Second Grade Social Studies

• Tennessee was the 16 th state to join the
United States on June 1, 1796. The
United States was 20 years old the year
Tennessee became a state. Tennessee is known as the “Volunteer State” because of all the “volunteers” that came from the state during the Civil War. Tennessee is the 36 th biggest state in the US.

• The mocking bird was selected as the state bird in 1933. One of the finest singers among North
American birds, it has a melodious song of its own, and is especially noted for its skill in mimicking the songs of other birds.

• The lady bug is one of the official insects of
Tennessee. It helps farmers by controlling insect pests.
• The firefly is also a state insect.

• The tulip poplar was adopted as the state tree by the State
Legislature in 1947. It was chosen because it was used by pioneers to build their homes, barns, and other buildings. The tree sometimes reaches 200 feet. The bark is smooth and brownish gray.
The leaves are very smooth with a broad notch at the tip.
The flowers are tulip-like, green-orange in color, and are
1-3 inches deep.

• The iris was designated as the state cultivated flower by the Legislature in
1933. While there are several different colors among the iris, the purple is commonly accepted as the state flower.

• Adopted in 1905, the flag features three stars representing the grand divisions of the state: East, Middle and West. The stars are bound together in indissoluble unity by an unending white band.

Tennessee’s
Three Grand Divisions
• Tennessee is divided into three grand divisions:
West Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and East
Tennessee. West and Middle Tennessee are divided by the Tennessee River.

• West Tennessee has flat land ending at the
Mississippi River. The major city found in West
Tennessee is Memphis.

• Middle Tennessee is known for its low rolling hills and pastures for grazing. Nashville,
Tennessee’s capital city and the home of country music, is found in Middle Tennessee.

• In East Tennessee you will find mountainous land, home of the Great Smoky Mountains.
Major cities are Knoxville and Chattanooga.

Three Major Rivers of Tennessee
• There are three major rivers in Tennessee: the Mississippi River, the Tennessee River, and the Cumberland River. The
Mississippi River runs along the west border of West Tennessee. The
Tennessee River divides West and Middle
Tennessee and flows through East
Tennessee, and the Cumberland flows through Middle Tennessee.

• A product is something that people grow or make to sell. Tennessee has many important products.
• Products of West Tennessee include: cotton, poultry, corn, cars, and dairy.
• Products of Middle Tennessee include: corn, clothes, dairy, and poultry.
• Products of East Tennessee include: coal, poultry, chemicals, and dairy.

Davy Crockett, Elvis Presley, Al Gore, Andrew Jackson

More Famous Tennesseans
Andrew Johnson, Buford Pusser, Wilma Rudolph, Tina Turner