Mississippi Studies

Mississippi Studies

Examine the geographic features of Mississippi.

Compare and contrast the indigenous cultures in Mississippi and assess their lasting impact on the state's history and traditions.

Examine the motivations and the effects of the European arrival and presence in Mississippi.

Explain the development of the Mississippi Territory and its evolution to statehood.

Analyze the characteristics of antebellum Mississippi, with an emphasis on the plantation system and the evolution of slavery.

Analyze the role of Mississippi during the Civil War and evaluate the effects of Reconstruction in the state.

Examine the economic, political, and social changes in the Jim Crow Era Mississippi from the end of Reconstruction through World War II.

Evaluate the role of Mississippi in the Civil Rights Movement.

Analyze the economic characteristics of modern Mississippi.

Analyze the structure and function of local and state government in Mississippi.

Examine the impact of Mississippi artists, musicians, and writers on the state, nation, and world.

Examine the contributions of various ethnic and religious groups in Mississippi.

Identify the physical features, landforms, and soil regions of Mississippi.

Differentiate among between the geographic regions of Mississippi.

Describe how the geographic and physical features set Mississippi apart from other states.

Explain how the geographic features and processes of Mississippi contribute to social, technological, and economic development throughout the state (e.g., Mississippi River, Gulf Coast, Pine Hills, Delta, Great Flood of 1927, Hurricanes Camille and Katrina, etc.).

Explain the impact of Mississippi's geography on the cultural development of its indigenous peoples (e.g., Choctaw, Chickasaw, Natchez, etc.).

Trace the relationships between the various indigenous groups in Mississippi, including their alliances with the Europeans who settled in what would become the Mississippi Territory.

Evaluate the impact of native cultures on Mississippi, past and present.

Compare and contrast the French, Spanish and English arrival, and presence in Mississippi (e.g., lifestyles, religion, successes, failures, etc.).

Examine the impact of European arrival and presence on the cultural development of Mississippi (e.g., Code Noir, holiday, religious, economic, etc.).

Investigate life and work in Mississippi during the colonial and revolutionary periods.

Examine the conflicts ( e.g., Natchez Rebellion, etc.), treaties (e.g., Fort Adams, Mount Dexter, Doak's Stand, Dancing Rabbit Creek, Pontotoc Creek, etc.), and subsequent removal (e.g., Trail of Tears, etc.) of indigenous Mississippians.

Trace the events and legislative processes necessary for Mississippi to gain statehood.

Identify the key points of the Mississippi Constitution of 1817 and identify the government and political influences that led to its development.

Trace the evolution of slavery in Mississippi, including the significance of the Forks of the Road slave market in Natchez.

Analyze the relationship between cotton and the evolution of the plantation economy in antebellum Mississippi.

Examine the culture and social structure that developed in Mississippi during the antebellum period.

Examine the Mississippi Declaration of Secession and trace the events that led to the secession of Mississippi from the Union in 1861.

Analyze the significance of the military campaigns that took place in Mississippi during the Civil War and the impact wartime conditions had on the civilian population.

Examine the roles and contributions of women, enslaved people, and free African Americans during the Civil War.

Analyze the impact of Congressional Reconstruction on Mississippi, including the new Mississippi Constitution of 1868.

Describe the changing roles and contributions of African American Mississippians during Reconstruction.

Analyze the differences between the Mississippi Constitutions of 1868 and 1890.

Trace the changes in Mississippi's economy and technology in the decades following Reconstruction.

Analyze reforms that contributed to social and economic changes after the Civil War (e.g., Jim Crow, poll taxes, literacy tests, segregation, etc.).

Analyze the significant figures, groups, and events of the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi (e.g., Emmett Till, Medgar Evers, James Meredith, Fannie Lou Hamer, etc.).

Discuss the significant strategies used within the Civil Rights Movement.

Examine organized resistance to the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi and how it shaped the conflict between the State and Federal governments during the Civil Rights Era (e.g., Citizen's Council, MS State Sovereignty Commission, Ross Barnett, etc.).

Evaluate the lasting impact of the Civil Rights movement on Mississippi.

Identify various industries and factories that drive Mississippi's modern economy.

Analyze how the major industries of Mississippi have impacted the economy in Mississippi.

Identify Mississippi's global economic relationships.

Analyze the causes of Mississippi's past and present-day struggle with poverty.

Evaluate the rights and responsibilities of Mississippi citizenship.

Analyze the role of the judicial, legislative, and executive branches within the government of Mississippi.

Examine the various forms of local governments and evaluate how they meet the needs of local communities.

Compare types of services offered by local and state government to meet the needs of Mississippians.

Identify and describe the accomplishments of Mississippi artists, musicians, and writers (e.g., William Faulkner, B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Walter Anderson, Elvis Presley, etc.).

Analyze how Mississippi's history and/or religious traditions have impacted the state's artist, musicians, and writers.

Examine the role of cultural diversity in the artistic, musical, and literary traditions of Mississippi.

Identify locations in Mississippi that have artistic, musical, or literary significance (e.g., Delta-Blues, Coast- Walter Anderson, Jackson- Eudora Welty, etc.).

Identify and describe the various ethnic and religious groups in Mississippi.

Cite evidence of the growing ethnic diversity of Mississippi's populations and its impact on the state today.

Analyze the push and pull factors of people migrating to Mississippi.

Describe the contributions of various ethnic and religious groups to Mississippi.