History Of The Mississippi River

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The History of the Mississippi River

Rivers have been extremely important to the history of the world. They have shaped mountains, valleys, and even cultures. Rivers are extremely important to the individuals who live in the areas around them. Native Americans, colonists, and us today use rivers in some way or another. And one of the biggest rivers in American history is of course the Mississippi River. At 2,340 miles long the Mississippi river is the second longest river in the United States. It flows through 10 states - Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, and, of course, Mississippi. At the end it empties into the Gulf of Mexico.

There have been several Native American people living in this area since around the 4th millennium B.C. Many tribes lived along the shores, and used it for a source of food and crop watering. In the lower Mississippi, tribes such as the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Quapaw, Caddo, osage, Tunica, and Natchez lived and created tribes. In the upper Mississippi, tribes such as Sioux, Sac and Fox, Ojibwe, Potawatomi, Illini, Menominee, and Winnebago did the same. The river provided them with means of transportation, clean water to drink, and food like mussels and fish.

The first recorded European to reach the Mississippi River was Hernando de Soto. De Soto was a Spanish explorer who led the very first European expedition into modern day United States territory. Upon arrival in America, De Soto claimed Florida for the King of Spain. He then traveled north in search of gold and treasures. De Soto arrived at the river on May 8, 1541, and crossed it in search of more land. Soon after, De Soto died of malaria. His men soon left and discovered more of the basin. ...

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...nd is definitely affected by the actions that we take. Our industrial life styles, and our philosophy that mother nature needs to change in order to keep up with our demands is coming to a standstill. Life is being turned around for several people, and the actions that happened 100s of years ago to even today, are beginning to take a toll on the very fabric of our livelihoods. The land that some of the human race calls home is being taken apart and changed into something that cannot be inhabited, and it is all our fault, and the fault of the generations before us. We must take care of what we have, and not fight the gifts that mother nature has given us. Let us rejoice in what is provided and be thankful for our lives. We can still gain back what we have lost. As long as we, as a people, as a common people join together, we can still gain back the land we turned away.

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