50 States: Tennessee

TENNESSEE

Tennessee (TN) is our nation's 16th state. It was granted statehood on June 1, 1796. The name originated from a Cherokee word, Tanasie, meaning "the meeting place." The capital is Nashville, and the largest city is Memphis. Tennessee is roughly 42,146 square miles, making it the 36th biggest state. As of 2013, there are nearly 6.5 million residents who are called Tennesseans. 

Some famous people born here include: 

Allman Brothers...singers, musicians

Hattie Ophelia Caraway...first woman elected to Senate

Roseanne Cash...songwriter, singer

Kenny Chesney...country singer

Davy Crockett...folk hero

Mark Dean...computer programmer

David Farragut...military leader

Nathan Bedford Forrest...general

Morgan Freeman...actor

Jack Hanna...zoologist

Michael Oher...football player

Dolly Parton...singer

Alvin C. York...folk hero

The economy of Tennessee is driven by coal mining, uranium production, automobile manufacturing, electric production, farming, tourism. The nickname is the "volunteer state." It received this nickname during War of 1812 because of the many volunteer soldiers from Tennessee who fought in the Battle of New Orleans. The motto is "Agriculture and Commerce."

The flag of Tennessee was adopted on April 17, 1905. It was designed by a member of the Tennessee Infantry, LeRoy Reeves. The three white stars represent the three distinct geographical areas of the state: the Great Smoky Mountains, the highlands, and the lowlands. The blue stripe was added so that the flag would stand out when it was flying.

The state symbols are as follows:

Bird...Mockingbird

Wild Animal...Raccoon

Insects...Firefly and ladybug

Agricultural insect...Honeybee

Butterfly...Zebra swallowtail

Amphibian...Tennessee Cave salamander

Reptile...Eastern box turtle

State sport fish...Largemouth bass

Commercial fish...Channel catfish

Flower...Iris

Wildflower...Passion flower

Tree...Tulip Poplar

What is there to do in Tennessee? Visit these sites:

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Dollywood in Pigeon Forge

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville

Graceland in Memphis

The Hermitage (President Andrew Jackson's home) in Nashville

Belle Meade Plantation

National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis

Pink Palace in Memphis

Grand Ole Opry in Nashville

The Parthenon replica in Nashville

Lookout Mountain is a site in itself, but located within Lookout Mountain are Rock City and Ruby Falls.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated at a hotel in Memphis on April 4, 1968.

The expulsion of Cherokee from Tennessee and other southern states in 1838 resulted in the "Trail of Tears."

The New Madrid Earthquake took place in the northwestern area in the winter of 1811-1812.

Check out the site, Tennessee History for Kids. There are virtual tours and some books about Tennessee that you can order. It is also arranged according to grade level. Very interesting!

The following items can be found at christianbook.com.

James Robertson, Father of Tennessee and Founder of Nashville - eBook By Bill Bays / WestBowPress

More Than Petticoats: Remarkable Tennessee Women, 2nd Edition By Susan Sawyer / Globe Pequot

Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War By Traci Nichols-Belt & Gordon T. Belt / History Press

It Happened in Tennessee By James Ewing / Thomas Nelson

Faithful Volunteers: The History of Religion in Tennessee By Stephen Mansfield / Cumberland House Publishing Faithful Volunteers: The History of Religion in Tennessee celebrates the unique history and character of religion in Tennessee, from the earliest pioneer days to the present. The book covers the state's spiritual topography, from the earliest days of the Cherokees and Chickamaugas to the coming of the pioneer Presbyterians and Baptists, from the earliest Jewish communities to the great Pentecostal Backwater Revivals, and from the incursions of Eastern ethnic religions to the great Restoration movements. Since the book proceeds chronologically, religious events are put into their proper cultural context, and the state's cultural events are put into their proper religious and spiritual context. Thus, it is a general history of Tennessee written from a religious perspective. With more than 100 lithographs, engravings, line drawings, and photographs, the text also includes sidebars of key persons and movements, an index, and a bibliography for further study and reading.

A Treasury of Tennessee Tales: Unusual, Interesting, and Little-Known Stories of Tennessee Rev Edition By James Ewing, James A. Crutchfield & James A. Crutchfield / Thomas Nelson

Tennessee Poster Map By Carole Marsh / Gallopade International This oversized map features key cities, landmarks, historic sites, rivers, regions, borders, and major geographic features plus an array of state "must-haves", including state symbols, as well as fascinating state trivia, a timeline of important state events, and more. Excellent as a classroom, library, or resource center's primary visual focus. Available for all 50 states! All ages. 34" x 22"

Tennessee Big Activity Book, Grades K-5 By Carole Marsh / Gallopade International Whether you're visiting a new state or starting a state studies course, The Big Tennessee Reproducible Activity Book will fulfill your wishes for a fun and educational way to learn state facts! Featuring worksheets on Tennessee's history, geography, famous people, places, legends, and much more, you'll get a thorough introduction to what makes this state unique. Crosswords, dot-to-dots, mazes, coloring, word jumbles, writing, hidden pictures, and other fun activities will make your students want to learn more and more. Great for review and research! 96 reproducible pages, softcover. Answers are printed upside down at the bottom of the page. Activities range in difficulty; Grades K-5.

Moon Over Tennessee: A Boy's Civil War Journal By Craig Crist-Evans / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt In the spring of 1863, a thirteen-year-old boy leaves his home on a farm in northern Tennessee with his father, who has joined the Confederate army. The boy will ride with him to care for the horses and help with camp duties. A moving personal narrative in the form of a journal, this powerful poem tells the story of one boy's journey into war and the horrible climax at Gettysburg. Illustrated with striking black and white woodcuts, this is a vivid, lyrical, and intensely human document of the terrible personal cost of the Civil War.

Scots-Irish in the Hills of Tennessee By Billy Kennedy / Ambassador-Emerald, Intl. This is the absorbing story about a race of people who created a civilization in a wilderness and helped lay the solid foundations for present-day America. The Scots-Irish Presbyterians who settled in the American frontier lands during the 18th century were a unique breed of people with an independent spirit which boldly challenged the arbitrary powers of monarchs and established church prelates. 224 pages, indexed, softcover.

Tennessee My First Book, Grades K-8 By Carole Marsh / Gallopade International Introduce young kids to the state they call home. Mazes, coloring pages, word searches, writing, matching, and other fun activities will help kids learn about what makes their state unique, as well as information like the state motto and flag. Grades K-8. 32 pages, softcover.

Who Was Davy Crockett? By Gail Herman, Robert Squier(Illustrator) & Nancy Harrison(Illustrator) / Grosset & Dunlap Now kids can learn all about the real story versus the legend of the King of the Wild Frontier! Davy Crockett, the King of the Wild Frontier, is said to have killed 105 bears—his first when he was three years old. His smile alone killed another, and he skinned a bear by forcing him to run between two trees. Fact or fiction? In this biography, kids will learn who Davy Crockett really was—a man who did love to hunt, who served as a congressman for Tennessee, and who fought and died at the Alamo in Texas.

Around the Opry Table: A Feast of Recipes and Stories from the Grand Ole Opry - eBook By Kay West / Center Street

MLK: A Celebration in Word and Image By Martin Luther King Jr / Beacon Press This small but powerful book sets a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. against a photo that captures the spirit, energy, and determination with which he pushed for civil rights. A timeline is included in the back. 54 pages, hardcover with dust jacket. Approximately 6.33" x 8.25".

King for Kids, School and Family Edition Audiobook on CD By Martin Luther King Jr. / Hachette Audio This audiobook features speeches and sermons from the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., edited for children. This edition is designed for families and schools to introduce the great Civil Rights leader to children in a format they can understand and appreciate. 2 CDs.

Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 2nd Edition By Kevin Adams / FalconGuides

The Fly Fisherman's Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park By H. Lea Lawrence / Cumberland House Publishing The native Americans who inhabited what is now the Great Smoky Mountains National Park called it "the land of the eagles and the gods." It was also a land of plenty, with streams teeming with brook trout and forests populated with elk, bison, black bear, deer, and turkey. Today this area remains a paradise for trout fisherman that is unparalleled in the eastern United States. The Fly Fisherman's Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is filled with a wealth of information about the park and what a fly fisherman needs to know in order to fish it successfully.