Mississippi - Native Americans, Civil War, Reconstruction

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The other two groups were the Natchez, who numbered about 4,500 and were centred in southwestern Mississippi, and the Chickasaw, who had a population of about 5,000 and ranged from their principal villages in the northeastern part of the state into what are now Tennessee and Kentucky. 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The largest of these groups, the Choctaw, numbered approximately 20,000 and were located primarily in the southern and central part of the state. The other two groups were the Natchez, who numbered about 4,500 and were centred in southwestern Mississippi, and the Chickasaw, who had a population of about 5,000 and ranged from their principal villages in the northeastern part of the state into what are now Tennessee and Kentucky. The Natchez were virtually annihilated during a war with the French garrison at Fort Rosalie (now the"/> <meta property="og:type" content="ARTICLE"/> <meta property="og:title" content="Mississippi - Native Americans, Civil War, Reconstruction | Britannica"/> <meta property="og:description" content="Mississippi - Native Americans, Civil War, Reconstruction: Three major groups of indigenous peoples constituted the earliest inhabitants of present-day Mississippi. The largest of these groups, the Choctaw, numbered approximately 20,000 and were located primarily in the southern and central part of the state. The other two groups were the Natchez, who numbered about 4,500 and were centred in southwestern Mississippi, and the Chickasaw, who had a population of about 5,000 and ranged from their principal villages in the northeastern part of the state into what are now Tennessee and Kentucky. 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class="col-auto"> <div class="topic-left-rail md-article-drawer position-relative d-flex border-right-sm border-left-sm open"> <div class="drawer d-flex flex-column open"> <div class="left-rail-section-content"> <div class="topic-left-rail-header text-truncate bg-gray-50 position-relative text-right d-flex align-items-center"> <div class="tlr-title px-20 py-15 text-left"> <em class="material-icons text-gray-400 d-lg-none" data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mississippi-state">Mississippi</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <ul class="list-unstyled my-0" data-level="h1"><li data-target="#ref1"><div class="pl-25"><a class="link-gray-900 w-100" href="/place/Mississippi-state">Introduction & Quick Facts</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref279835"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state#ref279835">Land</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref78471"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state#ref78471">Relief and soils</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref78472"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state#ref78472">Drainage</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref78473"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state#ref78473">Climate</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref78474"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/Plant-and-animal-life">Plant and animal life</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref279836"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/Plant-and-animal-life#ref279836">People</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref279837"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/Plant-and-animal-life#ref279837">Population composition</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref279838"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/Plant-and-animal-life#ref279838">Settlement patterns</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref279839"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/Plant-and-animal-life#ref279839">Demographic trends</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref78477"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/Economy">Economy</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref78479"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/Economy#ref78479">Agriculture, forestry, and fishing</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref78478"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/Economy#ref78478">Resources and power</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref78480"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/Economy#ref78480">Manufacturing</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref279840"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/Economy#ref279840">Services, labour, and taxation</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref78481"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/Economy#ref78481">Transportation</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref78482"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/Government-and-society">Government and society</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref78483"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/Government-and-society#ref78483">Constitutional framework</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref78486"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/Government-and-society#ref78486">Health and welfare</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref78485"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/Government-and-society#ref78485">Education</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref78487"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/Cultural-life">Cultural life</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref279841"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/Cultural-life#ref279841">The arts</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref279842"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/Cultural-life#ref279842">Literature</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref279843"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/Cultural-life#ref279843">Music and theatre</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref279844"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/Cultural-life#ref279844">Sports and recreation</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref279845"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/Cultural-life#ref279845">Media and publishing</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref78488"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/History">History</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref78489"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/History#ref78489">The earliest inhabitants</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref78490"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/History#ref78490">Exploration and settlement</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref78491"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/History#ref78491">Statehood and Civil War</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref279887"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/History#ref279887">The aftermath of the Civil War</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref279888"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/From-World-War-I-through-the-civil-rights-movement">From World War I through the civil rights movement</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref279889"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Mississippi-state/From-World-War-I-through-the-civil-rights-movement#ref279889">Mississippi since the mid-20th century</a></li></ul></div></li></ul> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mississippi-state/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Mississippi-state">Facts & Stats</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mississippi-state/images-videos">Images</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/26/2726-050-951C2B54/state-flag-Mississippi-legislature-committee-Confederacy-battle-1861.jpg" data-href="/media/1/385567/61504" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/26/2726-004-1F31094F/state-flag-Mississippi-legislature-committee-Confederacy-battle-1861.jpg" alt="Mississippi: flag" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/28/2728-050-5198E98F/Mississippi-great-seal-statehood-version-state-quiver-1798.jpg" data-href="/media/1/385567/61506" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/28/2728-004-84C08E24/Mississippi-great-seal-statehood-version-state-quiver-1798.jpg" alt="state seal of Mississippi" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/33/64233-004-DDB43FB5/mockingbird-Tennessee.jpg" data-href="/media/1/385567/55801" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/33/64233-004-DDB43FB5/mockingbird-Tennessee.jpg" alt="Mississippi: state bird" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/62/88862-004-5CF17963/magnolia-state-flower-Mississippi.jpg" data-href="/media/1/385567/168242" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/62/88862-004-5CF17963/magnolia-state-flower-Mississippi.jpg" alt="Mississippi: state flower" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/27/2727-050-70025DA0/Mississippi-map-boundaries-MAP-locator-cities-CORE.jpg" data-href="/media/1/385567/61505" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/27/2727-004-EAE61D27/Mississippi-map-boundaries-MAP-locator-cities-CORE.jpg" alt="map of Mississippi" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/63/93563-050-65FC416F/State-capitol-building-cityscape-Jackson-Miss.jpg" data-href="/media/1/385567/115958" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/63/93563-004-E4D8CC70/State-capitol-building-cityscape-Jackson-Miss.jpg" alt="Jackson, Miss., U.S." height="50" /> </a> <a 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Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. </div> <div class="label mt-20 mb-10">Select Citation Style</div> <select class="js-citation-format-select form-select"> <option selected value="mla">MLA</option> <option value="apa">APA</option> <option value="chicago">Chicago Manual of Style</option> </select> <div class="citation font-serif border rounded p-15 mt-20" data-authors="Sansing, David G., Burrus, John N., Wallenfeldt, Jeff" data-authors-initial="Sansing, D.G., Burrus, J.N., Wallenfeldt, J." data-title="Mississippi" data-published-date="21 Feb. 2025" data-url="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mississippi-state" > <div class="citation-text"></div> </div> <button class="js-copy-citation-button mt-20 btn btn-xs btn-outline-blue border shadow-sm pr-10" > <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 my-n5 mr-5" data-icon="file_copy"></em> <span class="js-citation-status-text">Copy Citation</span> </button> </div> </div> </div> <div> <button class="js-share-modal-button js-modal btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" data-modal="[data-topic-id=385567] .md-share-modal"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="share"></em> Share </button> <div class="md-share-modal size-lg d-none qa-share-modal"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif d-flex align-items-center pb-15 border-bottom"> <em class="material-icons text-blue mr-10" data-icon="share"></em> Share </div> <div class="label my-20">Share to social media</div> <div class="md-social-toolbar-circle d-flex align-items-start inverted" data-value="share" title="Mississippi" data-url="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mississippi-state" > <a class="social-icon facebook justify-content-center d-flex align-items-center align-self-center" data-provider="facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/BRITANNICA/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>Facebook</span></a> <a class="social-icon x justify-content-center d-flex align-items-center align-self-center" data-provider="x" href="https://x.com/britannica" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>X</span></a> </div> <div class="label pt-20 mt-20 mb-5 border-top">URL</div> <a class="font-serif text-truncate d-inline-block" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mississippi-state">https://www.britannica.com/place/Mississippi-state</a> </div> </div> </div> <div> <button class="js-feedback-modal-button js-modal btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" data-modal=".md-feedback-modal"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="message"></em> Feedback </button> </div> <div> <button class="qa-external-website-modal-button js-modal btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" data-modal="[data-topic-id=385567] .md-websites-modal"> <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 mr-5" data-icon="link"></em> External Websites </button> </div> </div> <div class="md-feedback-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom"> Feedback </div> <form method="post" action="/submission/feedback/385567"> <div class="my-20"> Corrections? 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Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). </div> <div class="type-menu"> <label for="feedback-type" class="label mb-10">Feedback Type</label> <select id="feedback-type" class="form-select mb-30" name="feedbackTypeId" required> <option value="" selected="selected">Select a type (Required)</option> <option value="1">Factual Correction</option> <option value="2">Spelling/Grammar Correction</option> <option value="3">Link Correction</option> <option value="4">Additional Information</option> <option value="5">Other</option> </select> </div> <label for="feedback" class="label mb-10">Your Feedback</label> <textarea id="feedback" class="form-control mb-30" name="feedback" maxlength="3000" rows="7" required></textarea> <button class="btn btn-blue" type="submit">Submit Feedback</button> </form> <div class="success-messaging d-none mt-30"> <div class="title">Thank you for your feedback</div> <p>Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-websites-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom font-weight-bold"> External Websites </div> <div class="pb-20"> <ul class="list-unstyled mt-20 lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.ms.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">Official Site of the State of Mississippi, United States</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.netstate.com/states/intro/ms_intro.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">NETSTATE - Mississippi</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-ms.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">CRW Flags - Flag of Mississippi, United States</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-title">Britannica Websites</div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-subtitle">Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.</div> <ul class="list-unstyled bps-topic-web-sites lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/Mississippi/345500" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mississippi - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Mississippi/275867" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mississippi - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn btn-sm border-2 btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 d-none mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10 px-sm-5 px-md-10 js-header-ai-ask-button"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="caption alternate-titles">Also known as: Magnolia State</div> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 qa-editor-popup gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/David-G-Sansing/3623" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">David G. Sansing</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Emeritus Professor of History, University of Mississippi. Author of <i>Mississippi: Its People and Culture; Discovering Mississippi; </i>and others.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> David G. Sansing</span>, <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 qa-editor-popup gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/John-N-Burrus/429" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">John N. Burrus</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg. Author of <i>Life Opportunities: An Analysis of Differential Mortality in Mississippi...</i></div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> John N. Burrus</span><span class="text-gray-700 mx-5">•</span><a class="see-all border-gray-700 gtm-byline" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mississippi-state/additional-info#contributors">All</a> </div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 qa-editor-popup font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2025-02-21T00:00:00CST" >Feb 21, 2025</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mississippi-state/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn btn-sm border-2 btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 module-spacing js-inline-ai-ask-button p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot </button> </div> <div class="bg-gray-50 p-15 rounded module-spacing recent-news d-flex flex-column float-false"> <div> <h2 class="font-weight-bold font-14 m-0 d-inline"> News <span class="text-gray-600">•</span> </h2> <div class="recent-news-item first-recent-news-item d-inline"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/19/us/mississippi-judge-newspaper-editorial.html" rel="nofollow">Judge Orders Mississippi Newspaper to Remove Editorial, Alarming Press Advocates</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 20, 2025, 4:52 AM ET (New York Times) <button class="btn btn-link d-inline p-0 font-12 js-toggle-recent-news"> <span class="text-gray-500">...</span><span>(Show more)</span> </button> </span> </div> </div> <div class="rest-of-recent-news-items"> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/high-school-football-mississippi-passion-determination-size/" rel="nofollow">Mississippi high school football player shows passion and determination help to power outsized performance</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 10, 2025, 6:35 AM ET (CBS) </span> </div> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="/news/385567/028ba8f32b2968e24af6fb6038daa965" rel="nofollow">Women represent half of the US. But they sometimes lack clout in budget and tax talks</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 2, 2025, 12:12 AM ET (AP) </span> </div> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="/news/385567/66e42dfdc5106d40ed5fcb6a62ed06af" rel="nofollow">Supreme Court leaves in place Mississippi’s voting ban for people convicted of some crimes</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Jan. 27, 2025, 4:33 PM ET (AP) </span> </div> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="/news/385567/3e9c316297191ca53f1ef26de8f9b9f4" rel="nofollow">A frigid storm drops rare snow on Houston and New Orleans as Florida readies plows in the Panhandle</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Jan. 21, 2025, 10:53 PM ET (AP) </span> </div> <button class="js-toggle-recent-news d-flex btn btn-unstyled font-14 pr-10 rounded-sm mt-10" aria-label="Toggle additional news items"> Show less <em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_less"></em> </button> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><span class="marker h7"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref78488"><section data-level="2" id="ref78489"><h2 class="h2">The earliest inhabitants</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Three major groups of <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="indigenous" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indigenous" data-type="MW">indigenous</a> peoples <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="constituted" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/constituted" data-type="MW">constituted</a> the earliest inhabitants of present-day <span id="ref613935"></span>Mississippi. The largest of these groups, the <span id="ref613936"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Choctaw" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Choctaw</a>, numbered approximately 20,000 and were located primarily in the southern and central part of the state. The other two groups were the <span id="ref613937"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Natchez-people" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Natchez</a>, who numbered about 4,500 and were centred in southwestern Mississippi, and the <span id="ref613938"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Chickasaw-people" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Chickasaw</a>, who had a population of about 5,000 and ranged from their principal villages in the northeastern part of the state into what are now <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Tennessee" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tennessee</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Kentucky" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Kentucky</a>. The Natchez were virtually <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="annihilated" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/annihilated" data-type="MW">annihilated</a> during a war with the French garrison at Fort Rosalie (now the city of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Natchez-Mississippi" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Natchez</a>) in 1729–31, and the Choctaw and Chickasaw were eventually removed from Mississippi to the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Oklahoma-state" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Oklahoma</a> territory via the infamous <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Trail-of-Tears" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Trail of Tears</a> in the 1830s.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span></section> <section data-level="2" id="ref78490"><h2 class="h2">Exploration and settlement</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In the winter of 1540 Spanish explorer <span id="ref613939"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hernando-de-Soto" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Hernando de Soto</a> led a large expedition into Mississippi and wintered along the Pontotoc Ridge. In the following spring he reached the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mississippi-River" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Mississippi River</a>, but, because he found no <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/gold-chemical-element" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">gold</a> or silver in the region, the <span id="ref757692"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Spain" class="md-crosslink ">Spanish</a> directed their efforts elsewhere.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Some 130 years later a small group of French Canadians sailed down the Mississippi River and immediately recognized its commercial and strategic importance. In 1699 a <span id="ref757693"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-France" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">French</a> <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="expedition" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/expedition" data-type="EB">expedition</a> led by <span id="ref613940"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pierre-Le-Moyne-dIberville" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Pierre le Moyne d’Iberville</a> established France’s claim to the lower Mississippi valley. French settlements were soon established at <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Ocean-Springs" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Fort Maurepas</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mobile-Alabama" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Mobile</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Biloxi" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Biloxi</a>, Fort Rosalie, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-Orleans-Louisiana" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">New Orleans</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Following the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/French-and-Indian-War" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">French and Indian War</a>, which ended in 1763, France ceded its possessions east of the Mississippi River, except New Orleans, to Great Britain, which also gained possession of the Spanish territory of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Florida" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Florida</a>. Great Britain subsequently divided Florida into two colonies, one of which, called West Florida, included the area between the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Apalachicola" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Apalachicola</a> and Mississippi rivers. <span id="ref613941"></span>Fort Rosalie was renamed Fort Panmure, and the Natchez District was established as a subdivision of West Florida. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Natchez-Mississippi" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Natchez</a> flourished during the early 1770s. After the outbreak of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Revolution" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">American Revolution</a> (1775–83), <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Spain" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Spain</a> regained possession of Florida and occupied Natchez. The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Peace-of-Paris-1783" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Peace of Paris</a> treaties of 1783 fixed the 31st parallel as the boundary between Spanish Florida and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">United States</a>, but Spain continued to occupy Natchez until the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="dispute" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/dispute" data-type="EB">dispute</a> was settled in 1798.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span></section> <section data-level="2" id="ref78491"><h2 class="h2">Statehood and Civil War</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The original <span id="ref613942"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Mississippi-Territory" class="md-crosslink ">Mississippi Territory</a> created by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Congress-of-the-United-States" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">U.S. Congress</a> in 1798 was a strip of land extending about 100 miles (160 km) north to south and from the Mississippi River to the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Chattahoochee-River" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Chattahoochee</a> on the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Georgia-state" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Georgia</a> border. The territory was increased in 1804 and 1812 to reach from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Tennessee" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tennessee</a> to the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Gulf-of-Mexico-Gulf-of-America" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Gulf of Mexico</a>. In 1817 the western part achieved statehood as Mississippi (the eastern part became the state of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Alabama-state" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Alabama</a> in 1819). Natchez, the first territorial capital, was replaced in 1802 by nearby Washington, which in turn was replaced by <span id="ref1018771"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Jackson-Mississippi" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Jackson</a> in 1822.</p><div class="module-spacing"> </div><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The 1820s and ’30s were marked by the decline of the so-called Jeffersonian Republicans (supporters of the political ideals of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Democratic-Republican-Party" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Democratic-Republican Party</a> under the leadership of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Jefferson" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Thomas Jefferson</a>), the ascendancy of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Andrew-Jackson/Jacksonian-Democracy#ref3617" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Jacksonian Democracy</a> (under <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Andrew-Jackson" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Andrew Jackson</a>), and the removal of the indigenous population to Oklahoma. Those were the days of steamboats, land speculation, and the emergence of a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/cotton-fibre-and-plant" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">cotton</a> economy based on <span id="ref1018779"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/slavery-sociology" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">slavery</a>. Slave ownership, however, was not common among the numerous small landowners, who generally were Jacksonian Democrats. Rather, it was prevalent among the more influential, though smaller, group of large landholders, most of whom followed the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Whig-Party" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Whig Party</a>, which opposed the political views of Jackson.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="15063" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/21/4921-004-FE0D3716/Artillery-surrender-Mississippi-Vicksburg-American-Civil-War.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/385567/15063"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/21/4921-004-FE0D3716/Artillery-surrender-Mississippi-Vicksburg-American-Civil-War.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/21/4921-004-FE0D3716/Artillery-surrender-Mississippi-Vicksburg-American-Civil-War.jpg?w=300" alt="Vicksburg, Mississippi, during the American Civil War" data-width="371" data-height="299" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/21/4921-004-FE0D3716/Artillery-surrender-Mississippi-Vicksburg-American-Civil-War.jpg" data-href="/media/1/385567/15063">Vicksburg, Mississippi, during the American Civil War</a><span>Artillery captured at the surrender of Vicksburg, Mississippi, during the American Civil War.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Throughout the 1830s and ’40s, the parallel lines of party and class in Mississippi divided the Whigs from the Democrats and embittered their <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="dialogue" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dialogue" data-type="MW">dialogue</a>. In the 1850s, however, members of the Whig and Democratic parties of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/the-South-region" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">South</a> made an uneasy truce, prompted by the demand in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/the-North" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">North</a> for the abolition of slavery. The move did not settle differences; it merely <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="sublimated" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sublimated" data-type="MW">sublimated</a> them. The two parties had closed ranks only to defend a labour system that had become a symbol of the Southern way of life. In January 1861 Mississippi seceded from the union, and within a year the state was in the clutch of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Civil-War" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">American Civil War</a> (1861–65). The people suffered; the land was devastated; and, by the end of the war, the state was in economic ruin.</p><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span></section> <section data-level="2" id="ref279887"><h2 class="h2">The aftermath of the Civil War</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies multiple medialist slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100" data-type="other"><div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex"><div class="rw-track d-flex align-items-center"><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="96250" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/72/70872-050-349752EA/New-Albany-Miss-1900.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/385567/96250"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/72/70872-050-349752EA/New-Albany-Miss-1900.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/72/70872-050-349752EA/New-Albany-Miss-1900.jpg?w=300" alt="New Albany, Miss." data-width="1600" data-height="936" loading="eager"></picture><div class="position-absolute top-10 left-10 assembly-slide-tag rounded-lg">1 of 3</div><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/72/70872-050-349752EA/New-Albany-Miss-1900.jpg" data-href="/media/1/385567/96250">New Albany, Miss.</a><span>New Albany, Miss., <em>c.</em> 1900.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="96365" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/97/71197-050-8172DA9C/Cotton-mill-Tupelo-Miss-Lewis-Hine-photograph-1911.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/385567/96365"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/97/71197-050-8172DA9C/Cotton-mill-Tupelo-Miss-Lewis-Hine-photograph-1911.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/97/71197-050-8172DA9C/Cotton-mill-Tupelo-Miss-Lewis-Hine-photograph-1911.jpg?w=300" alt="Tupelo, Miss., U.S.: cotton mill" data-width="1600" data-height="918" loading="eager"></picture><div class="position-absolute top-10 left-10 assembly-slide-tag rounded-lg">2 of 3</div><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/97/71197-050-8172DA9C/Cotton-mill-Tupelo-Miss-Lewis-Hine-photograph-1911.jpg" data-href="/media/1/385567/96365">Tupelo, Miss., U.S.: cotton mill</a><span>Cotton mill in Tupelo, Miss., U.S., 1911; photograph by Lewis Hine.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="116063" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/90/71190-050-5D74A794/Overseer-girl-photograph-Yazoo-City-Yarn-Mills-1911.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/385567/116063"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/90/71190-050-5D74A794/Overseer-girl-photograph-Yazoo-City-Yarn-Mills-1911.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/90/71190-050-5D74A794/Overseer-girl-photograph-Yazoo-City-Yarn-Mills-1911.jpg?w=300" alt="Yazoo City, Miss., U.S.: yarn mills" data-width="1600" data-height="1080" loading="eager"></picture><div class="position-absolute top-10 left-10 assembly-slide-tag rounded-lg">3 of 3</div><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/90/71190-050-5D74A794/Overseer-girl-photograph-Yazoo-City-Yarn-Mills-1911.jpg" data-href="/media/1/385567/116063">Yazoo City, Miss., U.S.: yarn mills</a><span>Overseer supervising a girl operating a bobbin-winding machine at the Yazoo City Yarn Mills, Yazoo City, Miss., U.S., 1911; photograph by Lewis Hine.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><button disabled="true" class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span></button><button disabled="true" class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span></button></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Throughout the period of <span id="ref1018780"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Reconstruction-United-States-history" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Reconstruction</a> (1865–77) following the Civil War and for more than a decade afterward, Mississippi’s former slaves and their former owners <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="grappled" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/grappled" data-type="EB">grappled</a> with the political, social, and economic consequences of emancipation. The white minority could not or would not accept a biracial society based on <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/equal-opportunity" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">equality of opportunity</a>. In 1890 the ruling elite adopted a constitution that both institutionalized a system of <span id="ref1018783"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/racial-segregation" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">racial segregation</a> and established an economic order that kept the black population in a position of dependency. Mississippians had hoped to find economic recovery in the coming of industry and the railroads, but the hope was only partially realized. Emancipation had given the former slaves freedom of mobility, but most remained in the state and eventually were absorbed into the system of <span id="ref1018782"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/tenant-farming" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">tenant farming</a>, by which they were basically given rights to <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="cultivate" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cultivate" data-type="MW">cultivate</a> land in exchange for a share of the product. The continued economic interdependence of the black and white <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="communities" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communities" data-type="MW">communities</a> kept intact many of the social customs and traditions that had developed before the war.</p><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span></section> </section><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-simplify-root"></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":6,"pagesTotal":7,"pageId":385567,"pageLength":910,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.133.36"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.133.36' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"D","adLeg":"C","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"STATE_PAGINATED","gisted":false,"pageNumber":6,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":true} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Mississippi - Native Americans, Civil War, Reconstruction | Britannica