Mississippi\'s History, Main Industry, and Other Demographics.

¶ … Mississippi's history, main industry, and other demographics. Mississippi is one of the oldest Southern states in the Union, and it has struggled with racism, poverty, and a poor reputation for education and industry in the past. Today, although it is still facing challenges, Mississippi is developing industries and a better reputation through hard work and dedication.

The first people to discover what would become Mississippi were Spanish explorers in the 1500s. The region came under French rule in 1699, and the French ceded it to Great Britain after the French and Indian Wars in 1763. Great Britain handed it over to the U.S. In 1783. One Web site notes, "Mississippi was organized as a territory in 1798 and was admitted as the 20th state to join the Union on December 10, 1817. Jackson is the capital city and the largest Metropolitan area" ("About Mississippi"). The first residents were Native American tribes, but as more people came to America and went westward, the population began to change. People settled there because land was plentiful and it was a good place to grow crops like cotton and other necessities. Historical battles in the state mostly revolve around the Civil War. Many of the famous battles of the war took place in Mississippi, including the Battle of Vicksburg, the Battle of Tupelo, The Battle of Jackson, and the Battle of Brices Cross Roads.

Mississippi's economy has always been heavily based in agriculture, and that holds true today, although tourism and industry have made great strides. Another Web site notes, "Today, agriculture continues as a major segment of the state's economy" ("Mississippi"). Industry has grown, but Mississippi was hit hard after Hurricane Katrina, and it took a while for the economy to get back on its feet, and now, it is heavily affected by the recession. An economist writes, "In 2005, Mississippi's per capita income ($24,912) stood at 72% of the national average; this year this figure is estimated to have improved to 73%, where it will likely remain over the forecast period" (Hill). Hill's forecasts did not include the recession that began in 2008, which have ended up making the economy poorer in Mississippi now than it was before the hurricane.

For decades, Mississippi has been a very conservative Republican state. Another writer notes, "Mississippi has not sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 26 years and has voted Republican in eight of the last nine presidential elections. In 2000 and 2004, the state overwhelmingly supported George W. Bush by a nearly 60% margin" (Sherman). The State Legislature is made up of 52 Senators, 27 Democratic and 25 Republican. The House of Representatives is made up of 122 Representatives, 73 Democrats and 49 Republicans. Nationally, the two Senators from Mississippi are both Republican, and the four Representatives are three Democrats and one Republican. They have six electoral votes in the presidential elections. There have been some influential political figures that have made their homes in Mississippi. Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar served in the U.S. House of Representatives, and became a supporter of secession, serving as a Confederate minister in Russia during the war. He was the first Mississippi Democrat to return to the House after the war, and he was Secretary of the Interior to President Grover Cleveland. However, the most famous politician is Jefferson Davis, who became the President of the Confederacy. He was not born in Mississippi, but he came there as a very young child, and he was a U.S. Senator until Mississippi seceded from the Union.