Spain has a short, but important part in Mississippi’s history. Between 1779 and 1798, Spanish administrators sought to wrangle profits and people in small outpost, most prominently Natchez, along the Mississippi River. Enforcing Spanish laws and customs in a polyglot and largely Anglo-American population proved treacherous and created economic and social dynamics that gave rise to more than one chaotic episode as people tried to gain influence and power along the Mississippi.
Speakers Expertise:
Dr. Christian Pinnen is a Professor in the Department of History and Political Science. Dr. Pinnen joined MC’s faculty in 2012 and currently teaches U.S. History, History of the Old South, Latin America Survey, the American Revolution, and American Slavery. His research focuses on race and slavery in the Spanish-American borderlands and capitalism in early America. He has published two books in 2021:
Complexion of Empire in Natchez and
Colonial Mississippi. Dr. Pinnen is the recipient of the 2019 Humanities Teacher of the Year award and Complexion of Empire in Natchez received the 2021 Best Book of the Year award from the Mississippi Historical Society. He is a 2022-2024 Bright Fellow at Know College, the 2024 Mississippi Humanities Scholar of the Year, and the 2024 Distinguished Professor at Mississippi College.
