Tennessee State History

By angelax
  • Spaniard Hernando de Soto
    Jan 26, 1540

    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.