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Oklahoma is a southwestern state of the United States and its U.S. postal abbreviation is OK. USS Oklahoma was named in honor of this state. Major state designations and symbols include:
HistoryOklahoma was inhabited by Native American tribes including the Caddo. Descendants of these people still live in the state. The name Oklahoma comes from the language of the Choctaw people, who came in the 1830s. "Okla" roughly means "the people" and "homa" means "red". In the 16th century Spanish explorers became the first Europeans to visit the area. Later on Oklahoma was part of the vast territorial swapping going on between European powers France and Spain. In the 1830s Oklahoma, as the Indian Territory, served as the relocation area for the policy of Indian Removal started by Andrew Jackson. The end of the Trail of Tears (Tsa La Gi) was "Indian Territory". There were already many tribes living in the territory, whites, and escaped slaves as well. The "Five Civilized Tribes" were not the only ones forced to Oklahoma. Nations such as the Delaware, from the northeast US, Kiowa, Comanche, and others were forced to move to Oklahoma. Descendants of these people still live in Oklahoma today. Counties with the names of these tribes also exist. Oklahoma has the second highest number of Native Americans/Amerindians in the country estimated at 395,219 as of 2003. Only California has a higher Amerindian population at 682,720 [1] (http://eire.census.gov/popest/data/states/ST-EST2002-ASRO-04.php). Oklahoma also has the second highest concentration of Native Americans/Amerindians in the nation with 11.4% of the state's population, topped only by Alaska at 19% of that state's population. [2] (http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/c2kbr01-15.pdf). The five civilized tribes set up towns such as Tulsa, Tahlequah, and Muskogee, which became some of the larger towns in the state. They also brought their African slaves to Oklahoma, which added to African-American population in the region. During the American Civil War many tribes were internally split between Confederates and Yankees. However, in 1861 the Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Seminoles, Quapaws, Senecas, Caddos, Wichitas, Osages, and Shawnees signed treaties of alliance with the Confederacy. There were several battles fought in Oklahoma. After the Civil War, in 1866, the federal government forced the tribes into new treaties. Most of the land in central and western Indian Territory was ceded to the government. Some of the land was given to other tribes, but the central part, the so-called Unassigned Lands, remained with the government. Another concession allowed railroads to cross Indian lands. Furthermore the practice of slavery was outlawed. Some nations were integrated racially and otherwise with their slaves, but other nations were extremely hostile to the former slaves and wanted them exiled from their territory. In the 1870s a movement began by people wanting to settle the govenment lands in the Indian Territory under the Homestead Act of 1862. They referred to the Unassigned Lands as Oklahoma and to themselves as Boomers. In the 1880s, early settlers of the state's very sparsely populated Panhandle region tried to form the Cimarron Territory, but lost a lawsuit against the federal government, prompting a judge in Paris, Texas, to unintentionally create a moniker for the area. "That is land that can be owned by no man," the judge said, and after that the panhandle was referred to as No Man's Land until statehood arrived decades later. In 1884, in United States vs. Payne, the United States District Court in Topeka, Kansas, ruled that settling on the lands ceded to the government by the Indians under the 1866 treaties was not a crime. The government at first resisted but the Congress soon enacted laws authorizing settlement. On March 231889, President Benjamin Harrison signed legislation by the U.S. Congress which would open up the Unassigned Lands (some 2 million acres (8,000 km²), for settlement on April 22nd. It was to be the first of a number of Land Runs. Some of the settlers were called "Sooners" because they had already staked their land claims before the land was officially opened for settlement. Congress passed the Dawes Act, or General Allotment Act, in 1887 requiring the government to negotiate agreements with the tribes to divide Indian lands into individual holdings. Under the allotment system, tribal lands left over would be surveyed for settlement by non-Indians. Following settlement, many whites accused Republican officials of giving preferential treatment to ex-slaves in land disputes. The Dawes Act excluded the Five Civilized Tribes. The Organic Act of 1890 created the Oklahoma Territory out of the Unassigned Lands and No Man's Land. In 1893 the government purchased the rights to settle the Cherokee Outlet, or Cherokee Strip, from the Cherokee Nation. The Cherokee Outlet was part of the lands ceded to the government in the 1866 treaty but with the Cherokees retaining access. Chicago meat-packing plants had leased it from the Cherokees for huge cattle ranches. The Cherokee Strip was opened to settlement by land run in 1894. Also, in 1893, Congress set up the Dawes Commission to negotiate agreements with each of the Five Civilized Tribes for the allotment of tribal lands to individual Indians. Finally, the 1898 Curtis Act abolished tribal jurisdiction over all of Indian Territory. On November 16, 1907, Oklahoma Territory combined with Indian Territory to become the 46th U.S. state. In the early 1900s the oil business began to get underway. Huge pools of underground oil were discovered in places like Glenpool. Many whites flooded into the state to make money. Many of the 'old money' elite families of Oklahoma can date their rise to this time. The prosperity of the 1920s can be seen in the surviving architecture from the period, including one which was converted into the Philbrook Museum. During the height of the Great Depression, drought and non-ecologically-friendly agricultural practices led to the Dust Bowl, when large tracts of arable land were blown away in massive dust storms. This forced many small farmers to flee the state altogether. This migration is chronicled in The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, and also in photographs by Dorothea Lange. The negative images of the "Okie" as a sort of rootless migrant laborer living in a near-animal state of scrounging for food greatly offended many Oklahomans. Some politicians of Oklahoma denounced the book (often without reading it) as an attempt to impugn the morals and character of the people of Oklahoma. For Oklahoma, the early 1900s were also somewhat turbulent politically. Many different groups had flooded into the state and were trying to figure out how to live. There were also "black towns", in which blacks tried to make a life of their own, separate from whites. The white towns were also segregated. Northern Tulsa was known as Black Wall Street because of the vibrant business, cultural, and religious community that had sprung up there. The Industrial Workers of the World tried to gain headway during this period, but achieved little success. The Ku Klux Klan was also active, denouncing Blacks, Catholics, and Jews. There were several race riots, including the Tulsa Race Riot, one of the worst in American history. Tensions between whites and Native Americans seem to have been less violent in the 20th century. The various government sponsored arts, community, and tourism programs emphasize Oklahoma's Native American heritage heavily. In 1995 Oklahoma became the scene of the Oklahoma City bombing, in which a Gulf War veteran named Timothy McVeigh bombed the Alfred Murrah Federal Building, killing 168 people. Law and Governmentsee List of Oklahoma Governors. The capital of the state is Oklahoma City and its governor is Brad Henry (Democrat). Oklahoma's two U.S. senators are James M. Inhofe (Republican) and Tom Coburn (Republican). The U.S. Representatives are John Sullivan (Republican) of District 1, Dan Boren (Democrat) of District 2, Frank D. Lucas (Republican) of District 3, Tom Cole (Republican) of District 4, and Ernest Istook (Republican) of District 5. Oklahom’s state legislature consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Senate has 48 members serving four-year terms, while the House has 101 members with two year terms. The state has term limits for their legislature that restrict any one person to a total of twelve years service in both the house and senate. The state is divided into 77 counties which deliver local government. Each is governed by a three member commission. Other county elected officials are the tax assessor, clerk, court clerk, treasurer, and sheriff. PoliticsAfter the 2000 census the Oklahoma delegation to the U.S. House was reduced from six to five representives. For the 109th Congress (2005-2006) there are no changes in party strength, and the delegation has four Republicans and one Democrat. In the 2005-2006 state legislature, control is split between the parties, the Democrats control the Senate (26 to 22) while the Republicans control the House (57 to 44). This changes the government’s make-up since before the 2004 election the Democrats controlled both chambers. Political parties in Oklahoma (and their websites) are:
GeographySee: List of Oklahoma counties, List of Oklahoma townships, Lakes in Oklahoma Oklahoma is bounded on the north by Kansas and Colorado, on the west and south by New Mexico and Texas (with part of the Texas border delineated by the Red River (Mississippi watershed), and on the east by Missouri and Arkansas. Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city. As of 2000, the population is 3,450,654. Oklahoma receives much rain in the far eastern part of the state but is very dry in the panhandle and the west. Map of Oklahoma Interstate highwaysUnited States highways
EconomyOklahoma is a major fuel and food-producing state. Thousands of oil and natural gas wells dot the Oklahoma landscape. Millions of white-faced beef cattle graze on Oklahoma's flat plain and low hills. Fertile fields produce vast crops of wheat. Its 1999 total gross state product was $86 billion, placing it 29th in the nation. Its 2000 Per Capita Personal Income was $23,517, 43rd in the nation. Its agricultural outputs are cattle, wheat, milk, poultry, and cotton. Its industrial outputs are transportation equipment, machinery, electric products, rubber and plastic products, and food processing. Oklahoma City is the principle economic engine of the state, centered on the Finance, Retail, Governance, Entertainment, and Tourism sectors. The city has numerous manufacturing and processing plants as well as a growing Biotech center and a large Aviation market. Oklahoma City is home to many corporate and regional headquarters including international giants Devon Energy, Kerr McGee, OGE Energy, Chesapeake Energy, Six Flags, Sonic, Local Financial, and Dobson Communications. The Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area is a growing Hi-Tech region and a major Distribution and Shipping point. Tulsa is an Energy and Trade center and is a major Aerospace and Telecommunications market. The city has many large factories and numerous small businesses. DemographicsAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2003, Oklahoma's population was estimated at 3,511,532 people. The racial makeup of the state is:
The 5 largest ancestry groups in Oklahoma are German (14.5%), American (13.1%), Irish (11.8%), English (9.6%), American Indian (7.9%). 6.8% of Oklahoma's population were reported as under 5, 25.9% under 18, and 13.2% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 50.9% of the population. ReligionThe religious affiliations of the citizens of Oklahoma are:
The three largest Protestant denominations in Oklahoma are: Baptist (33% of the total state population), Methodist (9%), Churches of Christ (5%). Important cities and towns
See also: List of cities in Oklahoma
EducationColleges and universitiesSee Also: List of Oklahoma school districts by county Professional sports teamsThe Minor League Baseball Teams are:
Other Oklahoma City teams include
Other Tulsa teams include See also
External links
Oklahoma Attractions
Oklahoma web portals
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