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800-GO-2-TENN Â
  #  Entered Union  Year Settled 16th     June 1, 1796       1769  Nickname Volunteer State  Rank     Population 17th      6,214,888  Rank     Square Miles 36th      42,143  State Bird Bobwhite Quail (state wild game bird)  State Flower Passion flower (state wildflower)  State Tree  State Motto Agriculture and commerce  Called the "Volunteer State," Tennessee became the 16th state of the Union in 1796. It was the first territory admitted as a state under the federal Constitution. Before statehood, it was known as the Territory South of the River Ohio.  The name Tennessee is derived from the name of a Cherokee village, Tanasi. Today, the capital, Nashville, is known as a center for country music. Memphis, the largest city in the state, is the place where Elvis Presley first began his legendary musical career.  Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States (1829-1837), was the first to come from poverty. The youngest of three sons of Scotch-Irish immigrants, he grew up in rural South Carolina and attended local schools before leaving school to join the Army at age 13 during the American Revolution.  He was in a battle and was later captured by the British, making him the only president to have been a prisoner of war. Jackson was magnetic and charming but with a quick temper that got him into many duels, two of which left bullets in him.  He was the first person to represent Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives, and he also served in the U.S. Senate and on the Tennessee Superior Court (the state's highest court). He was a heroic Army general before eventually becoming president.  The three-day Battle of Chattanooga is one of the most dramatic turnabouts in American military history. It began on November 23, 1863, and when the fighting stopped, Union forces had driven Confederate troops away from Chattanooga, Tennessee, into Georgia, setting the stage for Union General William T. Sherman's triumphant "March to the Sea" a year later. Sherman wreaked havoc on Southern towns and freed slaves as his troops blazed a path of destruction, burning towns between Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia.  It was a strategic victory because of the town's steamboat port and railway station. But in the early fall of 1863, rebel forces moved into the mountains and bluffs overlooking Chattanooga, trapping the Union Army.  Commanding posts at Lookout Mountain, almost 2,000 feet above the Tennessee River Valley, Confederates fired cannonballs down upon the Union troops at Chattanooga. They aimed for river and rail traffic that entered the village with supplies from Union-controlled western Tennessee. Surrounded, with no supply lines, the Union troops seemed destined to fall.  Their fate changed in mid-October with the fresh leadership of Major General George Thomas. Shortly thereafter, Major General Joseph Hooker moved into the area with 20,000 Union soldiers. Union General Ulysses S. Grant followed. He ordered Union engineers to construct a pontoon bridge west of town, giving the army access to shipments of food and ammunitions once again. When General Sherman arrived with 16,000 more men in mid-November, the Union Army was ready to fight.  On November 23, Thomas's troops overtook Confederates occupying Orchard Knob, between Chattanooga and the mountains. The next day, in what is known as the "Battle Above the Clouds," Hooker drove his men on to victory at Lookout Mountain. Some of the bloodiest fighting took place there at Cravens House. On November 25, the last day of the battle, the Union Army crushed the Rebel line, forcing the Rebels to retreat further south into Georgia and, ultimately, to their final defeat in the Civil War.  Long before Nashville became the music capital it is today, it was the scene of a devastating Civil War battle. On the afternoon of December 16, 1864, in the heart of a cold, icy winter, Union troops, led by General George H. Thomas, crushed Confederate forces at Nashville, Tennessee. The battle had begun the day before, when Thomas initiated an attack. Finally, after two weeks of waiting, he had received the troop reinforcements and favorable weather he needed to begin.  Why did the Battle of Nashville take place?  In November, Confederate General John B. Hood had led the Army of Tennessee out of Alabama toward Nashville in an effort to cut off Union General William T. Sherman's supply line. But conditions were hard: the ground was frozen, rations almost completely gone.  Soldiers marching from Atlanta to Nashville described the long walk: "Our shoes were worn out and our feet were torn and bleeding . . . the snow was on the ground and there was no food." But they made the journey. Unfortunately for these weary Confederate soldiers, the Union army had arrived in Nashville first.  The Union built fortifications, gathered up troops, and planned Hood's demise. But for almost two weeks, both sides waited. Ice from freezing rain delayed the inevitable clash. As soon as the weather cleared, fighting began. Within less than 48 hours, Hood's troops were in retreat. Union troops trailed the Confederates for almost 10 days.  By the time the Southerners had re-crossed the Tennessee River, the Army of Tennessee had disintegrated, as men were dying from cold or famine or taking off for shelter in different directions. This disarray ensured that the weakened Southern forces could not invade the North. A few weeks later, Hood resigned his command.  Where was country music born? If you said Nashville, you'd be wrong.  The right answer is Bristol, Tennessee. Bristol is on the Tennessee and Virginia border, where Appalachian mountain folk music has been popular for generations. Many of the fiddle tunes and song styles came over from the British Isles in the 1700s.  By the early 1900s, the recording industry had begun, but most musicians had to travel to New York City to record their music. In 1927, Ralph Peer of Victor Records decided to try something different. He went to Bristol, Tennessee, to record local musicians. He thought that old-time and "hillbilly" musicians could be found there.  Two local acts signed recording contracts -- the Carter Family from Virginia and former railroad worker Jimmie Rodgers of North Carolina. While the Carter Family played old-time mountain music, Jimmie Rodgers sang ballads and used a singing style called yodeling. They both became successful nationwide. The Carter Family formed the core of several generations of popular country musicians, and Rodgers's 1928 recording of "Blue Yodel" became one of the first country records to sell a million copies!  These early Bristol recordings laid the groundwork for much of the country music that followed. Because Bristol is not usually thought of as the place where country music began, it was especially important that the U.S. Congress recognized Bristol's contribution to music history. In 1998, Congress passed a resolution recognizing Bristol as the "Birthplace of Country Music."  Do you know how the Grand Ole Opry got its name?  It began as a live music show at radio station WSM in Nashville, Tennessee. Started by radio announcer George D. Hay in 1925, it was originally called "The WSM Barn Dance," and it featured live local musicians.  In 1927, George Hay's radio program followed a classical music show. He joked that the audience had been listening to grand opera, but from then on the station would be presenting "the grand ole opry." The name stuck and has been used ever since.  At first, some people in Nashville were against the mountain folk music the Opry promoted. Nashville was trying to present a cultured image, and some local leaders believed that the rural music Hay had on his show presented the wrong image. Nevertheless, people began to drop by to watch the musicians performing through the small studio window. Then the radio station decided to let the people in, hoping an audience would liven up the show. After a while, the crowds got so big that they had to move to a larger studio to hold the audience!  Over the years, the show continued to expand. The Grand Ole Opry is the longest-running live radio program in the world. Almost a million people visit the Opry every year to see their favorite stars. Musicians like Hank Williams, Roy Acuff, Randy Travis, Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks have performed on the stage at the Opry, as have hundreds of others.  One of the most famous and successful projects begun by the federal government during the Great Depression was the Tennessee Valley Authority, or TVA. Do you know what it was and why it was started?  During the Great Depression of the 1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt set up many new projects and agencies to help the hardest hit areas of the United States. One such agency was the Tennessee Valley Authority, which was created in 1933. The Tennessee River valley was continually dealing with floods, deforestation, and eroded land. The TVA aimed to help reduce these problems by teaching better farming methods, replanting trees, and building dams.  This agency was also important because it generated and sold surplus electricity, created jobs, and conserved water power. The TVA was a great success almost from the beginning and helped ease some of the economic hardship not only in the state of Tennessee but also in parts of Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia.  The National Storytelling Festival Almost 30 years ago, a Jonesborough, Tennessee, high school journalism teacher was listening to his car radio with a group of students. They heard a funny tale about raccoon hunting told by storyteller Jerry Clower. This experience gave the teacher, Jimmy Neil Smith, an idea: He would start a local storytelling festival. Around 60 people showed up for the first one in 1973.  Today, Jonesborough is the home of the National Storytelling Festival, which attracts more than 10,000 visitors every October. Storytellers come from all over the world to entertain and educate at this three-day festival. Many tell tales and ancient myths from their faraway homelands. Others tell stories with local settings.  Visitors can wander through festival tents and listen to a variety of stories -- hilarious tales, age-old myths or cowboy poetry. Thanks to this festival, there has been a renewed interest in storytelling, not only as a way of sharing information but also as an art form.  Today, the National Storytelling Festival is the oldest and most respected gathering devoted to the art of storytelling anywhere in America. This unique event has influenced a national revival of the storytelling art. |
