Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

Alabama’s capital.

Geography

Alabama lies in the southeastern United

States. The southern parts of the Appalachian

Mountains cover most of northern

Alabama. The land is rugged, with forested

hills and ridges. Southern Alabama

is a mostly flat plain. The climate is

mild. Summers are long and warm.

Winters are short and moderate.

People

People of European ancestry make up

almost three quarters of Alabama’s

population. About one quarter of the

population is African American. Slightly

more than half of the people live in cities

or towns. Birmingham is Alabama’s

largest city and industrial center. Mobile

is a port city on Mobile Bay. Tuscaloosa

is the home of the University of Alabama’s

main campus.

Economy

Trade and tourism are important service

industries in Alabama. Tourists are

drawn to Alabama because of its warm

weather and recreational activities.

Manufacturing, especially of paper and

metal products, is also important.

Soybeans are a valuable crop in Alabama.

Other farm products include peanuts,

cotton , corn, and pecans. Shellfish

and fish, such as shrimp and catfish, are

also harvested.

History

The early Native Americans of Alabama

are sometimes called mound builders.

They lived in villages built around large

earthen mounds. By the 1700s the

Cherokee, the Creek, the Choctaw, and

the Chickasaw were the main Native

American tribes in the region.

60 Alabama BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

The Spaniard Hernando de Soto

explored the area in about 1540. In the

early 1700s the French built settlements

in several places. In 1763 France gave its

land in North America, including Alabama,

to Great Britain. During the

American Revolution Spanish troops

captured Mobile. In 1783 Britain surrendered

Alabama to the United States.

In 1813 the United States seized Mobile

from the Spanish.

Alabama became a state in 1819. It prospered

because of cotton farming. Black

slaves did most of the work on the cotton

farms. Alabama, like other Southern

states, feared that the U.S. government

would outlaw slavery. In 1861 Alabama

withdrew from the United States. It

joined with other Southern states to

form a separate government called the

Confederacy. U.S. forces defeated the

Confederacy in the CivilWar, which

ended in 1865. Alabama rejoined the

United States in 1868.

Although the CivilWar ended slavery,

African Americans continued to struggle

in Alabama. Several major events of the

civil rights movement took place in the

state. Martin Luther King, Jr., led a bus

boycott in Montgomery in 1955–56. In

1965 he led a protest march from Selma

to Montgomery. New laws passed during

the civil rights movement helped

improve conditions for African Americans

in Alabama. Since the 1960s many

black candidates have been elected to

public office in the state.

..More to explore

American CivilWar • Appalachian

Mountains • Civil Rights Movement

• Confederate States of America • King,

Martin Luther, Jr. • Montgomery

A machine called a combine is used to harvest ripe cotton. Cotton is an important crop in

Alabama.

Facts About

ALABAMA

Flag

Population

(2000 census)

4,447,100—

rank, 23rd state;

(2008 estimate)

4,661,900

Capital

Montgomery

Area

52,419 sq mi

(135,765 sq

km)—rank, 30th

state

Statehood

December 14,

1819

Motto

Audemus Jura

Nostra Defendere

(We Dare

Maintain Our

Rights)

State bird

Yellowhammer

State flower

Camellia

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Alabama 61

 

Alamo

In the 1830s the people of Texas fought

several battles to gain their independence

from Mexico. One of the most

famous battles took place at the chapel

of a mission in San Antonio called the

Alamo. More than 180 Texas fighters

died while fighting against soldiers from

Mexico. When Texans later won their

independence from Mexico, their battle

cry was, “Remember the Alamo!”

The Mission San Antonio de Valero was

founded in about 1716 by Roman

Catholic priests. They abandoned it

before the end of the century. Afterward

the chapel became known as the Alamo

(Spanish for “cottonwood”) because it

stood near a grove of cottonwood trees.

In 1835, during Texas’ war for independence

from Mexico, the Texans captured

San Antonio. Afterward, however, fewer

than 150 men were left there to defend

the city. A few others arrived later,

including the frontiersman Davy Crockett.

On February 22, 1836, about 5,000

Mexican soldiers arrived in San Antonio.

On February 23 the Texas troops moved

into the Alamo, prepared to resist an

attack. The Mexicans surrounded the

Alamo and the battle began.

On the morning of March 6 the Mexicans

stormed the building through a

hole in the outer wall.Within a few

hours all of the defenders were dead.

Texas finally gained independence later

that year, and in 1845 it became a U.S.

state.

#More to explore

Crockett, Davy • Texas

The Alamo has been preserved as a historic site. It is a reminder of the time when Texans

fought for independence from Mexico.

62 Alamo BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

Alaska

The U.S. state of Alaska is an immense

region of great natural beauty but few

people. Nicknamed the Last Frontier,

Alaska includes rugged coastlines, massive

glaciers, and the tallest mountains in

North America. The capital is Juneau.

Geography