The Spanish, however, never gained a foothold in the region. Nearly a century and a half later, in 1682, the famous French explorer René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, descended the Mississippi to its mouth and by right of discovery promptly claimed the entire region for Louis XIV of France (reigned 1643-1715).
What country first settled in the Mississippi River Valley?
In fact, when French explorer La Salle reached the mouth of the Mississippi River in 1682, he claimed the territory for France , and by the end of the century French people started coming to the New World and settling the Mississippi valley from New Orleans to the Upper River.
What was the first European settlement in Mississippi Valley?
1699: First European settlement in Mississippi established
Fort Maurepas was built in present day Ocean Springs by Frenchmen Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville and his brother, Jean Baptiste de Bienville, among the Biloxi, Pascagoula, Acolapissa, Quinipissa, Mugulasha, and other coastal groups.
Who colonized the Mississippi River Valley?
The French era in Mississippi's history began when Rene-Robert, Cavalier de La Salle, claimed the area for France during his famous voyage down the Mississippi River in 1682. He named the region “Louisiana” in honor of French King Louis XIV, but failed to solidify the claim by establishing a settlement.
What is the oldest European city in the United States?
St. Augustine , founded in September 1565 by Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles of Spain, is the longest continually inhabited European-founded city in the United States – more commonly called the “Nation's Oldest City.”
What country did America fight for free?
The American Revolution—also called the U.S. War of Independence—was the insurrection fought between 1775 and 1783 through which 13 of Great Britain's North American colonies threw off British rule to establish the sovereign United States of America, founded with the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
What is the oldest settlement in Mississippi?
St. Genevieve is the oldest town west of the Mississippi River. The folks are friendly, proud of their heritage, and anxious to share it with visitors. The city was in the late 18th century the capital of Spanish Louisiana, and, at its original location a few miles south, capital of French Louisiana as well.
Who first explored the Mississippi river?
On May 8, 1541, south of present-day Memphis, Tennessee, Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto reaches the Mississippi River, one of the first European explorers to ever do so.
Which river did La Salle probably mistake for the Mississippi?
La Salle himself never claimed to have discovered the Ohio River . In a letter to the intendent Talon in 1677, he claimed “discovery” of a river, the Baudrane, flowing southwesterly with its mouth on Lake Erie and emptying into the Saint Louis (i.e. the Mississippi), a hydrography which was non-existent.
Why did the United States need to have access to the Mississippi river?
Why did the United States want access to the Mississippi River? Travel and trade were difficult on the frontier and the access to the Mississippi River would offer an easier means of transportation for frontier farmers and merchants .
What are three historical reasons that the Mississippi river was important?
The Mississippi played an important part in the lives of many Native American tribes, who used it for trading, farming, and fishing . The first European to sail on the Mississippi River was Hernando de Soto of Spain in 1541. In the 1700s, the state of Louisiana and parts of the Mississippi River were French territory.
Why did French colonies fail?
The settlement was abandoned two years later. The French tried again several times to colonize North America, but failed due to disease, weather, conflict with Indians or with other European powers . Their most infamous failure may have been at Charlesfort in 1562.
What is America's oldest city?
St. Augustine , founded in September 1565 by Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles of Spain, is the longest continually inhabited European-founded city in the United States – more commonly called the “Nation's Oldest City.”
Which is oldest city in the world?
- Aleppo, Syria – 8,000 years old. ...
- Byblos, Lebanon – 7,000 years old. ...
- Athens, Greece – 7,000 years old. ...
- Susa, Iran – 6,300 years old. ...
- Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan – 6,000 years old. ...
- Sidon, Lebanon – 6,000 years old. ...
- Plovdiv, Bulgaria – 6,000 years old. ...
- Varanasi, India – 5,000 years old.
What was the 1st city in America?
Today, St. Augustine survives as the nation's oldest continuously occupied city, and is now gearing up for its 450th birthday bash. On September 8, 1565, Spanish explorer Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles landed ashore at an inlet (later called Matanzas Inlet) on the eastern coast of today's Florida.
How did Britain lose America?
By 1775 relations between Britain and the colonies had deteriorated badly, and a war broke out between them. ... The war ended after Lord Cornwallis' surrendered at Yorktown in 1781. The Peace Treaty was then signed in September 1783 at Versailles. The 13 American colonies became the independent United States of America.
