{"id":12637,"date":"2023-11-10T10:55:14","date_gmt":"2023-11-10T09:55:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/?p=12637"},"modified":"2023-11-10T10:55:14","modified_gmt":"2023-11-10T09:55:14","slug":"what-country-controlled-the-mississippi-river","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/what-country-controlled-the-mississippi-river\/","title":{"rendered":"What Country Controlled The Mississippi River"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Mississippi river is a trans-boundary river that flows from Lake Itasca in Minnesota all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. Since the colonial times, it has had immense significance for the United States’ economy and as a highway for transportation. As such, throughout history its control has been fiercely contested by various countries in the area. <\/p>\n

The Native American tribes, especially the Dakotas, Hopis, and the Sioux, were among the earliest to inhabit the Mississippi region. It was the dominant tribes in the region who had control of the Mississippi in the period prior to European colonization. Smaller tribes that roamed the Mississippi region would often trade with the dominant groups, thereby giving them control of the economic activity of the river. <\/p>\n

In 1682, the French colonizer René-Robert Cavelier de La Salle claimed the Mississippi River and the lands surrounding it for Louis XIV of France. He coined the phrase “La Louisiane” for the entire region. This included the valuable land of Louisiana and the entire Mississippi River system. From this point on, the French maintained close control over the Mississippi and the lands surroundingLouisiana. In 1762, in recognition of the immense financial and military pressures placed upon it, France gave Spain the territory of Louisiana. At this point, Spain became the dominant country controlling the Mississippi River. <\/p>\n

In 1800, as part of the secret Third Treaty of San Ildefonso agreement between France and Spain, France reclaimed the Louisiana Territory, with Spain relinquishing its claim. Then, under pressure from the United States, Napoleon resurrected his dream of creating a French empire in the Americas and sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States in 1803 through the Louisiana Purchase Treaty. This ceded all control of the Mississippi river to the United States. <\/p>\n