Mississippi

Westley F. Busbee Jr. , whose Mississippi ancestors predate statehood, was born and raised in Meridian. A graduate of Rhodes College, he earned the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Alabama. Since 1968 Dr. Busbee has chaired the Department of History and Political Science and the Division of Humanities at Belhaven College, where he has also taught courses in Mississippi history for more than thirty-five years. Among other professional associations, Dr. Busbee is a member of the Mississippi Historical Society and the Southern Historical Association. He and his wife Carol reside in Rankin County and are the proud parents of three and grandparents of seven.

Preface and Acknowledgments IX Chapter One. Mississippi: The Name and the Place 1 Chapter Two. Two Worlds Collide: Spanish Explorers and American Indians 9 Chapter Three. French Colonies 23 Chapter Four. The British Period, 1763-1781 37 Chapter Five. Spanish Rule, 1781-1798 45 Chapter Six. The Territorial Period, 1798-1817 54 Chapter Seven. The New State, 1817-1832 69 Chapter Eight. Antebellum Politics 89 Chapter Nine. Antebellum Life 100 Chapter Ten. Mounting Sectional Strife 119 Chapter Eleven. Secession and Civil War 130 Chapter Twelve. Reconstruction in Mississippi 148 Chapter Thirteen. Bourbons and Populists 164 Chapter Fourteen. Into the Twentieth Century: Economic and Social Trends 182 Chapter Fifteen. Progressive "Rednecks" 198 Chapter Sixteen. A New Era, The 1920s 211 Chapter Seventeen. The Depression Years 226 Chapter Eighteen. A Rich Cultural Heritage 238 Chapter Nineteen. The World War II Era 257 Chapter Twenty. The Fifties 270 Chapter Twenty-One. Religious Life 284 Chapter Twenty-Two. The Second Reconstruction 296 Chapter Twenty-Three. Times of Transition 316 Chapter Twenty-Four. The Social Environment 336 Chapter Twenty-Five. Recent Political Trends 351 Chapter Twenty-Six. Tumultuous Trends in Education 367 Chapter Twenty-Seven Recent Economic Trends 387 Epilogue 408 Selected Bibliography of Mississippi History 411 Appendix I. European Rulers with Relation to Mississippi during the Colonial and Territorial Periods 417 Appendix II. Members of the U.S. Congress, 1817-1861 421 Appendix III. Mississippi Symbols and Facts 427 Appendix IV. Total Population, 1800-2000 428 Appendix V. Racial Population Changes 1800-2000 429 Appendix VI. Racial Composition of Population, 2000 430 Index. 431