is the home of the University of Alabamas
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 195556. 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
Alaska is the largest state in the country.
When it became a state, the land area of
the United States increased by one fifth.
The most northerly state, Alaska is not
connected to the other 48 states of the
mainland United States. Instead, it juts
westward from Canada into the Arctic
Ocean and the Bering Sea. The Aleutian
Island chain extends southwest from
mainland Alaska. To the southeast is a
strip of land called the panhandle, which
borders the Canadian province of British
Columbia.
Northern Alaska lies within the Arctic
regions. Along the northern coast is flat,
treeless land called tundra. The ground
there stays frozen year-round. South of
the tundra are the mountains of the
Brooks Range. The middle part of
Alaska is a vast plain with many forests,
marshes, and lakes. The Yukon, Alaskas
largest river, flows through this region.
Two mountain chainsthe Alaska
Range and the Aleutian Rangecurve
along Alaskas southern coast. Mount
McKinley, in the Alaska Range, rises to
a height of 20,320 feet (6,194 meters).
It is the highest point in North America.
People
Alaskas population is spread
unevenly throughout the state,
with vast areas having few or no
people. More than a third of Alaskans
live in or around Anchorage, the largest
city. Native AlaskansEskimo (Inuit),
Aleut, and American Indiansmake up
about one sixth of the population. Common
nationalities among the rest of the
people include Russian, Filipino, Japanese,
and Chinese.
Economy
Alaskas economy is based on oil, tourism,
and fishing. Oil has brought Alaska
so much wealth that the state has no
income tax. In addition, every year the
state gives each resident some of the
money earned from oil sales. Service
businesses such as airlines, restaurants,
and hotels cater to tourists. About one
fourth of all employed Alaskans work
for the federal, state, or local government.
Salmon is one of the states lead-
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Alaska 63
ing products. Other catches include
crab, halibut, herring, and shrimp. The
main manufacturing industry is fish and
seafood processing.
History
Hunters and gatherers from Asia first
settled in what is now Alaska thousands
of years ago. In 1728 a Russian expedition
led by the Danish explorer Vitus
Bering arrived there. In 1784 Russia
established a settlement and fur-trading
post on Kodiak Island, off the southern