located in the southeastern region
of the United States
. It is bordered by Tennessee
to the north, Georgia
to the east, Florida
and the Gulf of Mexico
to the south, and Mississippi
to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland waterways. The state ranks 23rd in population with 4.7 million residents in 2009.
From the American Civil War
until World War II
, Alabama, like many Southern states, suffered economic hardship, in part because of continued dependence on agriculture.
1807 In Alabama, Former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr is arrested for treason and confined to Fort Stoddert.
1814 War of 1812: In central Alabama, U.S. forces under General Andrew Jackson defeat the Creek at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.
1814 Indian Wars: the Creek sign the Treaty of Fort Jackson, giving up huge parts of Alabama and Georgia.
1819 Alabama becomes the 22nd U.S. state.
1861 Alabama secedes from the United States.
1861 American Civil War: Georgia joins South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama in seceding from the United States.
1864 The Union Navy captures Fort Morgan, Alabama, thus breaking Confederate dominance of all ports on the Gulf of Mexico.
1881 In Alabama, the Tuskegee Institute opens.
1883 Alabama becomes the first U.S. state to enact an antitrust law.
1931 The Scottsboro Boys are arrested in Alabama and charged with rape.