Mobile: the new history of Alabama's first city

Abstract

This comprehensive new history of Mobile celebrates the rich heritage of Alabama's oldest city and commemorates the city's tricentennial from 1702 to the present. Alabama's oldest city from the period of European settlement was founded in 1702 by French naval officer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville. Bienville named the settlement after the nearby Maubila Indians and situated it on the west side of the protected harbor now called Mobile Bay on the Gulf of Mexico. During the colonial period, Mobile was occupied successively by the French, British, and Spanish until it was seized by the Americans in 1813. From this point on, the city quickly evolved from a trading post into a prosperous river port, thanks to the cotton production of antebellum Black Belt plantations. After the defeat of the Confederacy, Mobile began to decline and Birmingham took over as the economic leader of Alabama. During World War II, Mobile experienced a second boom period as shipbuilding and defense industries expanded and flourished. At the turn of the 21st century, as it celebrates its tricentennial, Mobile remains an important American port city whoes economy has diversified to include oil, natural gas, and paper. Mobile: The New History of Alabama's First City reassesses Mobile's place in American history and celebrates its proud heritage. Recognized scholars of Mobile history have collaborated to produce a highly readable, richly illustrated narrative that showcases the great range of influences on this bustling maritime city. Published in cooperation with the Mobile Tricentennial Committee, this long-awaited book will be invaluable to historians and general readers alike as it documents and interprets the first 300 years of a great and vital American city.