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Free Traveling Guides » States » Nebraska History of Nebraska
Nebraska, situated on the Great Plains of the United States of America, has derived its name from the Chiwere word meaning "flat water," after the spectacular Platte River that streams through the state. It was first claimed in 1682 by French voyager Rene-Robert Cavelier and was later given its current name in 1714 by Etienne de Bourgmont. This region was a part of the Louisiana Territory and was purchased by the United States from France in 1803. The Missouri Territory, including the present-day Nebraska, was organized in 1812 by President James Madison. The history of ‘Nebraska’ dates back to its formation as a separate territory, following the endorsement of the Kansas-Nebraska Act on May 30, 1854 by the United States Congress. Omaha was made the first territorial capital. The Nebraska Territory was urbanized expansively under the Homestead Act passed during the 1860s. Shortly after the American Civil War, the territory was finally added to the Union as the 37th U. S. State in 1867. Nebraska also has an extended history of civil rights activism, beginning in 1912 with the organization of Omaha's National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chapter. Nebraska became the site of a number of prisoner of war camps, including Scottsbluff, Fort Robinson, and Camp Atlanta, during the WWII. It was also home to numerous U.S. Army Airfields, which were established at various locations across the state. |
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