Happy 197th, Mississippi!

It’s been nearly two centuries years since the great state of Mississippi was founded in 1817, and today we celebrate the Magnolia state’s 197th birthday.
To get the process rolling, delegates in the Mississippi territory drafted a constitution and applied to Congress for statehood. On Dec. 10, 1817, the request was granted and the western portion of Mississippi Territory became the 20th state in the Union. Natchez was declared the first state capital of Mississippi, which was later changed to Jackson in 1822.
The Mississippi Territory was organized in 1798 and encompassed both modern-day Mississippi and Alabama. It became the second state to secede from the Union on Jan. 9, 1861, three months before the Civil War started.
Mississippi had about 70,000 when it became America’s 20th state. Today, the state’s population is more than 2.8 million.
HottyToddy.com staff report