Alabama Day in the United States Date in the current year: December 14, 2024

Alabama is a state in the Southern United States, bordered by Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, and Mississippi. The Alabama River and state were named after the eponymous indigenous people living below the confluence of the Tallapoosa and Coosa rivers that form the Alabama River.

The first Europeans to set foot in what is now Alabama were Spanish in the 16th century. However, they didn’t establish any settlements here; Hernando de Soto’s expedition simply passed through the region deeper into the American South. The first European settlement in Alabama, La Mobile, was founded by the French in 1702. In 1711, they moved it to its present location at the head of the Mobile Bay.

Until 1763, most of what is now Alabama was ruled by the French as part of French Louisiana (La Louisiane). Following the defeat of France in the Seven Year’s War, most French colonies in North America were ceded to Great Britain under the terms of the Treaty of Paris. Louisiana east of the Mississippi River was incorporated into British West Florida.

After the American Revolutionary War, West Florida was divided between the United States and Spain. Most of what is now Alabama was incorporated into Georgia, but the territory of the present-day counties of Baldwin and Mobile became part of Spanish West Florida. By 1813, however, this part of Spanish West Florida was annexed by the United States and added to the Mississippi Territory.

The Alabama Territory was created by the United States Congress in March 1817. Its capital was St. Stephens, which is now just an unincorporated census-designated place. The process of Alabama’s admission to the Union as a state began two years later. The Constitutional Convention was held in Huntsville from July 5 to August 2, 1819. On December 14, 1819, Alabama was formally admitted to the Union as the 22nd state.

Alabama Day was officially instituted by the Alabama Legislature in 1923. It has been observed ever since, but not as a non-working holiday. The main objective of Alabama Day is to encourage the residents of Alabama to learn about the history of their state and to take a more active part in its political life. Most Alabama Day events are educational in nature and therefore organized by local schools for their students.