The World Remade, 1866–1902

Gideon Lincecum (1793-1874): Mississippi Pioneer and Man of Many Talents Lesson Plan

OVERVIEW

In every period of history there exist extraordinary citizens that make everlasting contributions to their society. Gideon Lincecum is one such individual. Through his writings we can gain much insight into the experiences of settlers during the early period of Mississippi’s statehood. His works are an invaluable source of reference for grasping an understanding of how social and cultural changes effected Mississippians of his era.

CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS

Mississippi Studies Framework: Competencies 1, 2, and 3.

Capitals and Capitols: The Places and Spaces of Mississippi's Seat of Government Lesson Plan

OVERVIEW

The capital of a nation as well as a state has sentimental meaning to its citizens. It is this significant status given to capitals that can cause regional conflict within a state or nation. Mississippi is no exception to these political struggles in the establishment of its state capital. Mississippi’s capital was relocated for various reasons throughout the history of the state even after the current capital of Jackson was selected in 1821.

CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS

Mississippi Studies Framework: Competencies 1, 3 and 4.

George E. Ohr: America’s First Art Potter Lesson Plan

OVERVIEW

The state of Mississippi is home to some of the most well-known personalities in the world of visual arts. The state has an environment of natural beauty and it has served as the ideal location for the cultivation of creative and artistic expression. The Mississippi Gulf Coast was one of the first locations in the state to produce visual artists. Even though George E. Ohr of Biloxi began making pottery in the late 1800s, it would not be until after his death that he would receive national acclaim.

Good Roads: Building the "Old Spanish Trail" Lesson Plan

Overview

The first automobile to arrive in Mississippi arrived at Biloxi in 1900. This revolutionary change in transportation will ultimately impact every aspect of daily life. It will create a need for better road infrastructure and changes in local and state laws. The development of highways and interstates will better connect the Mississippi Gulf Coast to the rest of the state and to the nation.

Curricular Connections

Mississippi Studies Framework: Competencies 1, 3 and 4.

Teaching Level

Grades 7 through 12

Good Roads: Building the "Old Spanish Trail"

Theme and Time Period

In 1897 the Mississippi Legislature passed a law empowering a county board of supervisors to elect a county road commissioner to oversee improvement of public roads. But since the legislators did not require the appointment of such a commissioner, the law had little effect. On May 8, 1897, referring to this powerless law, the editor of the Biloxi Herald opined, “A proposed road law or a dog tax has a paralyzing effect on the average legislator, and he always approaches them by a circuitous route which sometimes lands him in close proximity but never clearly up to scratch.”

Was Mississippi a Part of Progressivism?

Theme and Time Period

Progressivism was a political movement that swept America beginning about 1900. Progressives were people who believed that politicians should combine human compassion with the latest scientific and medical advances in order to tackle tough problems and supply solutions to those problems. Among the most famous Progressives nationally were U. S. presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.

Farmers Without Land: The Plight of White Tenant Farmers and Sharecroppers

Theme and Time Period

For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, Mississippi was an overwhelmingly agricultural state. While farming provided a route to economic success for many White Mississippians, a number of White people could always be found at the bottom of the agricultural ladder, working as tenant farmers or sharecroppers, a status more typically associated with Black Mississippians in the century after the American Civil War.

A Union Soldier’s View of the Battle of Raymond

Theme and Time Period

In the years after the American Civil War, famous generals and common soldiers alike published their remembrances.  These accounts appeared in books, in magazines, and, as was the case here, in newspapers.  The press created Civil War series such as the one reprinted here from the New York Tribune.  The most famous of all these series appeared in The Century Magazine and in the late 1880s was published in four volumes under the title Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. (In 2002, a fifth volume was added to the original four.)

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