Mississippi River

Paper Summary:

This paper explains the historical and geographical importance of the Mississippi River. It looks at the symbolic nature of the river as being the separation point between East and West. The paper focuses on the early history of the river and looks at the Native Americans who lived nearby.

From the Paper:

"The Mississippi River is one of the world's great rivers. It is the longest river in the United States, more than twenty-three hundred miles in length, as it forms the borders of ten states, almost bisecting the continent (Currie,2003, 8). The river has a long history as well, and it has touched the lives of many people. The Mississippi is said to begin at Lake Itasca in Minnesota. In 1832, explorer Henry Schoolcraft named this lake, not after any local Indian name, but from the Latin words for "true head" which are veritas caput shortened to "Itasca" (Currie, 2003, 4). However, long before its source was named it was a navigational river."

More papers on Mississippi River:

• Research Paper # 117968 : "The Mississippi River Delta"
• Term Paper # 95791 : "The Great Mississippi River Flood of 1993"
• Research Paper # 96130 : "The Mississippi River Wars"

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