North Carolina was one of the original 13 colonies and became the 12th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, on November 21, 1789. They were late to ratify because they wanted a Bill of Rights. The first ten amendments to the Constitution are the Bill of Rights, but North… Continue reading
Texas is one of the largest states in the Union. Like all of the states, it was first inhabited by indigenous people, including Apache, Comanche, and Caddo. It was part of New Spain, and became part of Mexico when Mexico gained independence from Spain. Texas declared independence from Mexico, and… Continue reading
Utah had a tough time becoming a state. They first applied as the state of Deseret. It would have been twice as big as Texas. It would have included all of modern-day Utah and Nevada, most of Arizona and California (including Los Angeles and San Diego), and parts of Colorado,… Continue reading
Missouri is a Midwestern state, in the middle of the country, with an interesting history and an unusually diverse geography. Agriculture is the traditional mainstay of Missouri economy, with cattle, hogs, corn, and soybeans leading the way. But the state has also become a major manufacturing center, with several sizable… Continue reading
We’ve spent plenty of time in Kansas, mostly driving through. From the road we usually take, this is what Kansas looks like. Kansas is the epitome of plains states, and it produces lots of wheat. Kansas became a state in 1861, as the Civil War was getting started. It was… Continue reading
We’re told that the first thing most Americans think of when they hear about Oklahoma is the song: Next up: Native Americans, tornadoes, and oil. We won’t disagree, but we would add some things, which we’ve shared below. Oklahoma became a state in 1907, one of the earliest 20th century… Continue reading
Nebraska was home to prehistoric peoples beginning about 12,000 years ago. In the 1700s, members of the Omaha, Oto, Pawnee, Ponca, Lakota, Cheyenne, and other indigenous peoples arrived. In 1803, Nebraska was part of the Louisiana Purchase, when the United States bought large amounts of land from France. During westward… Continue reading
We mentioned that Nebraska‘s admission as a state was vetoed by the president. Colorado got the same veto. Congress overrode the veto of Nebraska’s admission, though. Colorado couldn’t get the votes to override the veto, though, and had to wait for statehood. One reason was that there weren’t very many… Continue reading
