<P> Expansion of cultivation of cotton into the Deep South was enabled by the invention of the cotton gin, which made processing of short - staple cotton profitable . This type was more readily grown in upland and inland areas, in contrast to the long - staple cotton of the Sea Islands and Lowcountry . Americans pressed to gain more land for cotton, causing conflicts with the several tribes of Native Americans who historically occupied this territory of the Southeast . Five of the major tribes had adopted some western customs and had members who assimilated to varying degrees, often based on proximity and trading relationships with whites . </P> <P> Through the 1830s, state and federal US governments forced the Five Civilized Tribes to cede their lands . Various US leaders developed proposals for removal of all Native Americans to west of the Mississippi River . This took place following passage of the Indian Removal Act in 1830 by Congress . As Indians ceded their lands to whites through the Southeast, they moved west and became more isolated from the American planter society, where many African Americans were enslaved . The state sold off the ceded lands, and white migration into the state continued . Some families brought slaves with them; most slaves were transported into the area from the Upper South in a forced migration through the domestic slave trade . </P> <P> In 1817 elected delegates wrote a constitution and applied to Congress for statehood . On Dec. 10, 1817, the western portion of Mississippi Territory became the State of Mississippi, the 20th state of the Union . Natchez, long established as a major river port, was the first state capital . As more population came into the state and future growth was anticipated, in 1822 the capital was moved to the more central location of Jackson . </P> <P> French colonists had established the Catholic Church in their colonial settlements along the coast, such as Biloxi . As Americans entered the territory, they brought their strongly Protestant tradition . Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians made up the three leading denominations in the territory, and their congregations rapidly built new churches and chapels . By this time, many slaves were already Christians, attending church under the supervision of white planters . They also developed their own private worship and celebrations on the larger plantations . Adherents to other religions were a distinct minority . Some Protestant ministers won converts and often promoted education, although there was no state public school system until it was authorized after the Civil War by the Reconstruction - era biracial legislature . </P>

When did mississippi become part of the united states