature ratified an agreement to enter a military league with the Confederate States on May 7, 1861. On June 8, 1861, with people in Middle Tennessee having significantly changed their position, voters approved a second referendum calling for secession, becoming the last state to do so. |
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Many major battles of the [[American Civil War]] were fought in Tennessee—most of them Union victories. [[Ulysses S. Grant]] and the [[U.S. Navy]] captured control of the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers in February 1862. They held off the Confederate counterattack at [[Battle of Shiloh|Shiloh]] in April. Memphis fell to the Union in June, following a [[Battle of Memphis|naval battle]] on the Mississippi River in front of the city. The Capture of Memphis and Nashville gave the Union control of the western and middle sections; this control was confirmed at the [[Battle of Stones River|Battle of Murfreesboro]] in early January 1863 and by the subsequent [[Tullahoma Campaign]]. |
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[[Image:Battle of Franklin II 1864.jpg|thumb|250px|right|The [[Battle of Franklin]], November 30, 1864]] |
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Confederates held East Tennessee despite the strength of Unionist sentiment there, with the exception of extremely pro-Confederate [[Sullivan County, Tennessee|Sullivan County]]. The Confederates besieged Chattanooga during the [[Chattanooga Campaign]] in early fall 1863, but were driven off by Grant in November. Many of the Confederate defeats can be attributed to the poor strategic vision of General [[Braxton Bragg]], who led the [[Army of Tennessee]] from [[Battle of Perryville|Perryville, Kentucky]] to Confederate defeat at Chattanooga. |
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The last major battles came when the Confederates invaded Middle Tennessee in November 1864 and were checked at [[Battle of Franklin|Franklin]], then completely dispersed by [[George Henry Thomas|George Thomas]] at [[Battle of Nashville|Nashville]] in December. Meanwhile the civilian [[Andrew Johnson]] was appointed military governor of the state by [[President of the United States|President]] [[Abraham Lincoln]]. |
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When the [[Emancipation Proclamation]] was announced, Tennessee was mostly held by Union forces. Thus, Tennessee was not among the states enumerated in the Proclamation, and the Proclamation did not free any [[Slavery in the United States|slaves]] there. Nonetheless, enslaved African Americans escaped to Union lines to gain freedom without waiting for official action. Old and young, men, women and children camped near Union troops. Thousands of former slaves ended up fighting on the Union side, nearly 200,000 in total across the South. |
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Tennessee's legislature approved an amendment to the state constitution prohibiting slavery on February 22, 1865.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.umd.edu/Freedmen/chronol.htm|title=Chronology of Emancipation during the Civil War|publisher=University of Maryland: Department of History}}</ref> Voters in the state approved the amendment in March.<ref name="blackhistory">{{cite web|url=http://www.state.tn.us/tsla/exhibits/blackhistory/timelines/timeline_1861-1865.htm|title=This Honorable Body: African American Legislators in 19th Century Tennessee|publisher=Tennessee State Library and Archives}}</ref> It also ratified the [[Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution]] (abolishing slavery in every state) on April 7, 1865. |
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In 1864, [[Andrew Johnson]] (a War Democrat from Tennessee) was elected Vice President under Abraham Lincoln. He became President after Lincoln's assassination in 1865. Under Johnson's lenient re-admission policy, Tennessee was the first of the seceding states to have its elected members readmitted to the U.S. Congress, on July 24, 1866. Because Tennessee had ratified the [[Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fourteenth Amendment]], it was the only one of the formerly secessionist states that did not have a military governor during the [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction]] period. |
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After the formal end of Reconstruction, the struggle over power in Southern society continued. Through violence and intimidation against freedmen and their allies, White Democrats regained political power in Tennessee and other states across the South in the late 1870s and 1880s. Over the next decade, the state legislature passed increasingly restrictive laws to control African Americans. In 1889 the General Assembly passed four laws described as electoral reform, with the cumulative effect of essentially disfranchising most African Americans in rural areas and small towns, as well as many poor Whites. Legislation included implementation of a poll tax, timing of registration, and recording requirements. Tens of thousands of taxpaying citizens were without representation for decades into the 20th century.<ref name="tnencycl-disfranchising">Connie Lester, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=380 Disfranchising Laws]," ''The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture''. Retrieved March 11, 2008.</ref> Disfranchising legislation accompanied [[Jim Crow laws]] passed in the late 19th century, which imposed segregation in the state. In 1900, African Americans made up nearly 24% of the state's population, and numbered 480,430 citizens who lived mostly in the central and western parts of the state.<ref>[http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus/php/state.php Historical Census Browser, 1900 US Census, University of Virginia]. Retrieved March 15, 2008.</ref> |
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In 1897, Tennessee celebrated its centennial of statehood (though one year late of the 1896 anniversary) with a great [[Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition (1897)|exposition]] in Nashville. A [[Parthenon (Nashville)|full scale replica]] of the [[Parthenon]] was constructed for the celebration, located in what is now Nashville's [[Centennial Park (Nashville)|Centennial Park]]. |
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===20th century=== |
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[[File:"A group of several hundred workers at Norris Dam construction camp site during noon hour." - NARA - 532734.jpg|thumb|A group of workers at [[Norris Dam]] construction camp site. The TVA was formed as part of Roosevelt's [[New Deal]] legislation.]] |
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On August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the thirty-sixth and final state necessary to ratify the [[Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution]], which provided women the [[Women's suffrage|right to vote]]. Disfranchising voter registration requirements continued to keep most African Americans and many poor whites, both men and women, off the voter rolls. |
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The need to create work for the unemployed during the [[Great Depression]], a desire for rural electrification, the need to control annual spring flooding and improve shipping capacity on the Tennessee River were all factors that drove the federal creation of the [[Tennessee Valley Authority]] (TVA) in 1933. Through the power of the TVA projects, Tennessee quickly became the nation's largest public utility supplier. |
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During [[World War II]], the availability of abundant TVA electrical power led the [[Manhattan Project]] to locate one of the principal sites for production and isolation of weapons-grade [[fissile]] material in East Tennessee. The [[planned community]] of [[Oak Ridge, Tennessee|Oak Ridge]] was built from scratch to provide accommodations for the facilities and workers. These sites are now [[Oak Ridge National Laboratory]], the [[Y-12 National Security Complex]], and the East Tennessee Technology Park. |
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Despite recognized effects of limiting voting by poor whites, successive legislatures expanded the reach of the disfranchising laws until they covered the state. Political scientist [[V. O. Key, Jr.]] argued in 1949 that: |
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<blockquote>...the size of the [[poll tax]] did not inhibit voting as much as the inconvenience of paying it. County officers regulated the vote by providing opportunities to pay the tax (as they did in Knoxville), or conversely by making payment as difficult as possible. Such manipulation of the tax, and therefore the vote, created an opportunity for the rise of urban bosses and [[political machine]]s. Urban politicians bought large blocks of poll tax receipts and distributed them to blacks and whites, who then voted as instructed.<ref name="tnencycl-disfranchising"/></blockquote> |
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In 1953 state legislators amended the state constitution, removing the poll tax. In many areas both blacks and poor whites still faced subjectively applied barriers to voter registration that did not end until after passage of national civil rights legislation, including the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]].<ref name="tnencycl-disfranchising"/> |
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Tennessee celebrated its bicentennial in 1996. With a yearlong statewide celebration entitled "Tennessee 200", it opened a new state park ([[Bicentennial Mall State Park|Bicentennial Mall]]) at the foot of Capitol Hill in [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]]. |
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The state has had major disasters, such as the [[Great Train Wreck of 1918]], one of the worst train accidents in U.S. history,<ref name="Coggins2012">{{cite book|author=Allen R. Coggins|title=Tennessee Tragedies: Natural, Technological, and Societal Disasters in the Volunteer State|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=SfK6aBuqohQC&pg=PA158|accessdate=November 23, 2012|date=January 15, 2012|publisher=Univ. of Tennessee Press|isbn=978-1-57233-829-6|page=158}}</ref> and the {{SS|Sultana}} explosion on the Mississippi River near Memphis, the deadliest maritime disaster in U.S. history.<ref name="StearnsLewis1998">{{cite book|author1=Professor Peter N Stearns|author2=Peter N. Stearns Jan Lewis|title=An Emotional History of the United States|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Ul5XPiFk4KIC&pg=PA157|year=1998|publisher=NYU Press|isbn=978-0-8147-8088-6|page=157}}</ref> |
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===21st century=== |
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In 2002, businessman [[Phil Bredesen]] was elected as the 48th [[Governor of Tennessee|governor]]. Also in 2002, Tennessee amended the [[Constitution of Tennessee|state constitution]] to allow for the establishment of a [[Lotteries in the United States|lottery]]. Tennessee's [[Bob Corker]] was the only freshman Republican elected to the [[United States Senate]] in the [[United States elections, 2006|2006 midterm elections]]. The state constitution was amended to reject [[same-sex marriage]]. In January 2007, [[Ron Ramsey]] became the first Republican elected as Speaker of the [[Tennessee State Senate|State Senate]] since [[Reconstruction Era of the United States|Reconstruction]], as a result of the realignment of the Democratic and Republican parties in the South since the late 20th century, with Republicans now elected by white conservative voters, who previously had supported Democrats. |
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In 2010, during the [[United States elections, 2010|2010 midterm elections]], [[Bill Haslam]] succeeded Bredesen, who was term-limited, to become the 49th Governor of Tennessee. In April and May 2010, [[2010 Tennessee floods|flooding in Middle Tennessee]] devastated Nashville and other parts of [[Middle Tennessee]]. In 2011, parts of [[East Tennessee]], including [[Hamilton County, Tennessee|Hamilton County]] and [[Apison, Tennessee|Apison]] in [[Bradley County, Tennessee|Bradley County]], were devastated by the [[April 25–28, 2011 tornado outbreak|April 2011 tornado outbreak]]. |
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==Demographics== |
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{{US Census population |
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|1790= 35691 |
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|1800= 105602 |
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|1810= 261727 |
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|1820= 422823 |
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|1830= 681904 |
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|1840= 829210 |
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|1850= 1002717 |
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|1860= 1109801 |
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|1870= 1258520 |
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|1880= 1542359 |
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|1890= 1767518 |
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|1900= 2020616 |
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|1910= 2184789 |
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|1920= 2337885 |
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|1930= 2616556 |
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|1940= 2915841 |
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|1950= 3291718 |
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|1960= 3567089 |
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|1970= 3923687 |
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|1980= 4591120 |
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|1990= 4877185 |
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|2000= 5689283 |
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|2010= 6346105 |
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|estimate= 6495978 |
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|estyear= 2013 |
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|footnote=<center>Source: 1910–2010<ref>{{cite web|author=Resident Population Data|url=http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-pop-text.php|title=Resident Population Data – 2010 Census|publisher=2010.census.gov|accessdate=December 23, 2012}}</ref><br/>2013 Estimate<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/popest/data/state/totals/2013/tables/NST-EST2013-01.csv|title=Table 1. Annual Estimates of the Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013|accessdate=January 7, 2014}}</ref></center> |
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}} |
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The [[United States Census Bureau]] estimates that the population of Tennessee was 6,495,978 on July 1, 2013, a 2.4% increase since the [[2010 United States Census]].<ref name="PopEstUS">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/popest/data/state/totals/2013/tables/NST-EST2013-01.csv|title=Table 1. Annual Estimates of the Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013|format=[[comma-separated values|CSV]]|work=[http://www.census.gov/popest/ 2013 Population Estimates]|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division|date=December 30, 2013|accessdate=January 6, 2014}}</ref> The [[center of population]] of Tennessee is located in [[Rutherford County, Tennessee|Rutherford County]], in the city of [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee|Murfreesboro]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Population and Population Centers by State: 2000 | publisher = United States Census Bureau | accessdate = December 6, 2008 | url = http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt}}</ref> |
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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2013, Tennessee had an estimated population of 6,495,978, which is an increase of 39,735, from the prior year and an increase of 149,873, or 2.36%, since the year 2010. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 142,266 people (that is 493,881 births minus 351,615 deaths), and an increase from net migration of 219,551 people into the state. [[Immigration to the United States|Immigration]] from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 59,385 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 160,166 people. |
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20% of Tennesseans were born outside [[Southern United States|the South]], compared to a figure of 13.5% in 1990.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122731165800249331.html?mod=googlenews_wsj |date=November 22, 2008 |title=Tennessee Resists Obama Wave |first=COREY |last=DADE |accessdate=November 23, 2008 |work=Wall Street Journal}}</ref> |
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In recent years, Tennessee has received an influx of people relocating from several northern states, California, and Florida, for the low cost of living, and the booming healthcare and automobile industries. Metropolitan Nashville is one of the fastest-growing areas in the country due in part to these factors. |
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As of the 2010 census, the racial composition of Tennessee's population was as follows: |
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{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;" |
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! Racial composition !! 1990<ref>[http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For The United States, Regions, Divisions, and States]</ref>!! 2000<ref>[http://censusviewer.com/city/TN Population of Tennessee: Census 2010 and 2000 Interactive Map, Demographics, Statistics, Quick Facts]</ref>!! 2010<ref>[http://www.census.gov/2010census/data/ 2010 Census Data]</ref> |
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|- |
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| [[White American|White]] || 83.0% || 80.2% || 77.6% |
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|- |
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| [[African American|Black]] || 16.0% || 16.4% || 16.7% |
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|- |
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| [[Asian American|Asian]] || 0.7% || 1.0% || 1.4% |
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|- |
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| [[Native Americans in the United States|Native]] || 0.2% || 0.3% || 0.3% |
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|- |
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| [[Native Hawaiian]] and <br/>[[Pacific Islander|other Pacific Islander]] || - || - || 0.1% |
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|- |
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| [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|Other race]] || 0.2% || 1.0% || 2.2% |
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|- |
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| [[Multiracial American|Two or more races]] || - || 1.1% || 1.7% |
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|} |
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In the same year 4.6% of the total population was of [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic]] or Latino origin (they may be of any race).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/47000.html |title=Tennessee QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau |publisher=Quickfacts.census.gov |date= |accessdate=July 10, 2013}}</ref> |
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[[Image:Tennessee population map.png|thumb|350px|right|Tennessee Population Density Map.]] |
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In 2000, the five most common self-reported ethnic groups in the state were: [[American ancestry|American]] (17.3%), [[African American]] (13.0%), [[Irish American|Irish]] (9.3%), [[English American|English]] (9.1%), and [[German-American|German]] (8.3%).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/c2kbr-35.pdf |title=Ancestry: 2000 |format=PDF |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |first1=Angela |last1=Brittingham |first2=G. Patricia |last2=de la Cruz |page=6 |date=June 2004 |accessdate=July 31, 2010 |id=C2KBR-35}}</ref> Most Tennesseans who self-identify as having [[American ancestry]] are of [[English American|English]] and [[Scotch-Irish American|Scotch-Irish]] ancestry. An estimated 21–24% of Tennesseans are of predominantly [[English American|English]] ancestry.<ref name="Fischer1989">{{cite book |title=[[Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America]] |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |first=David Hackett |last=Fischer |authorlink=David Hackett Fischer |year=1989 |pages=633–639 |isbn=0195037944}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=SVoAXh-dNuYC&pg=PA57 |title=Sharing the Dream: White Males in a Multicultural America |publisher=Continuum |location=New York |first=Dominic J. |last=Pulera |year=2004 |page=57 |isbn=0826416438}}</ref> In the 1980 census 1,435,147 Tennesseans claimed "English" or "mostly English" ancestry out of a state population of 3,221,354 making them 45% of the state at the time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/files/pc80-s1-10/tab03.pdf |title=Ancestry of the Population by State: 1980 - Table 3 |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=December 9, 2011}}</ref> |
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As of 2011, 36.3% of Tennessee's population younger than age 1 were minorities.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html|title=Americans under age 1 now mostly minorities, but not in Ohio: Statistical Snapshot|last=Exner|first=Rich|date=June 3, 2012|work=[[The Plain Dealer]]}}</ref> |
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6.6% of Tennessee's population were reported as under 5 years of age, 24.6% under 18, and 12.4% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 51.3% of the population.{{citation needed|date=September 2012}} |
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On June 19, 2010, the [[Tennessee Commission of Indian Affairs]] granted state recognition to six Indian tribes which was later repealed by the state's Attorney General because the action by the commission was illegal. The tribes were as follows: |
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* The [[Cherokee]] Wolf Clan in western Tennessee, with members in [[Carroll County, Tennessee|Carroll County]], [[Benton County, Tennessee|Benton]], [[Decatur County, Tennessee|Decatur]], [[Henderson County, Tennessee|Henderson]], [[Henry County, Tennessee|Henry]], [[Weakley County, Tennessee|Weakley]], [[Gibson County, Tennessee|Gibson]] and [[Madison County, Tennessee|Madison]] counties. |
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* The Chikamaka Band based historically on the South [[Cumberland Plateau]], said to have members in Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Sequatchie, Warren and Coffee counties. |
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* Central Band of Cherokee, also known as the Cherokee of [[Lawrence County, Tennessee]]. |
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* United Eastern [[Lenape]]e Nation of [[Winfield, Tennessee]]. |
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* The Tanasi Council, said to have members in Shelby, Dyer, Gibson, Humphreys and Perry counties; and |
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* Remnant [[Yuchi]] Nation, with members in Sullivan, Carter, Greene, Hawkins, Unicoi, Johnson and Washington counties.<ref>[http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/jun/21/6-tribes-granted-recognition/ Tom Humphrey, "State grants six Indian tribes recognition: Cherokee Nation may try to have action by Indian Affairs voided"], ''Knoxville News Sentinel'', June 21, 2010, accessed June 30, 2010</ref> |
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===Religion=== |
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The religious affiliations of the people of Tennessee are:<ref>[http://www.gc.cuny.edu/faculty/research_briefs/aris/key_findings.htm American Religious Identification Survey] (2001). Five percent of the people surveyed refused to answer.</ref> |
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*[[Christianity|Christian]]: 82% |
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**[[Protestants]]: 70% |
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***[[Baptist]]: 39% |
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***[[Methodism|Methodist]]: 10% |
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***[[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]]: 3% |
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***[[Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee)|Church of God]]: 2% |
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***[[Lutheran]]: 2% |
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***[[Pentecostal]]: 2% |
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**[[Churches of Christ|Church of Christ]]: 6% |
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**[[Roman Catholicism in the United States|Roman Catholic]]: 6% |
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**Other Christian (includes unspecified "Christian" and "Protestant"): 12% |
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*[[Islam]]: 1%<ref name="religions.pewforum.org">{{cite web|url=http://religions.pewforum.org/maps |title=The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life |publisher=Religions.pewforum.org |date= |accessdate=July 31, 2010}}</ref> |
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*Other religions: 2% |
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*Non-religious: 9% |
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The largest denominations by number of adherents in 2010 were the [[Southern Baptist Convention]] with 1,483,356; the [[United Methodist Church]] with 375,693; the [[Roman Catholic Church]] with 222,343; and the [[Churches of Christ]] with 214,118.<ref name="www.thearda.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/47/rcms2010_47_state_adh_2010.asp |title=The Association of Religion Data Archives | State Membership Report |publisher=www.thearda.com |accessdate=December 12, 2013}}</ref> |
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As of January 1, 2009, [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church) reported 43,179 members, 10 [[stake (Latter Day Saints)|stakes]], 92 Congregations (68 wards and 24 branches), two missions, and two temples in Tennessee.<ref>[http://www.ldschurchnewsarchive.com/articles/58728/United-States-information-Tennessee.html United States Information: Tennessee], ''Church News'', The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints website, February 2, 2010. Retrieved: February 7, 2013.</ref> |
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Tennessee is home to several Protestant denominations, such as the [[National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.|National Baptist Convention]] (headquartered in Nashville); the [[Church of God in Christ]] and the [[Cumberland Presbyterian Church]] (both headquartered in Memphis); the [[Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee)|Church of God]] and The [[Church of God of Prophecy]] (both headquartered in [[Cleveland, Tennessee|Cleveland]]). The [[Free Will Baptist]] denomination is headquartered in [[Antioch, Tennessee|Antioch]]; its main Bible college is in Nashville. The [[Southern Baptist Convention]] maintains its general headquarters in Nashville. Publishing houses of several denominations are located in Nashville. |
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==Economy== |
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{{See also|List of settlements in Tennessee by per capita income}} |
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According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, in 2011 Tennessee's real gross state product was $233.997 billion. |
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In 2003, the [[per capita income|per capita personal income]] was $28,641, 36th in the nation, and 91% of the national per capita personal income of $31,472. In 2004, the [[Household income in the United States|median household income]] was $38,550, 41st in the nation, and 87% of the national median of $44,472. |
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For 2012, the state held an asset surplus of $533 million, one of only eight states in the nation to report a surplus.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.statedatalab.org/state_data_and_comparisons/detail/tennessee |title=State Data and Comparisons: Tennessee |work=State Data Lab |publisher=Institute for Truth in Accounting |accessdate=February 26, 2014}}</ref> |
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Major outputs for the state include textiles, cotton, cattle, and electrical power. Tennessee has over 82,000 farms, roughly 59 percent of which accommodate beef cattle.<ref>[http://animalscience.ag.utk.edu/beef/tnbeefind.htm ]{{dead link|date=July 2010}}</ref> Although cotton was an early crop in Tennessee, large-scale cultivation of the fiber did not begin until the 1820s with the opening of the land between the Tennessee and Mississippi Rivers. The upper wedge of the Mississippi Delta extends into southwestern Tennessee, and it was in this fertile section that cotton took hold. [[Soybean]]s are also heavily planted in West Tennessee, focusing on the northwest corner of the state.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nass.usda.gov/research/atlas02/index.html |title=USDA 2002 Census of Agriculture, Maps and Cartographic Resources |publisher=Nass.usda.gov |date= |accessdate=July 31, 2010}}</ref> |
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Major corporations with headquarters in Tennessee include [[FedEx]], [[AutoZone]] and [[International Paper]], all based in Memphis; [[Pilot Corporation]] and [[Regal Entertainment Group]], based in Knoxville; [[Eastman Chemical Company]], based in Kingsport; the North American headquarters of [[Nissan Motor Company]], based in [[Franklin, Tennessee|Franklin]]; [[Hospital Corporation of America]] and [[Caterpillar Inc.|Caterpillar Financial]], based in Nashville; and [[Unum]], based in Chattanooga. Tennessee is also the location of the [[Volkswagen Chattanooga Assembly Plant|Volkswagen factory]] in [[Chattanooga, Tennessee|Chattanooga]], a $2 billion [[polysilicon]] production facility by [[Wacker Chemie]] in [[Bradley County, Tennessee|Bradley County]], and a $1.2 billion polysilicon production facility by [[Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation|Hemlock Semiconductor]] in [[Clarksville, Tennessee|Clarksville]]. |
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Tennessee is a [[Right-to-work law|right to work]] state, as are most of its Southern neighbors. Unionization has historically been low and continues to decline as in most of the U.S. generally. As of November 2011, the state had an unemployment rate of 8.4%.<ref>[http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/print.pl/news.release/metro.t01.htm Bls.gov]; Local Area Unemployment Statistics</ref> |
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===Tax=== |
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The Tennessee [[income tax]] does not apply to salaries and wages, but most income from [[stock]], [[Bond (finance)|bonds]] and [[notes receivable]] is taxable. All taxable dividends and interest which exceed the $1,250 single exemption or the $2,500 joint exemption are taxable at the rate of 6%. The state's [[sales tax|sales]] and [[use tax]] rate for most items is 9.25%. Food is taxed at a lower rate of 5.25%, but candy, dietary supplements and prepared food are taxed at the full 7% rate. Local sales taxes are collected in most jurisdictions, at rates varying from 1.5% to 2.75%, bringing the total sales tax to between 8.5% and 9.75%, one of the highest levels in the nation. [[Intangible property]] is assessed on the shares of stock of stockholders of any loan company, investment company, insurance company or for-profit cemetery companies. The assessment ratio is 40% of the value multiplied by the tax rate for the jurisdiction. Tennessee imposes an [[inheritance tax]] on decedents' estates that exceed maximum single exemption limits ($1,000,000 for deaths in 2006 and thereafter).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.state.tn.us/revenue/forms/inhgift/guideinhestate.pdf |title=A Guide to Tennessee Inheritance and Estate Taxes |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=December 9, 2011}}</ref> |
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===Broadband Infrastructure=== |
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Based on data released by the NITA, as of 2013 only 88.5% of consumers in Tennessee had access to 10MBPS broadband connections with approximately 797,000 people left underserved, having access to only 1 wired provider.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.ntia.doc.gov/broadband-data|title=National Broadband Map Datasets |publisher=NTIA |accessdate=2014-05-05}}</ref> However since 2012, 10+ mbps wired broadband coverage in Tennessee has improved from 86.4% to 88.5%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://broadbandnow.com/Tennessee |title=Broadband Internet in Tennessee |publisher=Broadband Now |accessdate=2014-05-05}}</ref> |
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==Transportation== |
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===Interstate highways=== |
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[[File:Hernando de Soto Bridge Memphis.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Hernando de Soto Bridge]] spans the [[Mississippi River]] in [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]]]] |
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[[Interstate 40 in Tennessee|Interstate 40]] crosses the state in a west-east orientation. Its branch interstate highways include [[Interstate 240 (Tennessee)|I-240]] in Memphis; [[Interstate 440 (Tennessee)|I-440]] in Nashville; [[Interstate 140 (Tennessee)|I-140]] from Knoxville to Alcoa and [[I-640]] in Knoxville. [[Interstate 26 in Tennessee|I-26]], although technically an east-west interstate, runs from the North Carolina border below [[Johnson City, Tennessee|Johnson City]] to its terminus at [[Kingsport, Tennessee|Kingsport]]. [[Interstate 24 in Tennessee|I-24]] is an east-west interstate that runs cross-state from Chattanooga to Clarksville. [[Interstate 22]] is an east-west interstate that will connect with [[Interstate 240 (Tennessee)|I-240]] or [[Interstate 269 (Tennessee)|I-269]] in Memphis to [[Interstate 65 (Alabama)|I-65]] in [[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]]. |
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In a north-south orientation are highways [[Interstate 55 in Tennessee|I-55]], [[Interstate 65 in Tennessee|I-65]], [[Interstate 75 in Tennessee|I-75]], and [[Interstate 81 in Tennessee|I-81]]. Interstate 65 crosses the state through Nashville, while Interstate 75 serves Chattanooga and Knoxville and Interstate 55 serves Memphis. Interstate 81 enters the state at Bristol and terminates at its junction with I-40 near [[Dandridge, Tennessee|Dandridge]]. [[Interstate 155 (Missouri-Tennessee)|I-155]] is a branch highway from I-55. The only spur highway of I-75 in Tennessee is [[Interstate 275 (Tennessee)|I-275]], which is in Knoxville. |
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===Airports=== |
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Major airports within the state include [[Memphis International Airport]] (MEM), [[Nashville International Airport]] (BNA), [[McGhee Tyson Airport]] (TYS) in Knoxville, [[Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport]] (CHA), [[Tri-Cities Regional Airport]] (TRI), and [[McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport]] (MKL), in Jackson. Because Memphis International Airport is the major hub for [[FedEx Corporation]], it is the [[World's busiest airport|world's largest air cargo operation]]. |
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===Railroads=== |
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For passenger rail service, Memphis and [[Newbern, Tennessee]], are served by the [[Amtrak]] [[City of New Orleans (train)|City of New Orleans]] line on its run between [[Chicago]], Illinois, and [[New Orleans]], Louisiana. Nashville is served by the [[Music City Star]] [[commuter rail]] service. |
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Cargo services in Tennessee are primarily served by [[CSX Transportation]], which has a [[hump yard]] in Nashville called Radnor Yard. [[Norfolk Southern Railway]] operates lines in East Tennessee, through cities including Knoxville and Chattanooga, and operates a [[classification yard]] near Knoxville, the John Sevier Yard. |
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=={{anchor|Law_and_government}}Governance== |
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<!--Anchor needs to be kept for inter-article links that used the old section title: Law_and_government. SBaker43 12 June 2011--> |
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[[File:Tennessee State Capitol 2009.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Tennessee State Capitol]] in [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]].]] |
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Tennessee's governor holds office for a four-year term and may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms. The governor is the only official who is elected statewide. Unlike most states, the state does not elect the [[Lieutenant governor (United States)|lieutenant governor]] directly; the Tennessee Senate elects its Speaker, who serves as lieutenant governor. |
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The [[Tennessee General Assembly]], the state legislature, consists of the 33-member [[Tennessee State Senate|Senate]] and the 99-member [[Tennessee House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]. Senators serve four-year terms, and House members serve two-year terms. Each chamber chooses its own speaker. The speaker of the state Senate also holds the title of lieutenant-governor. Constitutional officials in the legislative branch are elected by a joint session of the legislature. |
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The highest court in Tennessee is the [[Supreme Court of Tennessee|state Supreme Court]]. It has a [[Tennessee Supreme Court Justices|chief justice and four associate justices]]. No more than two justices can be from the same Grand Division. The Supreme Court of Tennessee also appoints the [[Tennessee Attorney General|Attorney General]], a practice that is not found in any of the other 49 states in the Union. Both the [[Tennessee Court of Appeals|Court of Appeals]] and the [[Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals|Court of Criminal Appeals]] have 12 judges.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/geninfo/Bio/CrimAppeals/Biocca.htm |title=Court of Criminal Appeals |publisher=Tsc.state.tn.us |date= |accessdate=July 31, 2010}}</ref> A number of [[Courts of Tennessee|local, circuit, and federal courts]] provide judicial services. |
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[[Tennessee State Constitution|Tennessee's current state constitution]] was adopted in 1870. The state had two earlier constitutions. The first was adopted in 1796, the year Tennessee joined the union, and the second was adopted in 1834. The 1870 Constitution outlaws [[Martial law#United States of America|martial law]] within its jurisdiction. This may be a result of the experience of Tennessee residents and other Southerners during the period of [[American Civil War#Reconstruction|military control]] by Union (Northern) forces of the U.S. government after the [[American Civil War]]. |
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===Politics=== |
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{{See also|List of Tennessee Governors|U.S. Congressional Delegations from Tennessee|Tennessee's congressional districts|Political party strength in Tennessee}} |
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{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; font-size:95%;" |
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|+ '''Presidential elections results''' |
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|- style="background:lightgrey;" |
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! Year |
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! [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] |
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! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |
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|- |
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| style="background:#fff3f3;"|[[United States presidential election, 2012|2012]] |
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| style="background:#fff3f3;"|'''59.42%''' ''1,462,330'' |
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| style="background:#f0f0ff;"| 39.04% ''960,709'' |
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|- |
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| style="background:#fff3f3;"|[[United States presidential election, 2008|2008]] |
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| style="background:#fff3f3;"|'''56.85%''' ''1,479,178'' |
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| style="background:#f0f0ff;"| 41.79% ''1,087,437'' |
|||
|- |
|||
| style="background:#fff3f3;"|[[United States presidential election, 2004|2004]] |
|||
| style="background:#fff3f3;"|'''56.80%''' ''1,384,375'' |
|||
| style="background:#f0f0ff;"| 42.53% ''1,036,477'' |
|||
|- |
|||
| style="background:#fff3f3;"|[[United States presidential election, 2000|2000]] |
|||
| style="background:#fff3f3;"|'''51.15%''' ''1,061,949'' |
|||
| style="background:#f0f0ff;"| 47.28% ''981,720'' |
|||
|- |
|||
| style="background:#f0f0ff;"|[[United States presidential election, 1996|1996]] |
|||
| style="background:#fff3f3;"| 45.59% ''863,530'' |
|||
| style="background:#f0f0ff;"|'''48.00%''' ''909,146'' |
|||
|- |
|||
| style="background:#f0f0ff;"|[[United States presidential election, 1992|1992]] |
|||
| style="background:#fff3f3;"| 42.43% ''841,300'' |
|||
| style="background:#f0f0ff;"|'''47.08%''' ''933,521'' |
|||
|- |
|||
| style="background:#fff3f3;"|[[United States presidential election, 1988|1988]] |
|||
| style="background:#fff3f3;"|'''57.89%''' ''947,233'' |
|||
| style="background:#f0f0ff;"| 41.55% ''679,794'' |
|||
|- |
|||
| style="background:#fff3f3;"|[[United States presidential election, 1984|1984]] |
|||
| style="background:#fff3f3;"|'''57.84%''' ''990,212'' |
|||
| style="background:#f0f0ff;"| 41.57% ''711,714'' |
|||
|- |
|||
| style="background:#fff3f3;"|[[United States presidential election, 1980|1980]] |
|||
| style="background:#fff3f3;"|'''48.70%''' ''787,761'' |
|||
| style="background:#f0f0ff;"| 48.41% ''783,051'' |
|||
|- |
|||
| style="background:#f0f0ff;"|[[United States presidential election, 1976|1976]] |
|||
| style="background:#fff3f3;"| 42.94% ''633,969'' |
|||
| style="background:#f0f0ff;"|'''55.94%''' ''825,879'' |
|||
|- |
|||
| style="background:#fff3f3;"|[[United States presidential election, 1972|1972]] |
|||
| style="background:#fff3f3;"|'''67.70%''' ''813,147'' |
|||
| style="background:#f0f0ff;"| 29.75% ''357,293'' |
|||
|- |
|||
| style="background:#fff3f3;"|[[United States presidential election, 1968|1968]] |
|||
| style="background:#fff3f3;"|'''37.85%''' ''472,592'' |
|||
| style="background:#f0f0ff;"| 28.13% ''351,233'' |
|||
|- |
|||
| style="background:#f0f0ff;"|[[United States presidential election, 1964|1964]] |
|||
| style="background:#fff3f3;"| 44.49% ''508,965'' |
|||
| style="background:#f0f0ff;"|'''55.50%''' ''634,947'' |
|||
|- |
|||
| style="background:#fff3f3;"|[[United States presidential election, 1960|1960]] |
|||
| style="background:#fff3f3;"|'''52.92%''' ''556,577'' |
|||
| style="background:#f0f0ff;"| 45.77% ''481,453'' |
|||
|} |
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Tennessee politics, like that of most U.S. states, are dominated by the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] and the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] Parties. Except for in two nationwide Republican landslides of the 1920s (in 1920, when Tennessee narrowly supported Warren G. Harding over Ohio Governor James Cox, and in 1928, when it more decisively voted for Herbert Hoover over New York Governor Al Smith), the state was part of the Democratic [[Solid South]] until the 1950s, when it twice voted for Republican [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]. Since then, the Democrats have only carried Tennessee four times. |
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While the Republicans control slightly more than half of the state, Democrats have moderate support in parts of rural Middle Tennessee and northern West Tennessee and have strong support in the cities of Nashville and Memphis. The latter area includes a large [[African-American]] population.<ref>[http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=n&_lang=en&mt_name=DEC_2000_PL_U_GCTPL_ST2&format=ST-2&_box_head_nbr=GCT-PL&ds_name=DEC_2000_PL_U&geo_id=04000US47 Tennessee by County – GCT-PL. Race and Hispanic or Latino 2000] U.S. Census Bureau</ref> Historically, Republicans had their greatest strength in East Tennessee prior to the 1960s. Tennessee's [[Tennessee's 1st congressional district|1st]] and [[Tennessee's 2nd congressional district|2nd]] congressional districts, based in the Tri-Cities and Knoxville respectively, are among the few historically Republican districts in the South. Those districts' residents supported the Union over the Confederacy during the Civil War; they identified with the GOP after the war and have stayed with that party ever since. The 1st has been in Republican hands continuously since 1881, and Republicans (or their antecedents) have held it for all but four years since 1859. The 2nd has been held continuously by Republicans or their antecedents since 1859. |
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In contrast, long disenfranchisement of African Americans and their proportion as a minority (16.45% in 1960) meant that white Democrats generally dominated politics in the rest of the state until the 1960s. The GOP in Tennessee was essentially a sectional party. Former Gov. [[Winfield Dunn]] and former U.S. Sen. [[Bill Brock]] wins in 1970 built the Republican Party into a competitive party for the statewide victory. Tennessee has selected governors from different parties since 1970. |
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In the [[U.S. presidential election, 2000|2000 presidential election]], Vice President [[Al Gore]], a former [[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]] from Tennessee, failed to carry his home state, an unusual occurrence. Support for Republican [[George W. Bush]] increased in 2004, with his margin of victory in the state increasing from 4% in 2000 to 14% in 2004.<ref>[http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/tennessee/tennessee_mccain_leads_both_democrats_by_double_digits Tennessee: McCain Leads Both Democrats by Double Digits] Rasumussen Reports, April 6, 2008</ref> Democratic presidential nominees from Southern states (such as [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], [[Jimmy Carter]], [[Bill Clinton]]) usually fare better than their Northern counterparts do in Tennessee, especially among split-ticket voters outside the metropolitan areas. |
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Tennessee sends nine members to the [[United States House of Representatives|US House of Representatives]], of whom there are seven Republicans and two Democrats. Lieutenant Governor [[Ron Ramsey]] is the first Republican speaker of the state Senate in 140 years. In 2008 elections, the Republican party gained control of both houses of the Tennessee state legislature for the first time since Reconstruction. Now considered as 30% of the state's electorate are independents.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122731165800249331.html?mod=googlenews_wsj |date=November 22, 2008 |title=Tennessee Resists Obama Wave |first=COREY |last=DADE |work=Wall Street Journal}}</ref> |
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The ''[[Baker v. Carr]]'' (1962) decision of the [[Supreme Court of the United States|US Supreme Court]], which established the principle of [[one man, one vote]], was based on a lawsuit over rural-biased apportionment of seats in the Tennessee legislature.<ref>{{cite book |title=A Justice for All: William J. Brennan, Jr., and the decisions that transformed America |last=Eisler |first=Kim Isaac |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1993 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |isbn=0-671-76787-9 |pages= }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |chapter=Baker v. Carr |title=The Oxford companion to the Supreme Court of the United States |last=Peltason |first=Jack W. |authorlink= |editor=Hall, Kermit L. (ed.) |year=1992 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |isbn=0-19-505835-6 |pages=67–70 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=I dissent: Great Opposing Opinions in Landmark Supreme Court Cases |last=Tushnet |first=Mark |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=2008 |publisher=Beacon Press |location=Boston |isbn=978-0-8070-0036-6 |pages=151–166 }}</ref> This significant ruling led to an increased (and proportional) prominence in state politics by urban and, eventually, suburban, legislators and statewide officeholders in relation to their population within the state. The ruling also applied to numerous other states long controlled by rural minorities, such as [[Alabama]]. |
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===Law enforcement=== |
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====State agencies==== |
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The state of Tennessee maintains four dedicated law enforcement entities: the [[Tennessee Highway Patrol]], the [[Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency]] (TWRA), the [[Tennessee Bureau of Investigation]] (TBI), and the [[Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation]] (TDEC). |
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The Highway Patrol is the primary law enforcement entity that concentrates on highway safety regulations and general non-[[wildlife]] state law enforcement and is under the jurisdiction of the [[Tennessee Department of Safety]]. The TWRA is an independent agency tasked with enforcing all wildlife, boating, and fisheries regulations outside of state parks. The TBI maintains state-of-the-art investigative facilities and is the primary state-level criminal investigative department. Tennessee State [[Park Ranger]]s are responsible for all activities and law enforcement inside the Tennessee State Parks system. |
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====Local government==== |
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Local law enforcement is divided between County Sheriff's Offices and Municipal Police Departments. Tennessee's Constitution requires that each County have an elected Sheriff. In 94 of the 95 counties the Sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer in the county and has jurisdiction over the county as a whole. Each Sheriff's Office is responsible for warrant service, court security, jail operations and primary law enforcement in the unincorporated areas of a county as well as providing support to the municipal police departments. Incorporated municipalities are required to maintain a police department to provide police services within their corporate limits. |
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The three counties in Tennessee to adopt metropolitan governments have taken different approaches to resolving the conflict that a Metro government presents to the requirement to have an elected Sheriff. |
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*[[Nashville-Davidson#Law and government|Nashville/Davidson County]] split law enforcement duties and authority between the Metro Sheriff and the Metro Police Chief. In this instance the Sheriff is no longer the chief law enforcement officer for Davidson County. The Davidson County Sheriff's duties focus on warrant service and jail operations. The Metropolitan Police Chief is the chief law enforcement officer and the Metropolitan Police Department provides primary law enforcement for the entire county. |
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*[[Lynchburg, Tennessee#Government|Lynchburg]]/[[Moore County, Tennessee|Moore County]] took a much simpler approach and abolished the Lynchburg Police Department when it consolidated and placed all law enforcement responsibility under the sheriff's office. |
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*[[Hartsville, Tennessee|Hartsville]]/[[Trousdale County, Tennessee|Trousdale County]], although the smallest county in Tennessee, adopted a system similar to Nashville's that retains the sheriff's office but also has a metropolitan police department. |
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====Firearms==== |
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{{main|Gun laws in Tennessee}} |
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[[Gun laws in Tennessee]] regulate the sale, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition. Concealed carry and open-carry of a handgun is permitted with a Tennessee handgun carry permit or an equivalent permit from any other state. A permit is currently required to possess a loaded handgun in a motor vehicle;<ref>T.C.A. 39-17-1307, 39-17-1308, and 39-17-1351.</ref> on July 1, 2014, a permit will generally no longer be required to possess a loaded handgun in a motor vehicle.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=SB1774 |title=Bill Information for SB1774 |publisher=Tennessee General Assembly |accessdate=June 1, 2014}}</ref> |
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====Capital punishment==== |
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In May 2014 the Tennessee General Assembly passed a law allowing the use of the [[electric chair]] for [[death row]] executions when [[lethal injection]] drugs are not available.<ref name="time20140522">{{cite news |url=http://time.com/109909/tennessee-brings-back-electric-chair/ |title=Tennessee Says It Will Bring Back the Electric Chair |work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |first=Eliana |last=Dockterman |date=May 22, 2014 |accessdate=May 23, 2014}}</ref><ref name="reuters20140523">{{cite news |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/23/us-usa-tennessee-execution-idUSBREA4M03520140523 |title=Tennessee reinstates electric chair as death penalty option |work=Reuters |first=Tim |last=Ghianni |date=May 23, 2014 |accessdate=May 23, 2014}}</ref> |
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==Education== |
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Tennessee has a rich variety of public, private, charter, and specialized education facilities ranging from pre-school through university education. |
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[[File:UT Ayres Hall front.jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[University of Tennessee|University of Tennessee, Knoxville]]]] |
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[[File:Vandy-kirkland.jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[Vanderbilt University]]]] |
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[[File:Halliburton.jpg|thumb|right|[[Rhodes College]]]] |
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[[File:WTN PeepHoles 052.JPG|thumb|right|[[Tennessee State University|Tennessee State University, Nashville]]]] |
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[[File:Kirskey Old Main.jpg|thumb|right|[[Middle Tennessee State University| Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro]]]] |
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===Colleges and universities=== |
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{{Main|List of colleges and universities in Tennessee}} |
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Public higher education is under the oversight of the [[Tennessee Higher Education Commission]] which provides guidance to two public university systems – the [[University of Tennessee system]] and the [[Tennessee Board of Regents]]. In addition a number of private colleges and universities are located throughout the state. |
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{{Div col|2=25em}} |
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*[[American Baptist College]] |
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*[[Aquinas College (Tennessee)|Aquinas College]] |
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*[[The Art Institute of Tennessee – Nashville]] |
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*[[Austin Peay State University]] |
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*[[Baptist College of Health Sciences]] |
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*[[Belmont University]] |
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*[[Bethel University (Tennessee)|Bethel College]] |
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*[[Bryan College]] |
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*[[Carson–Newman University]] |
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*[[Chattanooga State Community College]] |
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*[[Christian Brothers University]] |
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*[[Cleveland State Community College]] |
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*[[Columbia State Community College]] |
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*[[Crown College (Tennessee)|Crown College]] |
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*[[Cumberland University]] |
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*[[Dyersburg State Community College]] |
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*[[East Tennessee State University]] |
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*[[Emmanuel Christian Seminary]] |
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*[[Fisk University]] |
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*[[Freed–Hardeman University]] |
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*[[Jackson State Community College]] |
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*[[Johnson University]] |
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*[[King University]] |
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*[[Knoxville College]] |
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*[[Lane College]] |
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*[[Lee University]] |
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*[[LeMoyne–Owen College]] |
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*[[Lincoln Memorial University]] |
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*[[Lipscomb University]] |
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*[[Martin Methodist College]] |
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*[[Maryville College]] |
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*[[Meharry Medical College]] |
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*[[Memphis College of Art]] |
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*[[Memphis Theological Seminary]] |
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*[[Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary]] |
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*[[Middle Tennessee State University]] |
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*[[Milligan College]] |
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*[[Motlow State Community College]] |
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*[[Nashville School of Law]] |
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*[[Nashville State Community College]] |
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*[[Northeast State Community College]] |
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*Nossi College of Art |
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*[[O'More College of Design]] |
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*[[Pellissippi State Community College]] |
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*[[Rhodes College]] |
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*[[Roane State Community College]] |
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*[[Sewanee: The University of the South]] |
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*[[South College School of Pharmacy]] |
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*[[Southern Adventist University]] |
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*[[Southern College of Optometry]] |
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*[[Southwest Tennessee Community College]] |
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*[[Tennessee College of Applied Technology|Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology]] |
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*[[Tennessee State University]] |
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*[[Tennessee Technological University]] |
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*[[Tennessee Temple University]] |
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*[[Tennessee Wesleyan College]] |
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*[[Trevecca Nazarene University]] |
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*[[Tusculum College]] |
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*[[Union University]] |
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*[[University of Memphis]] |
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*[[University of Tennessee system]] |
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**[[University of Tennessee]] (Knoxville) |
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***[[University of Tennessee Health Science Center]] (Memphis) |
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***[[University of Tennessee Space Institute]] |
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**[[University of Tennessee at Chattanooga]] |
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**[[University of Tennessee at Martin]] |
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*[[Vanderbilt University]] |
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*[[Volunteer State Community College]] |
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*[[Walters State Community College]] |
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*[[Watkins College of Art, Design & Film]] |
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*[[Welch College]] |
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*[[Victory University]] |
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{{Div col end}} |
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===Local school districts=== |
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{{Main|List of school districts in Tennessee|List of high schools in Tennessee}} |
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Public primary and secondary education systems are operated by county, city, or special school districts to provide education at the local level. These school districts operate under the direction of the Tennessee Department of Education. Private schools are found in a many counties. |
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==Sports== |
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===Professional teams=== |
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{| class="wikitable" |
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|- |
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!Club |
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!Sport |
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!League |
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|- |
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|[[Tennessee Titans]] |
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|[[American Football|Football]] |
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|[[National Football League]] |
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|- |
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|[[Memphis Grizzlies]] |
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|[[Basketball]] |
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|[[National Basketball Association]] |
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|- |
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|[[Nashville Predators]] |
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|[[Ice hockey]] |
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|[[National Hockey League]] |
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|- |
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|[[Memphis Redbirds]] |
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|[[Baseball]] |
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|[[Pacific Coast League]] ([[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]]) |
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|- |
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|[[Nashville Sounds]] |
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|[[Baseball]] |
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|[[Pacific Coast League]] ([[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]]) |
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|- |
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|[[Chattanooga Lookouts]] |
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|[[Baseball]] |
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|[[Southern League (baseball)|Southern League]] ([[Double-A (baseball)|Double-A]]) |
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|- |
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|[[Tennessee Smokies]] |
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|[[Baseball]] |
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|[[Southern League (baseball)|Southern League]] ([[Double-A (baseball)|Double-A]]) |
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|- |
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|[[Jackson Generals]] |
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|[[Baseball]] |
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|[[Southern League (baseball)|Southern League]] ([[Double-A (baseball)|Double-A]]) |
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|- |
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|[[Bristol Pirates]] |
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|[[Baseball]] |
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|[[Appalachian League]] ([[Minor league baseball#Rookie|Rookie]]) |
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|- |
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|[[Elizabethton Twins]] |
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|[[Baseball]] |
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|[[Appalachian League]] ([[Minor league baseball#Rookie|Rookie]]) |
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|- |
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|[[Greeneville Astros]] |
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|[[Baseball]] |
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|[[Appalachian League]] ([[Minor league baseball#Rookie|Rookie]]) |
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|- |
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|[[Johnson City Cardinals]] |
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|[[Baseball]] |
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|[[Appalachian League]] ([[Minor league baseball#Rookie|Rookie]]) |
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|- |
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|[[Kingsport Mets]] |
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|[[Baseball]] |
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|[[Appalachian League]] ([[Minor league baseball#Rookie|Rookie]]) |
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|- |
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|[[Knoxville Ice Bears]] |
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|[[Ice hockey]] |
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|[[Southern Professional Hockey League]] |
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|- |
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|[[Chattanooga FC]] |
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|[[Association football|Soccer]] |
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|[[National Premier Soccer League]] |
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|- |
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|[[Knoxville Force]] |
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|[[Association football|Soccer]] |
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|[[National Premier Soccer League]] |
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|} |
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Tennessee is also home to [[Bristol Motor Speedway]] which features [[NASCAR Sprint Cup]] racing two weekends a year, routinely selling out more than 160,000 seats on each date; it also was the home of the [[Nashville Superspeedway]], which held Nationwide and Indy Racing League races until it was shut down in 2012. Tennessee's only graded stakes horse race, the [[Iroquois Steeplechase]], is also held in Nashville each May. |
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==State symbols== |
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{{Main|List of Tennessee state symbols}} |
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State symbols, found in [http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/tncode/ Tennessee Code Annotated] Title 4, Chapter 1, Part 3, include: |
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{{Div col|2=30em}} |
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*[[List of U.S. state amphibians|State amphibian]] – [[Tennessee cave salamander]] |
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*[[List of U.S. state birds|State bird]] – [[Mockingbird]] |
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*[[List of U.S. state birds|State game bird]] – [[Northern Bobwhite|Bobwhite quail]] |
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*[[List of U.S. state butterflies|State butterfly]] – [[Protographium marcellus|Zebra swallowtail]] |
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*[[List of U.S. state fish|State sport fish]] – [[Smallmouth bass]] |
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*[[List of U.S. state fish|State commercial fish]] – [[Channel catfish]] |
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*[[List of U.S. state flowers|State cultivated flower]] – [[Iris (plant)|Iris]] |
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*[[List of U.S. state flowers|State wild flowers]] – [[Passiflora|Passion flower]] and [[Echinacea tennesseensis|Tennessee echinacea]] |
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*[[List of U.S. state insects|State insects]] – [[Firefly]] and [[Coccinellidae|lady beetle]] |
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*[[List of U.S. state insects|State agricultural insect]] – [[Honey bee]] |
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*[[List of U.S. state mammals|State wild animal]] – [[Raccoon]] |
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*[[List of U.S. state mammals|State horse]] – [[Tennessee Walking Horse]] |
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*[[U.S. state reptiles|State reptile]] – [[Eastern box turtle]] |
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*[[List of U.S. state trees|State tree]] – [[Liriodendron tulipifera|Tulip poplar]] |
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*[[List of U.S. state trees|State evergreen tree]] – [[Juniperus virginiana|Eastern red cedar]] |
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*[[List of U.S. state beverages|State beverage]] – [[Milk]] |
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*[[List of U.S. state dances|State dance]] – [[Square dance]] |
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*[[List of U.S. state foods|State fruit]] – [[Tomato]] |
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*[[List of U.S. state fossils|State fossil]] – ''[[Trigoniidae|Pterotrigonia (Scabrotrigonia) thoracica]]'' |
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*[[List of U.S. state minerals, rocks, stones and gemstones|State gem]] – [[Pearl|Tennessee River pearl]] |
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*[[List of U.S. state minerals, rocks, stones and gemstones|State mineral]] – [[Agate]] |
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*[[List of U.S. state minerals, rocks, stones and gemstones|State rock]] – [[Tennessee marble|Limestone]] |
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*[[List of U.S. state and territory mottos|State motto]] – Agriculture and Commerce |
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*[[List of U.S. state poems|State poem]] – "Oh Tennessee, My Tennessee" by Admiral [[William P. Lawrence|William Lawrence]] |
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*[[List of U.S. state slogans|State slogan]] – Tennessee - America at its Best |
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*[[List of U.S. state songs|State songs]] – [[List of Tennessee state symbols#State songs|7 songs]] |
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{{Div col end}} |
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==See also== |
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{{portal|Tennessee}} |
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*[[Outline of Tennessee]] – organized list of topics about Tennessee |
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*[[Index of Tennessee-related articles]] |
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{{clear}} |
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==References== |
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{{reflist|2}} |
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==Further reading== |
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<div class="references-small"> |
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*{{cite book |first=Paul H. |last=Bergeron |title=Antebellum Politics in Tennessee |publisher=University of Kentucky Press |year=1982 |isbn=0-8131-1469-1}} |
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*{{cite book |first=Arna |last=Bontemps |title=William C. Handy: Father of the Blues: An Autobiography |publisher=Macmillan Company |location=New York |year=1941}} |
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*{{cite book |first=W. G. |last=Brownlow |title=Sketches of the Rise, Progress, and Decline of Secession: With a Narrative of Personal Adventures among the Rebels |year=1862}} |
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*{{cite book |first=Joseph H. |last=Cartwright |title=The Triumph of Jim Crow: Tennessee’s Race Relations in the 1880s |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |year=1976}} |
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*{{cite book |first=John |last=Cimprich |title=Slavery's End in Tennessee, 1861–1865 |publisher=University of Alabama |year=1985 |isbn=0-8173-0257-3}} |
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*{{cite book |first=John R. |last=Finger |title=Tennessee Frontiers: Three Regions in Transition |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=2001 |isbn=0-253-33985-5}} |
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*{{cite book |first=Michael K. |last=Honey |title=Southern Labor and Black Civil Rights: Organizing Memphis Workers |publisher=University of Illinois Press |year=1993 |isbn=0-252-02000-6}} |
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*{{cite book |first=Lester C. |last=Lamon |title=Blacks in Tennessee, 1791–1970 |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |year=1980 |isbn=0-87049-324-8}} |
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*{{cite book |first=James |last=Mooney |title=Myths of the Cherokee |year=1900 |publisher=reprinted Dover, 1995 |location=New York |isbn=0-914875-19-1 }} |
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*{{cite book |first=Herman |last=Norton |title=Religion in Tennessee, 1777–1945 |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |year=1981 |isbn=0-87049-318-3}} |
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*{{cite book |first=Ted |last=Olson |title=A Tennessee Folklore Sampler: Selected Readings from the Tennessee Folklore Society Bulletin, 1934–2009 |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |year=2009 |isbn=1-57233-668-4}} |
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*{{cite book |first=Richard T. |last=Schaefer |title=Sociology Matters |publisher= NY: McGraw-Hill |location=New York |year=2006 |isbn=0-07-299775-3}} |
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*{{cite book |first=Carroll |last=Van West |title=Tennessee history: the land, the people, and the culture |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |year=1998 |isbn=1-57233-000-7}} |
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*{{cite book |editor=Van West, Carroll |title=The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture |year=1998 |isbn=1-55853-599-3}} |
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</div> |
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==External links== |
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{{Sister project links|display=Tennessee|wikt=Tennessee|commons=Category:Tennessee|voy=Tennessee}} |
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*[http://www.tennessee.gov/ State Government Website] |
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*[http://www.tnvacation.com/ Tennessee Department of Tourist Development] |
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*[http://wikis.ala.org/godort/index.php/Tennessee Tennessee State Databases] – Annotated list of searchable databases produced by Tennessee state agencies and compiled by the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association. |
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*[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/ Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture] |
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*[http://www.tennessee.gov/tsla/ Tennessee State Library and Archives] |
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*[http://www.tngenweb.org TNGenWeb Project]- free genealogy resources for the state |
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*[http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=TN Energy Profile for Tennessee] |
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*[http://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=TN USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Tennessee] |
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*[http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/47000.html U.S. Census Bureau] |
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*[http://state.tn.us/sos/bluebook/index.htm Tennessee Blue Book] – All things Tennessee |
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*[http://www.hermitage.com/tennpol.htm Timeline of Modern Tennessee Politics] |
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*[http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets/state-data.aspx?StateFIPS=47&StateName=Tennessee USDA Tennessee state facts] |
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* Tennessee [http://tnlandforms.us/landforms landforms] |
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*[http://www.roanetnhistory.org/ramseysannalscontents.html The Annals of Tennessee to the End of the Eighteenth Century] – a history by [[J. G. M. Ramsey]], 1853 |
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*{{dmoz|Regional/North_America/United_States/Tennessee/|Tennessee}} |
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*{{osmrelation-inline|161838}} |
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|title = <span style="font-size:11pt;">Topics related to Tennessee</span> <br /> ''The Volunteer State'' |
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| North = {{flag|Kentucky}} |
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| Northeast = {{flag|Virginia}} |
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| West = {{flag|Arkansas}} |
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| Centre = '' Tennessee'': [[Outline of Tennessee|Outline]] • [[Index of Tennessee-related articles|Index]] |
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| East = {{flag|North Carolina}} |
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| South = {{flag|Mississippi}} • {{flag|Alabama}} • <br>{{flag|Georgia (U.S. state)|name=Georgia}} |
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| Southeast = {{flag|South Carolina}} |
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{{succession |
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|preceded = [[Kentucky]] |
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|office = [[List of U.S. states by date of statehood]] |
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|years = Admitted on June 1, 1796 (16th) |
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|succeeded = [[Ohio]] |
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[[Category:Tennessee| ]] |
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[[Category:State of Franklin]] |
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[[Category:States of the Confederate States of America]] |
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[[Category:States of the United States]] |
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[[Category:States and territories established in 1796]] |
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[[Category:Southern United States]] |
Revision as of 23:14, 10 August 2014
Tennessee | |
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Country | United States |
Before statehood | Southwest Territory |
Admitted to the Union | June 1, 1796 (16th) |
Capital | Nashville |
Largest city | Memphis |
Largest metro and urban areas | Nashville Metropolitan Area |
Government | |
• Governor | Bill Haslam (R) |
• Lieutenant Governor | Ron Ramsey (R) |
Legislature | General Assembly |
• Upper house | Senate |
• Lower house | House of Representatives |
U.S. senators | Lamar Alexander (R) Bob Corker (R) |
U.S. House delegation | 7 Republicans, 2 Democrats (list) |
Population | |
• Total | 6,495,978 (2,013 est)[1] |
• Density | 153.9/sq mi (60.0/km2) |
Language | |
• Official language | English |
Traditional abbreviation | Tenn. |
Latitude | 34° 59′ N to 36° 41′ N |
Longitude | 81° 39′ W to 90° 19′ W |
Tennessee (/tɛn[invalid input: 'ɨ']ˈsiː/ ) (Cherokee: ᏔᎾᏏ, Tanasi) is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. Tennessee is the 36th most extensive and the 17th most populous of the 50 United States. Tennessee is bordered by Kentucky and Virginia to the north, North Carolina to the east, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi to the south, and Arkansas and Missouri to the west. The Appalachian Mountains dominate the eastern part of the state, and the Mississippi River forms the state's western border. Tennessee's capital and second largest city is Nashville, which has a population of 624,496. Memphis is the state's largest city, with a population of 655,155.[4]
The state of Tennessee is rooted in the Watauga Association, a 1772 frontier pact generally regarded as the first constitutional government west of the Appalachians.[5] What is now Tennessee was initially part of North Carolina, and later part of the Southwest Territory. Tennessee was admitted to the Union as the 16th state on June 1, 1796. Tennessee was the last state to leave the Union and join the Confederacy at the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War in 1861 and the first state to be readmitted to the Union at the end of the war.[6]
Tennessee furnished more soldiers for the Confederate Army than any other state, and more soldiers for the Union Army than any other Southern state.[6] Beginning during Reconstruction, it had competitive party politics, but a Democratic takeover in the late 1880s resulted in passage of disfranchisement laws in 1889 that excluded most blacks and many poor whites from voting, sharply reducing competition in politics in the state until passage of civil rights legislation in the mid-20th century.[7] In the 20th century, Tennessee transitioned from an agrarian economy to a more diversified economy, aided by massive federal investment in the Tennessee Valley Authority and, in the early 1940s, the city of Oak Ridge. This city was established to house the Manhattan Project's uranium enrichment facilities, helping to build the world's first atomic bomb.
Tennessee has played a critical role in the development of many forms of American popular music, including rock and roll, blues, country, and rockabilly. Beale Street in Memphis is considered by many to be the birthplace of the blues, with musicians such as W.C. Handy performing in its clubs as early as 1909.[8] Memphis is also home to Sun Records, where musicians such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Charlie Rich began their recording careers, and where rock and roll took shape in the 1950s.[9] The 1927 Victor recording sessions in Bristol generally mark the beginning of the country music genre and the rise of the Grand Ole Opry in the 1930s helped make Nashville the center of the country music recording industry.[10][11] Three brick-and-mortar museums recognize Tennessee's role in nurturing various forms of popular music: the Memphis Rock N' Soul Museum, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, and the International Rock-A-Billy Museum in Jackson. Moreover, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, an online site recognizing the development of rockabilly in which Tennessee played a crucial role, is based in Nashville.
Tennessee's major industries include agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism. Poultry, soybeans, and cattle are the state's primary agricultural products,[12] and major manufacturing exports include chemicals, transportation equipment, and electrical equipment.[13] The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the nation's most visited national park, is headquartered in the eastern part of the state, and a section of the Appalachian Trail roughly follows the Tennessee-North Carolina border.[14] Other major tourist attractions include the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga; Dollywood in Pigeon Forge; the Parthenon, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and Ryman Auditorium in Nashville; the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg; and Elvis Presley's Graceland residence and tomb, the Memphis Zoo, and the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.
Name origin
The earliest variant of the name that became Tennessee was recorded by Captain Juan Pardo, the Spanish explorer, when he and his men passed through an American Indian village named "Tanasqui" in 1567 while traveling inland from South Carolina. In the early 18th century, British traders encountered a Cherokee town named Tanasi (or "Tanase") in present-day Monroe County, Tennessee. The town was located on a river of the same name (now known as the Little Tennessee River), and appears on maps as early as 1725. It is not known whether this was the same town as the one encountered by Juan Pardo, although recent research suggests that Pardo's "Tanasqui" was located at the confluence of the Pigeon River and the French Broad River, near modern Newport.[15]
The meaning and origin of the word are uncertain. Some accounts suggest it is a Cherokee modification of an earlier Yuchi word. It has been said to mean "meeting place", "winding river", or "river of the great bend".[16][17] According to James Mooney, the name "can not be analyzed" and its meaning is lost.[18]
The modern spelling, Tennessee, is attributed to James Glen, the governor of South Carolina, who used this spelling in his official correspondence during the 1750s. The spelling was popularized by the publication of Henry Timberlake's "Draught of the Cherokee Country" in 1765. In 1788, North Carolina created "Tennessee County", the third county to be established in what is now Middle Tennessee. (Tennessee County was the predecessor to current-day Montgomery County and Robertson County). When a constitutional convention met in 1796 to organize a new state out of the Southwest Territory, it adopted "Tennessee" as the name of the state.
Nickname
Tennessee is known as the "Volunteer State," a nickname earned during the War of 1812 because of the prominent role played by volunteer soldiers from Tennessee, especially during the Battle of New Orleans.[19]
Geography
Tennessee borders eight other states: Kentucky and Virginia to the north; North Carolina to the east; Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi on the south; Arkansas and Missouri on the Mississippi River to the west. Tennessee ties Missouri as the state bordering the most other states. The state is trisected by the Tennessee River.
The highest point in the state is Clingmans Dome at 6,643 feet (2,025 m).[20] Clingmans Dome, which lies on Tennessee's eastern border, is the highest point on the Appalachian Trail, and is the third highest peak in the United States east of the Mississippi River. The state line between Tennessee and North Carolina crosses the summit. The state's lowest point is the Mississippi River at the Mississippi state line (the lowest point in Memphis, nearby, is at 195 ft (59 m)). The geographical center of the state is located in Murfreesboro.
The state of Tennessee is geographically, culturally, economically, and legally divided into three Grand Divisions: East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee. The state constitution allows no more than two justices of the five-member Tennessee Supreme Court to be from one Grand Division and a similar rule applies to certain commissions and boards.
Tennessee features six principal physiographic regions: the Blue Ridge, the Appalachian Ridge and Valley Region, the Cumberland Plateau, the Highland Rim, the Nashville Basin, and the Gulf Coastal Plain. Tennessee is home to the most caves in the United States, with over 9,600 documented caves to date.[21]
East Tennessee
The Blue Ridge area lies on the eastern edge of Tennessee, bordering North Carolina. This region of Tennessee is characterized by the high mountains and rugged terrain of the western Blue Ridge Mountains, which are subdivided into several subranges, namely the Great Smoky Mountains, the Bald Mountains, the Unicoi Mountains, the Unaka Mountains and Roan Highlands, and the Iron Mountains.
The average elevation of the Blue Ridge area is 5,000 feet (1,500 m) above sea level. Clingmans Dome, the state's highest point, is located in this region. The Blue Ridge area was never more than sparsely populated, and today much of it is protected by the Cherokee National Forest, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and several federal wilderness areas and state parks.
Stretching west from the Blue Ridge for approximately 55 miles (89 km) is the Ridge and Valley region, in which numerous tributaries join to form the Tennessee River in the Tennessee Valley. This area of Tennessee is covered by fertile valleys separated by wooded ridges, such as Bays Mountain and Clinch Mountain. The western section of the Tennessee valley, where the depressions become broader and the ridges become lower, is called the Great Valley. In this valley are numerous towns and two of the region's three urban areas, Knoxville, the 3rd largest city in the state, and Chattanooga, the 4th largest city in the state.
The Cumberland Plateau rises to the west of the Tennessee Valley; this area is covered with flat-topped mountains separated by sharp valleys. The elevation of the Cumberland Plateau ranges from 1,500 to over 2,000 feet (450 to over 600 m) above sea level.
Middle Tennessee
West of the Cumberland Plateau is the Highland Rim, an elevated plain that surrounds the Nashville Basin. The northern section of the Highland Rim, known for its high tobacco production, is sometimes called the Pennyroyal Plateau; it is located primarily in Southwestern Kentucky. The Nashville Basin is characterized by rich, fertile farm country and great diversity of natural wildlife.
Middle Tennessee was a common destination of settlers crossing the Appalachians from Virginia in the late 18th century and early 19th century. An important trading route called the Natchez Trace, created and used for many generations by American Indians, connected Middle Tennessee to the lower Mississippi River town of Natchez. The route of the Natchez Trace was used as the basis for a scenic highway called the Natchez Trace Parkway.
Some of the last remaining large American Chestnut trees grow in this region. They are being used to help breed blight-resistant trees.
Middle Tennessee is one of the primary state population and transportation centers along with the heart of state government. Nashville (the capital), Clarksville, and Murfreesboro are its largest cities. Fifty percent of the US population is within 600 miles (970 km) of Nashville.[22] Interstates I-24, I-40, and I-65 trisect the Division.
West Tennessee
West of the Highland Rim and Nashville Basin is the Gulf Coastal Plain, which includes the Mississippi embayment. The Gulf Coastal Plain is, in terms of area, the predominant land region in Tennessee. It is part of the large geographic land area that begins at the Gulf of Mexico and extends north into southern Illinois. In Tennessee, the Gulf Coastal Plain is divided into three sections that extend from the Tennessee River in the east to the Mississippi River in the west.
The easternmost section, about 10 miles (16 km) in width, consists of hilly land that runs along the western bank of the Tennessee River. To the west of this narrow strip of land is a wide area of rolling hills and streams that stretches all the way to the Mississippi River; this area is called the Tennessee Bottoms or bottom land. In Memphis, the Tennessee Bottoms end in steep bluffs overlooking the river. To the west of the Tennessee Bottoms is the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, less than 300 feet (90 m) above sea level. This area of lowlands, flood plains, and swamp land is sometimes referred to as the Delta region. Memphis is the economic center of West Tennessee and the largest city in the state.
Most of West Tennessee remained Indian land until the Chickasaw Cession of 1818, when the Chickasaw ceded their land between the Tennessee River and the Mississippi River. The portion of the Chickasaw Cession that lies in Kentucky is known today as the Jackson Purchase.
Public lands
Areas under the control and management of the National Park Service include the following:
- Andrew Johnson National Historic Site in Greeneville
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail
- Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area
- Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
- Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
- Foothills Parkway
- Fort Donelson National Battlefield and Fort Donelson National Cemetery near Dover
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Natchez Trace Parkway
- Obed Wild and Scenic River near Wartburg
- Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail
- Shiloh National Cemetery and Shiloh National Military Park near Shiloh
- Stones River National Battlefield and Stones River National Cemetery near Murfreesboro
- Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
Fifty-four state parks, covering some 132,000 acres (530 km2) as well as parts of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Cherokee National Forest, and Cumberland Gap National Historical Park are in Tennessee. Sportsmen and visitors are attracted to Reelfoot Lake, originally formed by the New Madrid earthquake; stumps and other remains of a once dense forest, together with the lotus bed covering the shallow waters, give the lake an eerie beauty.
Climate
Most of the state has a humid subtropical climate, with the exception of some of the higher elevations in the Appalachians, which are classified as having a mountain temperate climate or a humid continental climate due to cooler temperatures.[23] The Gulf of Mexico is the dominant factor in the climate of Tennessee, with winds from the south being responsible for most of the state's annual precipitation. Generally, the state has hot summers and mild to cool winters with generous precipitation throughout the year. On average the state receives 50 inches (130 cm) of precipitation annually. Snowfall ranges from 5 inches (13 cm) in West Tennessee to over 16 inches (41 cm) in the higher mountains in East Tennessee.[24]
Summers in the state are generally hot and humid, with most of the state averaging a high of around 90 °F (32 °C) during the summer months. Winters tend to be mild to cool, increasing in coolness at higher elevations. Generally, for areas outside the highest mountains, the average overnight lows are near freezing for most of the state. The highest recorded temperature is 113 °F (45 °C) at Perryville on August 9, 1930 while the lowest recorded temperature is −32 °F (−36 °C) at Mountain City on December 30, 1917.
While the state is far enough from the coast to avoid any direct impact from a hurricane, the location of the state makes it likely to be impacted from the remnants of tropical cyclones which weaken over land and can cause significant rainfall, such as Tropical Storm Chris in 1982 and Hurricane Opal in 1995.[25] The state averages around 50 days of thunderstorms per year, some of which can be severe with large hail and damaging winds. Tornadoes are possible throughout the state, with West and Middle Tennessee the most vulnerable. Occasionally, strong or violent tornadoes occur, such as the devastating April 2011 tornadoes that killed 20 people in North Georgia and Southeast Tennessee.[26] On average, the state has 15 tornadoes per year.[27] Tornadoes in Tennessee can be severe, and Tennessee leads the nation in the percentage of total tornadoes which have fatalities.[28] Winter storms are an occasional problem, such as the infamous Blizzard of 1993, although ice storms are a more likely occurrence. Fog is a persistent problem in parts of the state, especially in East Tennessee.
Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various Tennessee Cities (F)[29] | ||||||||||||
City | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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Bristol | 44/25 | 49/27 | 57/34 | 66/41 | 74/51 | 81/60 | 85/64 | 84/62 | 79/56 | 68/43 | 58/35 | 48/27 |
Chattanooga | 49/30 | 54/33 | 63/40 | 72/47 | 79/56 | 86/65 | 90/69 | 89/68 | 82/62 | 72/48 | 61/40 | 52/33 |
Knoxville | 47/30 | 52/33 | 61/40 | 71/48 | 78/57 | 85/65 | 88/69 | 87/68 | 81/62 | 71/50 | 60/41 | 50/34 |
Memphis | 49/31 | 55/36 | 63/44 | 72/52 | 80/61 | 89/69 | 92/73 | 91/71 | 85/64 | 75/52 | 62/43 | 52/34 |
Nashville | 46/28 | 52/31 | 61/39 | 70/47 | 78/57 | 85/65 | 90/70 | 89/69 | 82/61 | 71/49 | 59/40 | 49/32 |
Important cities and towns
The capital is Nashville, though Knoxville, Kingston, and Murfreesboro have all served as state capitals in the past. Memphis has the largest population of any city in the state. Nashville's 13-county metropolitan area has been the state's largest since c. 1990. Chattanooga and Knoxville, both in the eastern part of the state near the Great Smoky Mountains, each has approximately one-third of the population of Memphis or Nashville. The city of Clarksville is a fifth significant population center, some 45 miles (72 km) northwest of Nashville. Murfreesboro is the sixth-largest city in Tennessee, consisting of some 108,755 residents.
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History
Early history
The area now known as Tennessee was first inhabited by Paleo-Indians nearly 12,000 years ago.[30] The names of the cultural groups that inhabited the area between first settlement and the time of European contact are unknown, but several distinct cultural phases have been named by archaeologists, including Archaic (8000–1000 BC), Woodland (1000 BC–1000 AD), and Mississippian (1000–1600 AD), whose chiefdoms were the cultural predecessors of the Muscogee people who inhabited the Tennessee River Valley prior to Cherokee migration into the river's headwaters.
The first recorded European excursions into what is now called Tennessee were three expeditions led by Spanish explorers, namely Hernando de Soto in 1540, Tristan de Luna in 1559, and Juan Pardo in 1567. Pardo recorded the name "Tanasqui" from a local Indian village, which evolved to the state's current name. At that time, Tennessee was inhabited by tribes of Muscogee and Yuchi people. Possibly because of European diseases devastating the Indian tribes, which would have left a population vacuum, and also from expanding European settlement in the north, the Cherokee moved south from the area now called Virginia. As European colonists spread into the area, the Indian populations were forcibly displaced to the south and west, including all Muscogee and Yuchi peoples, the Chickasaw, and Choctaw.
The first British settlement in what is now Tennessee was built in 1756 by settlers from the colony of South Carolina at Fort Loudoun, near present-day Vonore. Fort Loudoun became the westernmost British outpost to that date. The fort was designed by John William Gerard de Brahm and constructed by forces under British Captain Raymond Demeré. After its completion, Captain Raymond Demeré relinquished command on August 14, 1757 to his brother, Captain Paul Demeré. Hostilities erupted between the British and the neighboring Overhill Cherokees, and a siege of Fort Loudoun ended with its surrender on August 7, 1760. The following morning, Captain Paul Demeré and a number of his men were killed in an ambush nearby, and the most of the rest of the garrison was taken prisoner.[31]
In the 1760s, long hunters from Virginia explored much of East and Middle Tennessee, and the first permanent European settlers began arriving late in the decade. The vast majority of 18th century settlers were English or of primarily English descent but nearly 20% of them were also Scotch-Irish.[32] These settlers formed the Watauga Association, a community built on lands leased from the Cherokee peoples.
During the American Revolutionary War, Fort Watauga at Sycamore Shoals (in present-day Elizabethton) was attacked (1776) by Dragging Canoe and his warring faction of Cherokee who were aligned with the British Loyalists. These renegade Cherokee were referred to by settlers as the Chickamauga. They opposed North Carolina's annexation of the Washington District and the concurrent settling of the Transylvania Colony further north and west. The lives of many settlers were spared from the initial warrior attacks through the warnings of Dragging Canoe's cousin, Nancy Ward. The frontier fort on the banks of the Watauga River later served as a 1780 staging area for the Overmountain Men in preparation to trek over the Appalachian Mountains, to engage, and to later defeat the British Army at the Battle of Kings Mountain in South Carolina.
Three counties of the Washington District (now part of Tennessee) broke off from North Carolina in 1784 and formed the State of Franklin. Efforts to obtain admission to the Union failed, and the counties (now numbering eight) had re-joined North Carolina by 1789. North Carolina ceded the area to the federal government in 1790, after which it was organized into the Southwest Territory. In an effort to encourage settlers to move west into the new territory, in 1787 the mother state of North Carolina ordered a road to be cut to take settlers into the Cumberland Settlements—from the south end of Clinch Mountain (in East Tennessee) to French Lick (Nashville). The Trace was called the “North Carolina Road” or “Avery’s Trace,” and sometimes “The Wilderness Road (although it should not be confused with Daniel Boone's "Wilderness Road" through the Cumberland Gap).
Statehood (1796)
Tennessee was admitted to the Union on June 1, 1796 as the 16th state. It was the first state created from territory under the jurisdiction of the United States federal government. Apart from the former Thirteen Colonies only Vermont and Kentucky predate Tennessee's statehood, and neither was ever a federal territory.[33] The state boundaries, according to the Constitution of the State of Tennessee, Article I, Section 31, stated that the beginning point for identifying the boundary was the extreme height of the Stone Mountain, at the place where the line of Virginia intersects it, and basically ran the extreme heights of mountain chains through the Appalachian Mountains separating North Carolina from Tennessee past the Indian towns of Cowee and Old Chota, thence along the main ridge of the said mountain (Unicoi Mountain) to the southern boundary of the state; all the territory, lands and waters lying west of said line are included in the boundaries and limits of the newly formed state of Tennessee. Part of the provision also stated that the limits and jurisdiction of the state would include future land acquisition, referencing possible land trade with other states, or the acquisition of territory from west of the Mississippi River.
During the administration of U.S. President Martin Van Buren, nearly 17,000 Cherokees—along with approximately 2,000 black slaves owned by Cherokees—were uprooted from their homes between 1838 and 1839 and were forced by the U.S. military to march from "emigration depots" in Eastern Tennessee (such as Fort Cass) toward the more distant Indian Territory west of Arkansas.[34] During this relocation an estimated 4,000 Cherokees died along the way west.[35] In the Cherokee language, the event is called Nunna daul Isunyi—"the Trail Where We Cried." The Cherokees were not the only American Indians forced to emigrate as a result of the Indian removal efforts of the United States, and so the phrase "Trail of Tears" is sometimes used to refer to similar events endured by other American Indian peoples, especially among the "Five Civilized Tribes". The phrase originated as a description of the earlier emigration of the Choctaw nation.
Civil War and Reconstruction
In February 1861, secessionists in Tennessee's state government—led by Governor Isham Harris—sought voter approval for a convention to sever ties with the United States, but Tennessee voters rejected the referendum by a 54–46% margin. The strongest opposition to secession came from East Tennessee (which later tried to form a separate Union-aligned state). Following the Confederate attack upon Fort Sumter in April and Lincoln's call for troops from Tennessee and other states in response, Governor Isham Harris began military mobilization, submitted an ordinance of secession to the General Assembly, and made direct overtures to the Confederate government. The Tennessee legislature ratified an agreement to enter a military league with the Confederate States on May 7, 1861. On June 8, 1861, with people in Middle Tennessee having significantly changed their position, voters approved a second referendum calling for secession, becoming the last state to do so.
Many major battles of the American Civil War were fought in Tennessee—most of them Union victories. Ulysses S. Grant and the U.S. Navy captured control of the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers in February 1862. They held off the Confederate counterattack at Shiloh in April. Memphis fell to the Union in June, following a naval battle on the Mississippi River in front of the city. The Capture of Memphis and Nashville gave the Union control of the western and middle sections; this control was confirmed at the Battle of Murfreesboro in early January 1863 and by the subsequent Tullahoma Campaign.
Confederates held East Tennessee despite the strength of Unionist sentiment there, with the exception of extremely pro-Confederate Sullivan County. The Confederates besieged Chattanooga during the Chattanooga Campaign in early fall 1863, but were driven off by Grant in November. Many of the Confederate defeats can be attributed to the poor strategic vision of General Braxton Bragg, who led the Army of Tennessee from Perryville, Kentucky to Confederate defeat at Chattanooga.
The last major battles came when the Confederates invaded Middle Tennessee in November 1864 and were checked at Franklin, then completely dispersed by George Thomas at Nashville in December. Meanwhile the civilian Andrew Johnson was appointed military governor of the state by President Abraham Lincoln.
When the Emancipation Proclamation was announced, Tennessee was mostly held by Union forces. Thus, Tennessee was not among the states enumerated in the Proclamation, and the Proclamation did not free any slaves there. Nonetheless, enslaved African Americans escaped to Union lines to gain freedom without waiting for official action. Old and young, men, women and children camped near Union troops. Thousands of former slaves ended up fighting on the Union side, nearly 200,000 in total across the South.
Tennessee's legislature approved an amendment to the state constitution prohibiting slavery on February 22, 1865.[36] Voters in the state approved the amendment in March.[37] It also ratified the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution (abolishing slavery in every state) on April 7, 1865.
In 1864, Andrew Johnson (a War Democrat from Tennessee) was elected Vice President under Abraham Lincoln. He became President after Lincoln's assassination in 1865. Under Johnson's lenient re-admission policy, Tennessee was the first of the seceding states to have its elected members readmitted to the U.S. Congress, on July 24, 1866. Because Tennessee had ratified the Fourteenth Amendment, it was the only one of the formerly secessionist states that did not have a military governor during the Reconstruction period.
After the formal end of Reconstruction, the struggle over power in Southern society continued. Through violence and intimidation against freedmen and their allies, White Democrats regained political power in Tennessee and other states across the South in the late 1870s and 1880s. Over the next decade, the state legislature passed increasingly restrictive laws to control African Americans. In 1889 the General Assembly passed four laws described as electoral reform, with the cumulative effect of essentially disfranchising most African Americans in rural areas and small towns, as well as many poor Whites. Legislation included implementation of a poll tax, timing of registration, and recording requirements. Tens of thousands of taxpaying citizens were without representation for decades into the 20th century.[7] Disfranchising legislation accompanied Jim Crow laws passed in the late 19th century, which imposed segregation in the state. In 1900, African Americans made up nearly 24% of the state's population, and numbered 480,430 citizens who lived mostly in the central and western parts of the state.[38]
In 1897, Tennessee celebrated its centennial of statehood (though one year late of the 1896 anniversary) with a great exposition in Nashville. A full scale replica of the Parthenon was constructed for the celebration, located in what is now Nashville's Centennial Park.
20th century
On August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the thirty-sixth and final state necessary to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which provided women the right to vote. Disfranchising voter registration requirements continued to keep most African Americans and many poor whites, both men and women, off the voter rolls.
The need to create work for the unemployed during the Great Depression, a desire for rural electrification, the need to control annual spring flooding and improve shipping capacity on the Tennessee River were all factors that drove the federal creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 1933. Through the power of the TVA projects, Tennessee quickly became the nation's largest public utility supplier.
During World War II, the availability of abundant TVA electrical power led the Manhattan Project to locate one of the principal sites for production and isolation of weapons-grade fissile material in East Tennessee. The planned community of Oak Ridge was built from scratch to provide accommodations for the facilities and workers. These sites are now Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Y-12 National Security Complex, and the East Tennessee Technology Park.
Despite recognized effects of limiting voting by poor whites, successive legislatures expanded the reach of the disfranchising laws until they covered the state. Political scientist V. O. Key, Jr. argued in 1949 that:
...the size of the poll tax did not inhibit voting as much as the inconvenience of paying it. County officers regulated the vote by providing opportunities to pay the tax (as they did in Knoxville), or conversely by making payment as difficult as possible. Such manipulation of the tax, and therefore the vote, created an opportunity for the rise of urban bosses and political machines. Urban politicians bought large blocks of poll tax receipts and distributed them to blacks and whites, who then voted as instructed.[7]
In 1953 state legislators amended the state constitution, removing the poll tax. In many areas both blacks and poor whites still faced subjectively applied barriers to voter registration that did not end until after passage of national civil rights legislation, including the Voting Rights Act of 1965.[7]
Tennessee celebrated its bicentennial in 1996. With a yearlong statewide celebration entitled "Tennessee 200", it opened a new state park (Bicentennial Mall) at the foot of Capitol Hill in Nashville.
The state has had major disasters, such as the Great Train Wreck of 1918, one of the worst train accidents in U.S. history,[39] and the SS Sultana explosion on the Mississippi River near Memphis, the deadliest maritime disaster in U.S. history.[40]
21st century
In 2002, businessman Phil Bredesen was elected as the 48th governor. Also in 2002, Tennessee amended the state constitution to allow for the establishment of a lottery. Tennessee's Bob Corker was the only freshman Republican elected to the United States Senate in the 2006 midterm elections. The state constitution was amended to reject same-sex marriage. In January 2007, Ron Ramsey became the first Republican elected as Speaker of the State Senate since Reconstruction, as a result of the realignment of the Democratic and Republican parties in the South since the late 20th century, with Republicans now elected by white conservative voters, who previously had supported Democrats.
In 2010, during the 2010 midterm elections, Bill Haslam succeeded Bredesen, who was term-limited, to become the 49th Governor of Tennessee. In April and May 2010, flooding in Middle Tennessee devastated Nashville and other parts of Middle Tennessee. In 2011, parts of East Tennessee, including Hamilton County and Apison in Bradley County, were devastated by the April 2011 tornado outbreak.
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1790 | 35,691 | — | |
1800 | 105,602 | 195.9% | |
1810 | 261,727 | 147.8% | |
1820 | 422,823 | 61.6% | |
1830 | 681,904 | 61.3% | |
1840 | 829,210 | 21.6% | |
1850 | 1,002,717 | 20.9% | |
1860 | 1,109,801 | 10.7% | |
1870 | 1,258,520 | 13.4% | |
1880 | 1,542,359 | 22.6% | |
1890 | 1,767,518 | 14.6% | |
1900 | 2,020,616 | 14.3% | |
1910 | 2,184,789 | 8.1% | |
1920 | 2,337,885 | 7.0% | |
1930 | 2,616,556 | 11.9% | |
1940 | 2,915,841 | 11.4% | |
1950 | 3,291,718 | 12.9% | |
1960 | 3,567,089 | 8.4% | |
1970 | 3,923,687 | 10.0% | |
1980 | 4,591,120 | 17.0% | |
1990 | 4,877,185 | 6.2% | |
2000 | 5,689,283 | 16.7% | |
2010 | 6,346,105 | 11.5% | |
2013 (est.) | 6,495,978 | 2.4% | |
2013 Estimate[42] |
The United States Census Bureau estimates that the population of Tennessee was 6,495,978 on July 1, 2013, a 2.4% increase since the 2010 United States Census.[1] The center of population of Tennessee is located in Rutherford County, in the city of Murfreesboro.[43]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2013, Tennessee had an estimated population of 6,495,978, which is an increase of 39,735, from the prior year and an increase of 149,873, or 2.36%, since the year 2010. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 142,266 people (that is 493,881 births minus 351,615 deaths), and an increase from net migration of 219,551 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 59,385 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 160,166 people. 20% of Tennesseans were born outside the South, compared to a figure of 13.5% in 1990.[44]
In recent years, Tennessee has received an influx of people relocating from several northern states, California, and Florida, for the low cost of living, and the booming healthcare and automobile industries. Metropolitan Nashville is one of the fastest-growing areas in the country due in part to these factors.
As of the 2010 census, the racial composition of Tennessee's population was as follows:
Racial composition | 1990[45] | 2000[46] | 2010[47] |
---|---|---|---|
White | 83.0% | 80.2% | 77.6% |
Black | 16.0% | 16.4% | 16.7% |
Asian | 0.7% | 1.0% | 1.4% |
Native | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander |
- | - | 0.1% |
Other race | 0.2% | 1.0% | 2.2% |
Two or more races | - | 1.1% | 1.7% |
In the same year 4.6% of the total population was of Hispanic or Latino origin (they may be of any race).[48]
In 2000, the five most common self-reported ethnic groups in the state were: American (17.3%), African American (13.0%), Irish (9.3%), English (9.1%), and German (8.3%).[49] Most Tennesseans who self-identify as having American ancestry are of English and Scotch-Irish ancestry. An estimated 21–24% of Tennesseans are of predominantly English ancestry.[50][51] In the 1980 census 1,435,147 Tennesseans claimed "English" or "mostly English" ancestry out of a state population of 3,221,354 making them 45% of the state at the time.[52]
As of 2011, 36.3% of Tennessee's population younger than age 1 were minorities.[53]
6.6% of Tennessee's population were reported as under 5 years of age, 24.6% under 18, and 12.4% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 51.3% of the population.[citation needed]
On June 19, 2010, the Tennessee Commission of Indian Affairs granted state recognition to six Indian tribes which was later repealed by the state's Attorney General because the action by the commission was illegal. The tribes were as follows:
- The Cherokee Wolf Clan in western Tennessee, with members in Carroll County, Benton, Decatur, Henderson, Henry, Weakley, Gibson and Madison counties.
- The Chikamaka Band based historically on the South Cumberland Plateau, said to have members in Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Sequatchie, Warren and Coffee counties.
- Central Band of Cherokee, also known as the Cherokee of Lawrence County, Tennessee.
- United Eastern Lenapee Nation of Winfield, Tennessee.
- The Tanasi Council, said to have members in Shelby, Dyer, Gibson, Humphreys and Perry counties; and
- Remnant Yuchi Nation, with members in Sullivan, Carter, Greene, Hawkins, Unicoi, Johnson and Washington counties.[54]
Religion
The religious affiliations of the people of Tennessee are:[55]
- Christian: 82%
- Protestants: 70%
- Baptist: 39%
- Methodist: 10%
- Presbyterian: 3%
- Church of God: 2%
- Lutheran: 2%
- Pentecostal: 2%
- Church of Christ: 6%
- Roman Catholic: 6%
- Other Christian (includes unspecified "Christian" and "Protestant"): 12%
- Protestants: 70%
- Islam: 1%[56]
- Other religions: 2%
- Non-religious: 9%
The largest denominations by number of adherents in 2010 were the Southern Baptist Convention with 1,483,356; the United Methodist Church with 375,693; the Roman Catholic Church with 222,343; and the Churches of Christ with 214,118.[57]
As of January 1, 2009, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) reported 43,179 members, 10 stakes, 92 Congregations (68 wards and 24 branches), two missions, and two temples in Tennessee.[58]
Tennessee is home to several Protestant denominations, such as the National Baptist Convention (headquartered in Nashville); the Church of God in Christ and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church (both headquartered in Memphis); the Church of God and The Church of God of Prophecy (both headquartered in Cleveland). The Free Will Baptist denomination is headquartered in Antioch; its main Bible college is in Nashville. The Southern Baptist Convention maintains its general headquarters in Nashville. Publishing houses of several denominations are located in Nashville.
Economy
According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, in 2011 Tennessee's real gross state product was $233.997 billion. In 2003, the per capita personal income was $28,641, 36th in the nation, and 91% of the national per capita personal income of $31,472. In 2004, the median household income was $38,550, 41st in the nation, and 87% of the national median of $44,472.
For 2012, the state held an asset surplus of $533 million, one of only eight states in the nation to report a surplus.[59]
Major outputs for the state include textiles, cotton, cattle, and electrical power. Tennessee has over 82,000 farms, roughly 59 percent of which accommodate beef cattle.[60] Although cotton was an early crop in Tennessee, large-scale cultivation of the fiber did not begin until the 1820s with the opening of the land between the Tennessee and Mississippi Rivers. The upper wedge of the Mississippi Delta extends into southwestern Tennessee, and it was in this fertile section that cotton took hold. Soybeans are also heavily planted in West Tennessee, focusing on the northwest corner of the state.[61]
Major corporations with headquarters in Tennessee include FedEx, AutoZone and International Paper, all based in Memphis; Pilot Corporation and Regal Entertainment Group, based in Knoxville; Eastman Chemical Company, based in Kingsport; the North American headquarters of Nissan Motor Company, based in Franklin; Hospital Corporation of America and Caterpillar Financial, based in Nashville; and Unum, based in Chattanooga. Tennessee is also the location of the Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga, a $2 billion polysilicon production facility by Wacker Chemie in Bradley County, and a $1.2 billion polysilicon production facility by Hemlock Semiconductor in Clarksville.
Tennessee is a right to work state, as are most of its Southern neighbors. Unionization has historically been low and continues to decline as in most of the U.S. generally. As of November 2011, the state had an unemployment rate of 8.4%.[62]
Tax
The Tennessee income tax does not apply to salaries and wages, but most income from stock, bonds and notes receivable is taxable. All taxable dividends and interest which exceed the $1,250 single exemption or the $2,500 joint exemption are taxable at the rate of 6%. The state's sales and use tax rate for most items is 9.25%. Food is taxed at a lower rate of 5.25%, but candy, dietary supplements and prepared food are taxed at the full 7% rate. Local sales taxes are collected in most jurisdictions, at rates varying from 1.5% to 2.75%, bringing the total sales tax to between 8.5% and 9.75%, one of the highest levels in the nation. Intangible property is assessed on the shares of stock of stockholders of any loan company, investment company, insurance company or for-profit cemetery companies. The assessment ratio is 40% of the value multiplied by the tax rate for the jurisdiction. Tennessee imposes an inheritance tax on decedents' estates that exceed maximum single exemption limits ($1,000,000 for deaths in 2006 and thereafter).[63]
Broadband Infrastructure
Based on data released by the NITA, as of 2013 only 88.5% of consumers in Tennessee had access to 10MBPS broadband connections with approximately 797,000 people left underserved, having access to only 1 wired provider.[64] However since 2012, 10+ mbps wired broadband coverage in Tennessee has improved from 86.4% to 88.5%.[65]
Transportation
Interstate highways
Interstate 40 crosses the state in a west-east orientation. Its branch interstate highways include I-240 in Memphis; I-440 in Nashville; I-140 from Knoxville to Alcoa and I-640 in Knoxville. I-26, although technically an east-west interstate, runs from the North Carolina border below Johnson City to its terminus at Kingsport. I-24 is an east-west interstate that runs cross-state from Chattanooga to Clarksville. Interstate 22 is an east-west interstate that will connect with I-240 or I-269 in Memphis to I-65 in Birmingham. In a north-south orientation are highways I-55, I-65, I-75, and I-81. Interstate 65 crosses the state through Nashville, while Interstate 75 serves Chattanooga and Knoxville and Interstate 55 serves Memphis. Interstate 81 enters the state at Bristol and terminates at its junction with I-40 near Dandridge. I-155 is a branch highway from I-55. The only spur highway of I-75 in Tennessee is I-275, which is in Knoxville.
Airports
Major airports within the state include Memphis International Airport (MEM), Nashville International Airport (BNA), McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) in Knoxville, Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA), Tri-Cities Regional Airport (TRI), and McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport (MKL), in Jackson. Because Memphis International Airport is the major hub for FedEx Corporation, it is the world's largest air cargo operation.
Railroads
For passenger rail service, Memphis and Newbern, Tennessee, are served by the Amtrak City of New Orleans line on its run between Chicago, Illinois, and New Orleans, Louisiana. Nashville is served by the Music City Star commuter rail service.
Cargo services in Tennessee are primarily served by CSX Transportation, which has a hump yard in Nashville called Radnor Yard. Norfolk Southern Railway operates lines in East Tennessee, through cities including Knoxville and Chattanooga, and operates a classification yard near Knoxville, the John Sevier Yard.
Governance
Tennessee's governor holds office for a four-year term and may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms. The governor is the only official who is elected statewide. Unlike most states, the state does not elect the lieutenant governor directly; the Tennessee Senate elects its Speaker, who serves as lieutenant governor.
The Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature, consists of the 33-member Senate and the 99-member House of Representatives. Senators serve four-year terms, and House members serve two-year terms. Each chamber chooses its own speaker. The speaker of the state Senate also holds the title of lieutenant-governor. Constitutional officials in the legislative branch are elected by a joint session of the legislature.
The highest court in Tennessee is the state Supreme Court. It has a chief justice and four associate justices. No more than two justices can be from the same Grand Division. The Supreme Court of Tennessee also appoints the Attorney General, a practice that is not found in any of the other 49 states in the Union. Both the Court of Appeals and the Court of Criminal Appeals have 12 judges.[66] A number of local, circuit, and federal courts provide judicial services.
Tennessee's current state constitution was adopted in 1870. The state had two earlier constitutions. The first was adopted in 1796, the year Tennessee joined the union, and the second was adopted in 1834. The 1870 Constitution outlaws martial law within its jurisdiction. This may be a result of the experience of Tennessee residents and other Southerners during the period of military control by Union (Northern) forces of the U.S. government after the American Civil War.
Politics
Year | Republican | Democratic |
---|---|---|
2012 | 59.42% 1,462,330 | 39.04% 960,709 |
2008 | 56.85% 1,479,178 | 41.79% 1,087,437 |
2004 | 56.80% 1,384,375 | 42.53% 1,036,477 |
2000 | 51.15% 1,061,949 | 47.28% 981,720 |
1996 | 45.59% 863,530 | 48.00% 909,146 |
1992 | 42.43% 841,300 | 47.08% 933,521 |
1988 | 57.89% 947,233 | 41.55% 679,794 |
1984 | 57.84% 990,212 | 41.57% 711,714 |
1980 | 48.70% 787,761 | 48.41% 783,051 |
1976 | 42.94% 633,969 | 55.94% 825,879 |
1972 | 67.70% 813,147 | 29.75% 357,293 |
1968 | 37.85% 472,592 | 28.13% 351,233 |
1964 | 44.49% 508,965 | 55.50% 634,947 |
1960 | 52.92% 556,577 | 45.77% 481,453 |
Tennessee politics, like that of most U.S. states, are dominated by the Republican and the Democratic Parties. Except for in two nationwide Republican landslides of the 1920s (in 1920, when Tennessee narrowly supported Warren G. Harding over Ohio Governor James Cox, and in 1928, when it more decisively voted for Herbert Hoover over New York Governor Al Smith), the state was part of the Democratic Solid South until the 1950s, when it twice voted for Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower. Since then, the Democrats have only carried Tennessee four times.
While the Republicans control slightly more than half of the state, Democrats have moderate support in parts of rural Middle Tennessee and northern West Tennessee and have strong support in the cities of Nashville and Memphis. The latter area includes a large African-American population.[67] Historically, Republicans had their greatest strength in East Tennessee prior to the 1960s. Tennessee's 1st and 2nd congressional districts, based in the Tri-Cities and Knoxville respectively, are among the few historically Republican districts in the South. Those districts' residents supported the Union over the Confederacy during the Civil War; they identified with the GOP after the war and have stayed with that party ever since. The 1st has been in Republican hands continuously since 1881, and Republicans (or their antecedents) have held it for all but four years since 1859. The 2nd has been held continuously by Republicans or their antecedents since 1859.
In contrast, long disenfranchisement of African Americans and their proportion as a minority (16.45% in 1960) meant that white Democrats generally dominated politics in the rest of the state until the 1960s. The GOP in Tennessee was essentially a sectional party. Former Gov. Winfield Dunn and former U.S. Sen. Bill Brock wins in 1970 built the Republican Party into a competitive party for the statewide victory. Tennessee has selected governors from different parties since 1970.
In the 2000 presidential election, Vice President Al Gore, a former U.S. Senator from Tennessee, failed to carry his home state, an unusual occurrence. Support for Republican George W. Bush increased in 2004, with his margin of victory in the state increasing from 4% in 2000 to 14% in 2004.[68] Democratic presidential nominees from Southern states (such as Lyndon B. Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton) usually fare better than their Northern counterparts do in Tennessee, especially among split-ticket voters outside the metropolitan areas.
Tennessee sends nine members to the US House of Representatives, of whom there are seven Republicans and two Democrats. Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey is the first Republican speaker of the state Senate in 140 years. In 2008 elections, the Republican party gained control of both houses of the Tennessee state legislature for the first time since Reconstruction. Now considered as 30% of the state's electorate are independents.[69]
The Baker v. Carr (1962) decision of the US Supreme Court, which established the principle of one man, one vote, was based on a lawsuit over rural-biased apportionment of seats in the Tennessee legislature.[70][71][72] This significant ruling led to an increased (and proportional) prominence in state politics by urban and, eventually, suburban, legislators and statewide officeholders in relation to their population within the state. The ruling also applied to numerous other states long controlled by rural minorities, such as Alabama.
Law enforcement
State agencies
The state of Tennessee maintains four dedicated law enforcement entities: the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC).
The Highway Patrol is the primary law enforcement entity that concentrates on highway safety regulations and general non-wildlife state law enforcement and is under the jurisdiction of the Tennessee Department of Safety. The TWRA is an independent agency tasked with enforcing all wildlife, boating, and fisheries regulations outside of state parks. The TBI maintains state-of-the-art investigative facilities and is the primary state-level criminal investigative department. Tennessee State Park Rangers are responsible for all activities and law enforcement inside the Tennessee State Parks system.
Local government
Local law enforcement is divided between County Sheriff's Offices and Municipal Police Departments. Tennessee's Constitution requires that each County have an elected Sheriff. In 94 of the 95 counties the Sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer in the county and has jurisdiction over the county as a whole. Each Sheriff's Office is responsible for warrant service, court security, jail operations and primary law enforcement in the unincorporated areas of a county as well as providing support to the municipal police departments. Incorporated municipalities are required to maintain a police department to provide police services within their corporate limits.
The three counties in Tennessee to adopt metropolitan governments have taken different approaches to resolving the conflict that a Metro government presents to the requirement to have an elected Sheriff.
- Nashville/Davidson County split law enforcement duties and authority between the Metro Sheriff and the Metro Police Chief. In this instance the Sheriff is no longer the chief law enforcement officer for Davidson County. The Davidson County Sheriff's duties focus on warrant service and jail operations. The Metropolitan Police Chief is the chief law enforcement officer and the Metropolitan Police Department provides primary law enforcement for the entire county.
- Lynchburg/Moore County took a much simpler approach and abolished the Lynchburg Police Department when it consolidated and placed all law enforcement responsibility under the sheriff's office.
- Hartsville/Trousdale County, although the smallest county in Tennessee, adopted a system similar to Nashville's that retains the sheriff's office but also has a metropolitan police department.
Firearms
Gun laws in Tennessee regulate the sale, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition. Concealed carry and open-carry of a handgun is permitted with a Tennessee handgun carry permit or an equivalent permit from any other state. A permit is currently required to possess a loaded handgun in a motor vehicle;[73] on July 1, 2014, a permit will generally no longer be required to possess a loaded handgun in a motor vehicle.[74]
Capital punishment
In May 2014 the Tennessee General Assembly passed a law allowing the use of the electric chair for death row executions when lethal injection drugs are not available.[75][76]
Education
Tennessee has a rich variety of public, private, charter, and specialized education facilities ranging from pre-school through university education.
Colleges and universities
Public higher education is under the oversight of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission which provides guidance to two public university systems – the University of Tennessee system and the Tennessee Board of Regents. In addition a number of private colleges and universities are located throughout the state.
- American Baptist College
- Aquinas College
- The Art Institute of Tennessee – Nashville
- Austin Peay State University
- Baptist College of Health Sciences
- Belmont University
- Bethel College
- Bryan College
- Carson–Newman University
- Chattanooga State Community College
- Christian Brothers University
- Cleveland State Community College
- Columbia State Community College
- Crown College
- Cumberland University
- Dyersburg State Community College
- East Tennessee State University
- Emmanuel Christian Seminary
- Fisk University
- Freed–Hardeman University
- Jackson State Community College
- Johnson University
- King University
- Knoxville College
- Lane College
- Lee University
- LeMoyne–Owen College
- Lincoln Memorial University
- Lipscomb University
- Martin Methodist College
- Maryville College
- Meharry Medical College
- Memphis College of Art
- Memphis Theological Seminary
- Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary
- Middle Tennessee State University
- Milligan College
- Motlow State Community College
- Nashville School of Law
- Nashville State Community College
- Northeast State Community College
- Nossi College of Art
- O'More College of Design
- Pellissippi State Community College
- Rhodes College
- Roane State Community College
- Sewanee: The University of the South
- South College School of Pharmacy
- Southern Adventist University
- Southern College of Optometry
- Southwest Tennessee Community College
- Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology
- Tennessee State University
- Tennessee Technological University
- Tennessee Temple University
- Tennessee Wesleyan College
- Trevecca Nazarene University
- Tusculum College
- Union University
- University of Memphis
- University of Tennessee system
- Vanderbilt University
- Volunteer State Community College
- Walters State Community College
- Watkins College of Art, Design & Film
- Welch College
- Victory University
Local school districts
Public primary and secondary education systems are operated by county, city, or special school districts to provide education at the local level. These school districts operate under the direction of the Tennessee Department of Education. Private schools are found in a many counties.
Sports
Professional teams
Tennessee is also home to Bristol Motor Speedway which features NASCAR Sprint Cup racing two weekends a year, routinely selling out more than 160,000 seats on each date; it also was the home of the Nashville Superspeedway, which held Nationwide and Indy Racing League races until it was shut down in 2012. Tennessee's only graded stakes horse race, the Iroquois Steeplechase, is also held in Nashville each May.
State symbols
State symbols, found in Tennessee Code Annotated Title 4, Chapter 1, Part 3, include:
- State amphibian – Tennessee cave salamander
- State bird – Mockingbird
- State game bird – Bobwhite quail
- State butterfly – Zebra swallowtail
- State sport fish – Smallmouth bass
- State commercial fish – Channel catfish
- State cultivated flower – Iris
- State wild flowers – Passion flower and Tennessee echinacea
- State insects – Firefly and lady beetle
- State agricultural insect – Honey bee
- State wild animal – Raccoon
- State horse – Tennessee Walking Horse
- State reptile – Eastern box turtle
- State tree – Tulip poplar
- State evergreen tree – Eastern red cedar
- State beverage – Milk
- State dance – Square dance
- State fruit – Tomato
- State fossil – Pterotrigonia (Scabrotrigonia) thoracica
- State gem – Tennessee River pearl
- State mineral – Agate
- State rock – Limestone
- State motto – Agriculture and Commerce
- State poem – "Oh Tennessee, My Tennessee" by Admiral William Lawrence
- State slogan – Tennessee - America at its Best
- State songs – 7 songs
See also
- Outline of Tennessee – organized list of topics about Tennessee
- Index of Tennessee-related articles
References
- ^ a b "Table 1. Annual Estimates of the Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013" (CSV). 2013 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. December 30, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
{{cite web}}
: External link in
(help)|work=
- ^ a b "Elevations and Distances in the United States". United States Geological Survey. 2001. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
- ^ a b Elevation adjusted to North American Vertical Datum of 1988.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012" (CSV). 2012 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
- ^ John Finger, Tennessee Frontiers: Three Regions in Transition (Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press, 2001), pp. 46–47.
- ^ a b Tennessee's Civil War Heritage Trail. Retrieved: November 25, 2009. [dead link]
- ^ a b c d Connie Lester, "Disfranchising Laws," The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
- ^ Bobby Lovett, Beale Street. Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, 2002. Retrieved: November 25, 2009.
- ^ Michael Bertrand, Sun Records. Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, 2002. Retrieved: November 25, 2009.
- ^ Charles Wolfe, Music. Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, 2002. Retrieved: November 25, 2009.
- ^ Ted Olson and Ajay Kalra, "Appalachian Music: Examining Popular Assumptions". A Handbook to Appalachia: An Introduction to the Region (Knoxville, Tenn.: University of Tennessee Press, 2006), pp. 163–170.
- ^ [1]. Tennessee Agriculture 2010: Growing the Future, 2010. Retrieved: January 15, 2010.
- ^ James Fickle, Industry. Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, 2002. Retrieved: November 25, 2009.
- ^ Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Official site. Retrieved: November 25, 2009.
- ^ Charles Hudson, The Juan Pardo Expeditions: Explorations of the Carolinas and Tennessee, 1566–1568 (Tuscaloosa, Ala.: University of Alabama Press, 2005), 36–40.
- ^ "Tennessee State Library and Archives FAQ". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on October 23, 2004. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
- ^ "Tennessee's Name Dates Back To 1567 Spanish Explorer Captain Juan Pardo". Tngenweb.org. January 1, 2005. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
- ^ Mooney, pg. 534
- ^ "Brief History of Tennessee in the War of 1812". Tennessee State Library and Archives. Retrieved April 30, 2006. Other sources differ on the origin of the state nickname; according to the Columbia Encyclopedia, the name refers to volunteers for the Mexican-American War.
- ^ "Elevations and Distances in the United States". U.S Geological Survey. April 29, 2005. Retrieved December 16, 2008.
- ^ Protecting Caves in Tennessee | The Nature Conservancy. Nature.org (May 9, 2013). Retrieved on September 5, 2013.
- ^ "What's Happening in Nashville". Vanderbilt.edu. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
- ^ "World Map of Köppen−Geiger Climate Classification" (PDF). Retrieved December 19, 2008. [dead link]
- ^ "A look at Tennessee Agriculture" (PDF). Agclassroom.org. Retrieved November 1, 2006.
- ^ Roth, David M (May 12, 2022). "Tropical Cyclone Rainfall in the Southeastern United States". Tropical Cyclone Rainfall. United States Weather Prediction Center. Retrieved January 6, 2023. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "US Thunderstorm distribution". src.noaa.gov. Archived from the original on October 15, 2006. Retrieved November 1, 2006.
- ^ "Mean Annual Average Number of Tornadoes 1953–2004". ncdc.noaa.gov. Retrieved November 1, 2006.
- ^ "Top ten list". tornadoproject.com. Retrieved November 1, 2006.
- ^ "National and Local Weather Forecast, Hurricane, Radar and Report". Weather.com. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
- ^ "Archaeology and the Native Peoples of Tennessee". University of Tennessee, Frank H. McClung Museum. Retrieved on April 26, 2012.
- ^ Stanley Folmsbee, Robert Corlew, and Enoch Mitchell, Tennessee: A Short History (Knoxville, Tenn.: University of Tennessee Press, 1969), p. 45.
- ^ Robert E. Corlew, Tennessee: A Short History (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1981), page 106
- ^ Hubbard, Bill, Jr. (2009). American Boundaries: the Nation, the States, the Rectangular Survey. University of Chicago Press. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-226-35591-7.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Carter (III), Samuel (1976). Cherokee sunset: A nation betrayed: a narrative of travail and triumph, persecution and exile. New York: Doubleday, p. 232.
- ^ Satz, Ronald (1979). Tennessee's Indian Peoples. Knoxville, Tennessee: University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 0-87049-285-3.
- ^ "Chronology of Emancipation during the Civil War". University of Maryland: Department of History.
- ^ "This Honorable Body: African American Legislators in 19th Century Tennessee". Tennessee State Library and Archives.
- ^ Historical Census Browser, 1900 US Census, University of Virginia. Retrieved March 15, 2008.
- ^ Allen R. Coggins (January 15, 2012). Tennessee Tragedies: Natural, Technological, and Societal Disasters in the Volunteer State. Univ. of Tennessee Press. p. 158. ISBN 978-1-57233-829-6. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
- ^ Professor Peter N Stearns; Peter N. Stearns Jan Lewis (1998). An Emotional History of the United States. NYU Press. p. 157. ISBN 978-0-8147-8088-6.
- ^ Resident Population Data. "Resident Population Data – 2010 Census". 2010.census.gov. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
- ^ "Table 1. Annual Estimates of the Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013". Retrieved January 7, 2014.
- ^ "Population and Population Centers by State: 2000". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
- ^ DADE, COREY (November 22, 2008). "Tennessee Resists Obama Wave". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 23, 2008.
- ^ Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For The United States, Regions, Divisions, and States
- ^ Population of Tennessee: Census 2010 and 2000 Interactive Map, Demographics, Statistics, Quick Facts
- ^ 2010 Census Data
- ^ "Tennessee QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau". Quickfacts.census.gov. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
- ^ Brittingham, Angela; de la Cruz, G. Patricia (June 2004). "Ancestry: 2000" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. p. 6. C2KBR-35. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
- ^ Fischer, David Hackett (1989). Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 633–639. ISBN 0195037944.
- ^ Pulera, Dominic J. (2004). Sharing the Dream: White Males in a Multicultural America. New York: Continuum. p. 57. ISBN 0826416438.
- ^ "Ancestry of the Population by State: 1980 - Table 3" (PDF). Retrieved December 9, 2011.
- ^ Exner, Rich (June 3, 2012). "Americans under age 1 now mostly minorities, but not in Ohio: Statistical Snapshot". The Plain Dealer.
- ^ Tom Humphrey, "State grants six Indian tribes recognition: Cherokee Nation may try to have action by Indian Affairs voided", Knoxville News Sentinel, June 21, 2010, accessed June 30, 2010
- ^ American Religious Identification Survey (2001). Five percent of the people surveyed refused to answer.
- ^ "The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life". Religions.pewforum.org. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
- ^ "The Association of Religion Data Archives | State Membership Report". www.thearda.com. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
- ^ United States Information: Tennessee, Church News, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints website, February 2, 2010. Retrieved: February 7, 2013.
- ^ "State Data and Comparisons: Tennessee". State Data Lab. Institute for Truth in Accounting. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ "USDA 2002 Census of Agriculture, Maps and Cartographic Resources". Nass.usda.gov. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
- ^ Bls.gov; Local Area Unemployment Statistics
- ^ "A Guide to Tennessee Inheritance and Estate Taxes" (PDF). Retrieved December 9, 2011.
- ^ "National Broadband Map Datasets". NTIA. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
- ^ "Broadband Internet in Tennessee". Broadband Now. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
- ^ "Court of Criminal Appeals". Tsc.state.tn.us. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
- ^ Tennessee by County – GCT-PL. Race and Hispanic or Latino 2000 U.S. Census Bureau
- ^ Tennessee: McCain Leads Both Democrats by Double Digits Rasumussen Reports, April 6, 2008
- ^ DADE, COREY (November 22, 2008). "Tennessee Resists Obama Wave". Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Eisler, Kim Isaac (1993). A Justice for All: William J. Brennan, Jr., and the decisions that transformed America. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-671-76787-9.
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(help) - ^ Peltason, Jack W. (1992). "Baker v. Carr". In Hall, Kermit L. (ed.) (ed.). The Oxford companion to the Supreme Court of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 67–70. ISBN 0-19-505835-6.
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has generic name (help) - ^ Tushnet, Mark (2008). I dissent: Great Opposing Opinions in Landmark Supreme Court Cases. Boston: Beacon Press. pp. 151–166. ISBN 978-0-8070-0036-6.
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(help) - ^ T.C.A. 39-17-1307, 39-17-1308, and 39-17-1351.
- ^ "Bill Information for SB1774". Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
- ^ Dockterman, Eliana (May 22, 2014). "Tennessee Says It Will Bring Back the Electric Chair". Time. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
- ^ Ghianni, Tim (May 23, 2014). "Tennessee reinstates electric chair as death penalty option". Reuters. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
Further reading
- Bergeron, Paul H. (1982). Antebellum Politics in Tennessee. University of Kentucky Press. ISBN 0-8131-1469-1.
- Bontemps, Arna (1941). William C. Handy: Father of the Blues: An Autobiography. New York: Macmillan Company.
- Brownlow, W. G. (1862). Sketches of the Rise, Progress, and Decline of Secession: With a Narrative of Personal Adventures among the Rebels.
- Cartwright, Joseph H. (1976). The Triumph of Jim Crow: Tennessee’s Race Relations in the 1880s. University of Tennessee Press.
- Cimprich, John (1985). Slavery's End in Tennessee, 1861–1865. University of Alabama. ISBN 0-8173-0257-3.
- Finger, John R. (2001). Tennessee Frontiers: Three Regions in Transition. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-33985-5.
- Honey, Michael K. (1993). Southern Labor and Black Civil Rights: Organizing Memphis Workers. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-02000-6.
- Lamon, Lester C. (1980). Blacks in Tennessee, 1791–1970. University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 0-87049-324-8.
- Mooney, James (1900). Myths of the Cherokee. New York: reprinted Dover, 1995. ISBN 0-914875-19-1.
- Norton, Herman (1981). Religion in Tennessee, 1777–1945. University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 0-87049-318-3.
- Olson, Ted (2009). A Tennessee Folklore Sampler: Selected Readings from the Tennessee Folklore Society Bulletin, 1934–2009. University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 1-57233-668-4.
- Schaefer, Richard T. (2006). Sociology Matters. New York: NY: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-299775-3.
- Van West, Carroll (1998). Tennessee history: the land, the people, and the culture. University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 1-57233-000-7.
- Van West, Carroll, ed. (1998). The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. ISBN 1-55853-599-3.
External links
- State Government Website
- Tennessee Department of Tourist Development
- Tennessee State Databases – Annotated list of searchable databases produced by Tennessee state agencies and compiled by the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association.
- Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
- Tennessee State Library and Archives
- TNGenWeb Project- free genealogy resources for the state
- Energy Profile for Tennessee
- USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Tennessee
- U.S. Census Bureau
- Tennessee Blue Book – All things Tennessee
- Timeline of Modern Tennessee Politics
- USDA Tennessee state facts
- Tennessee landforms
- The Annals of Tennessee to the End of the Eighteenth Century – a history by J. G. M. Ramsey, 1853
- Template:Dmoz
- Geographic data related to Tennessee at OpenStreetMap