A l a b a m a A l a b a m a

State of Alabama

 Official Symbols and Emblems of Alabama  Coat of Arms The coat of arms consists of a shield, on which the emblems of the five governments that have held sovereignty over Alabama appear. The flags of Spain, France, Great Britain, and the Confederacy are bound by the flag and shield of the United States. This shield is supported on either side by bald eagles, symbolic of courage. The crest is a model of the ship, the Baldine, that Iberville and Bienville sailed from France to settle a colony near present day Mobile (1699). The motto beneath the shield is "Audemus jura nostra defendere" ("We Dare Maintain Our Rights" or "We Dare Defend Our Rights").Audemus jura nostra defendere

State of Alabama State Bird of Alabama Yellowhammer Official Flower of Alabama Camellia

State of Alabama Brief History The Alabama (people) were a Muskogean- speaking tribe whose members lived just below the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers on the upper reaches of the Alabama River. The word Alabama is believed to have originated from the Choctaw language and was later adopted by the Alabama tribe as their name. Alabama (people)MuskogeanCoosa Tallapoosa RiversAlabama River Choctaw languageAlabama (people)MuskogeanCoosa Tallapoosa RiversAlabama River Choctaw language Although the origin of Alabama could be discerned, sources disagree on its meaning. An 1842 article in the Jacksonville Republican originated the idea that the meaning was "Here We Rest”. Scholars believe the word comes from the Choctaw alba (meaning "plants" or "weeds") and amo (meaning "to cut", "to trim", or "to gather"). The meaning may have been "clearers of the thicket" or "herb gatherers“, which may refer to clearing of land for cultivation or to collecting medicinal plants.

Alabama Indian Tribes  Abihka  Alabama  Apalachee  Apalachicola  Atasi  Chatot  Cherokee  Chickasaw  Choctaw State of Alabama

Brief History  The first Europeans to reach Alabama were Spanish explorers in the 16th century, who journeyed inland in 1539 under Hernando De Soto in search of gold.  The French were the first successful colonizers in Alabama, and in 1682 claimed Louisiana, which included Alabama. Early settlements were fortified trading posts along the Mobile River and included the initial French seat of government for the territory, but the Native Americans began to favor British traders who provided better quality products at a lower price. Great Britain and France fought a series of wars climaxing with the French Indian War ( ), which was a decisive British victory that removed the French from North America. Following the Revolutionary War ( ) Alabama was given to the United States. Alabama became a separate Territory, and then on December 14, 1819, the 22nd state of the Union.

State of Alabama  Cotton became the cash crop of Alabama and the plantation system, organized around slave labor, was adopted from Virginia.  In 1861 Alabama invited the several other states to Montgomery to consider forming a Southern nation. There they established the Confederate States of America, and elected as their president Jefferson Davis. In the reconstruction following the Civil War, Alabama refused to ratify the 14th Amendment extending rights to blacks, and in 1867 was put under military rule until finally readmitted to the union in  Railroads were built, and industry began to emerge. Railroads spawned further industrial growth in the early 1900s though economic expansion was quenched by the Depression. Alabama’s delegation in Congress provided leadership in the recovery programs of the New Deal to diversify the economy allowing recovery and expansion to continue.

State of Alabama  In the 1950s Civil Rights efforts began to focus on integration, and Dr. Martin Luther King led both the state and nation toward radical reform, persevering through violent opposition. From the early 19th century, Alabama’s economy was dominated by one crop—cotton, however, the boll weevil, a beetle that infests cotton plants, so damaged the state’s cotton crop that farmers began to concentrate on raising livestock and crops other than cotton. Manufacturing began to be important to Alabama with the growth of the iron and steel industry during the early 20th century. In the late 1990s manufacturing remained the dominant economic sector.

State of Alabama Agriculture  Farmland covers about 28% of the state.  Number of farms – 48,500 Alabama is one of the leading Alabama is one of the leading cotton producers cotton producers

State of Alabama  This state produces cattle and calves Catfish Broiler and meat chicken and chicken eggs Peanuts, sweet potatoes, greenhouse and nursery plants and sod, etc

State of Alabama Industry Alabama's industrial boom, which began in the 1870s with the exploitation of the coal and iron fields in the north, quickly transformed Birmingham into the leading industrial city in the South, producing pig iron more cheaply than its American and English competitors. An important stimulus to manufacturing in the north was the development of ports and power plants along the Tennessee River. By the late 1970s, the older smokestack industries were clearly in decline, but Birmingham received a boost in 1984 when US Steel announced it would make its Fairfield plant the newest fully integrated steel mill in the nation. In 1997, Mercedes Benz began manufacturing its sport utility vehicle at a new facility in Vance.

State of Alabama As of 1999, the principal employers among industry groups were food and kindred products, textile mill products, apparel and other textile products, primary metal industries, industrial machinery and equipment, electronic equipment, and transportation equipment. As of 1999, the principal employers among industry groups were food and kindred products, textile mill products, apparel and other textile products, primary metal industries, industrial machinery and equipment, electronic equipment, and transportation equipment.

State of Alabama Alabama - Largest Cities Name Population Name Population  Birmingham 212,237 Birmingham  Montgomery 205,764 Montgomery  Mobile 195,111 Mobile

State of Alabama  Huntsville180,105 Huntsville  Tuscaloosa90,468 Tuscaloosa  Hoover81,619 Hoover  Dothan65,496 Dothan  Decatur55,683 Decatur  Auburn53,380 Auburn  Madison42,938 Madison

State of Alabama Places of interest  Moundville Archaeological Park, Tuscaloosa, AL.

State of Alabama  Alabama Museum of Natural History One can experience the natural diversity of Alabama through exhibits from the Age of Dinosaurs, the Coal Age, and the Ice Age; view the extensive displays of geology, zoology, mineralogy, paleontology, ethnology, history, and photography; see the Hodges meteorite, the only meteorite known to have struck a human, and the State Fossil of Alabama. The Alabama Museum of Natural History is housed in historic Smith Hall, one of the finest examples of Beaux-Arts architecture in the region.

State of Alabama  Horseshoe Bend National Military Park appears to be the site of the last battle of the Creek War on March 27, General Andrew Jackson's Tennessee militia, aided by the 39th U.S. Infantry Regiment and Cherokee and Lower Creek allies, finally crushed Upper Creek Red Stick resistance at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend on the Tallapoosa River.Creek WarAndrew JacksonTennesseeCherokeeRed Stick Battle of Horseshoe BendTallapoosa River

State of Alabama  Russell Cave became a National Monument on May 11, 1961, signed into law by John F. Kennedy. The National Geographic Society donated 310 acres to the American people because of the great archeological discoveries there. The park is located in Bridgeport, Alabama. became a National Monument on May 11, 1961, signed into law by John F. Kennedy. The National Geographic Society donated 310 acres to the American people because of the great archeological discoveries there. The park is located in Bridgeport, Alabama..

State of Alabama The cave entrance was used as a shelter by prehistoric people for about 10,000 years. The cave provided shelter from the elements, maintained a comfortable temperature. A large roof fall raised the floor level of the right side making it more habitable. A natural spring provided fresh water. Plants provided food, tool making materials, and medicine. The environment at Russell Cave ranged from limestone mountain slopes, sandstone mountain tops and valley floors. Animals living in the area provided food. The bones were used to make tools.

State of Alabama The Boll Weevil Monument in Enterprise, Alabama is a prominent landmark and tribute erected by the citizens of Enterprise in 1919 to show their appreciation to an insect, the boll weevil, for its profound influence on the area's agriculture and economy. Hailing the beetle as a "herald of prosperity," it stands as the world's only monument built to honor an agricultural pest. The boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis) was indigenous to Mexico, but appeared in Alabama in By 1918 farmers were losing whole cotton crops to the beetle. H. M. Sessions saw this as an opportunity to convert the area to peanut farming.boll weevilbeetleboll weevilMexico Alabamacottonpeanut

State of Alabama Cultural events The Carolyn Blount Theatre has been home to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. The Alabama Shakespeare Festival (ASF) is the seventh largest Shakespeare festival in the world. Each year it attracts more than 300,000 visitors from throughout the United States and more than 60 countries, to its home in Montgomery, Alabama producing 12–14 productions annually, typically including three works of William Shakespeare. Other plays sample various genres and playwrights, classical and modern, sometimes with an emphasis on Southern works.ShakespeareUnited StatesMontgomeryAlabamaplaysplaywrightsSouthern

State of Alabama  The Alabama Book Festival is an annual literary festival held since 2006 in Montgomery, Alabama, USA. literary festivalMontgomeryAlabamaliterary festivalMontgomeryAlabama The Alabama Jubilee Hot-Air Balloon Classic is held annually on Memorial Day weekend in Decatur, Alabama. Each year the Jubilee hosts about 60 local and national hot-air balloonsDecatur, Alabama Big Spring Jam is an annual three-day music festival taking place in Huntsville, Alabama. It features acts from all genres of music including local bands, emerging talent, old favorites, and the top artists of the day. Along with the music, the Big Spring Jam also holds an annual 5k race. The Big Spring Jam takes place early each autumn. The title, however, comes from the location, Big Spring International Park in downtown Huntsville.music festivalHuntsville, Alabama5k race Big Spring International Park

State of Alabama Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama, is the oldest continual annual Carnival celebration in America, having begun in 1703, Since Mobile was the first capital of French Louisiana (1702), the festival began as a French Catholic tradition, celebrated up until midnight on Mardi Gras day ("Fat Tuesday" or Shrove Tuesday) and the subsequent start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. However, Mardi Gras in Mobile now has evolved into a mainstream multi- week celebration across the spectrum of cultures in Mobile, so that the final Monday, Tuesday, and sometimes even Wednesday have become school holidays, regardless of religious affiliation.AlabamaCarnivalMobileFrench LouisianaCatholic Shrove TuesdayLent The National Peanut Festival (NPF), the United States' largest peanut festival, is held each fall in Dothan, Alabama, to honor peanut growers and to celebrate the harvest seasonUnited StatesDothan, Alabama

State of Alabama  Books and films set in Alabama  Films  Books Alabama Moon Another Part of the Forest Forrest Gump

State of Alabama Manhunter Sweet home Alabama To kill a mockingbird

State of Alabama  Books