Interior Mississippi Territory

The interior of Mississippi came under U.S. territorial governance with the creation of the Mississippi Territory in 1798, signed into law by President John Adams on April 7, 1798. Prior to this, the region had passed through French and then British and Spanish colonial control following France's cession of the territory. The Territory of Mississippi was dissolved on December 10, 1817, when the western half was admitted to the Union as the State of Mississippi, with the eastern half becoming the Alabama Territory.

Pre-contact era

Indigenous peoples inhabited the region for thousands of years, with evidence found through archaeological excavations and earthwork mounds built thousands of years ago. Native American traditions were preserved through oral histories. The Choctaw and Chickasaw were among the historic tribes present.

Colonial history

Territorial period

The Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States created under an organic act passed by Congress, approved and signed into law by President John Adams on April 7, 1798. The Territory was dissolved after 19 years on December 10, 1817, when the western half of the Territory was admitted to the Union as the new State of Mississippi.

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