4-42 The State of Tennessee

The great state of Tennessee became the 16^th state in the Union on June 1, 1796.  Its state capital is Nashville.  The name Tennessee came from a Cherokee village in the region that was called "Tanasie." 

In 1584, Hernando de Soto’s band traveled through the area that was to become Tennessee.  The last Shawnee were driven out by Chickasaw and Cherokee attacks in 1715.  During the Revolutionary War, the battle at Kings Mountain was a key American victory.  The Tennessee militia played an important part in this victory of 1780.  In 1784, the State of Franklin was formed in the eastern part of Tennessee.  This short-lived State of Franklin passed out of existence in 1788.

North Carolina ceded its western land, the Tennessee county, to the Federal Government in 1789. Congress designated the area as the Territory of the United States, South of the River Ohio.  On June 1, 1796, Congress approved the admission of Tennessee as the sixteenth state of the Union.  The Chickasaw Treaty of 1818 extended Tennessee's western boundary to the Mississippi River, This opened up a rich, new agricultural area for settlement.  The capitol was moved to Nashville in 1826.  In 1838, the U.S. Army was dispatched to evict the Cherokee and send them on a woeful trek to Indian Territory - this became known as the "Trail of Tears.

Emblem/Symbol	Name of Emblem/Symbol	Adopted
Motto	"Agriculture and Commerce"
Nickname	Volunteer State
State Seal		1796 1987
State Bird	Mockingbird	1933
State Game Bird	Bobwhite Quail	1988
State Wildflower	Passion Flower	1973
State Song	"My Homeland, Tennessee" "When It's Iris Time in Tennessee" "Tennessee Waltz" "Rocky Top" "The Pride of Tennessee"	1926 1935 1965 1682 1996
State Tree	Tulip Poplar	1947
State Flag		1905
State Insect	Firefly Honeybee	1975
State Butterfly	Zebra Swallowtail	1994
State Gem	Tennessee Pearl	1979
State Wild Animal	Raccoon	1972
State Reptile	Eastern Box Turtle	1995
State Rock	Limestone	1979
State Stone	Agate	1969
State Sport Fish	Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass	1988 2005

Complete the questions below.

1.  Tennessee became the 16^th state in the Union on June 1, .

2.  The state gem is the .

3.  The name Tennessee came from a Cherokee village called "."

4.  The Zebra Swallowtail is the state .

5.  The state bird is the .

6.  The state tree is the .

7.  Agate is the state .

8.  The Largemouth Bass and the are the state sport fish.

9.  The state reptile is the .

10.  The state nickname is the .