Tennessee State History

By angelax
  • Jan 26, 1540

    Spaniard Hernando de Soto

    Spaniard Hernando de Soto
    Spaniard Hernando de Soto leads the first European expedition into what is now Tennessee.

  • Britain in control

    Britain in control
    Great Britain gains lands east of the Mississippi, including Tennessee, at the end of the French and Indian War.

  • The 16th state

    The 16th state
    Tennessee becomes the 16th state.

  • Cherokees

    Cherokees
    Cherokees are forced west on the Trail of Tears.

  • Civil War

    Civil War
    The Civil War begins, and Tennessee joins the Confederacy.

  • Cotton crops destroyed

    Cotton crops destroyed
    Boll weevils destroy Tennessee’s cotton crop.

  • Martin Luther King Jr.

    Martin Luther King Jr.
    Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated in Memphis.

  • Automobile Manufacturing

    Automobile Manufacturing
    Tennessee becomes a center of automobile manufacturing.

  • Dollywood

    Dollywood
    Dolly Parton buys a small tourist attraction and turns it into Dollywood.

  • Al Gore wins

    Al Gore wins
    Tennessee’s Al Gore wins the Noble Peace Prize.