Ngo-1819, uJohn Overton, uAndrew Jackson, noJames Winchester basungula isixeko saseMemphis kwisine seChickasaw bluff.
Bambona i-bluff njengenqaba yemvelo ngokumelene nabahlaseli, kunye nomqobo wendalo onxamnye nomlambo wamanzi eMlambo iMississippi. Ukongezelela, iphoyinti layo ngasemlanjeni lenze ichweba elifanelekileyo kunye neziko lokurhweba. Ekuqaleni kwayo, iMemphis yayineebhloko ezine kunye kwaye yayinabantu abangamashumi amahlanu. Unyana kaYachard Winchester, uMarcus, wenziwa ngodolophu wokuqala weso sixeko.
Abafuduki bokuqala baseMemfis babengabantu base-Irish naseJamani kwaye babejongene nokukhula kokuqala kweso sixeko. Laba bavela kwamanye amazwe bavula amashishini, bakhela amakhelwane, baqalisa iicawa. Njengoko uMemphis wakhula, amakhoboka athethwe ngenjongo yokuphuhlisa phambili umzi, ukwakha iindlela kunye nezakhiwo kunye nokulima umhlaba - ngokukodwa indawo yekotoni. I-cotton yorhwebo yaba nenzuzo kangangokuba abantu abaninzi abazange bafune ukuvela kwi-Union ekuqaleni kweMfazwe Yombango, bengathandi ukuyeka ukubophelela kwabo kumashishini kumantla eMerika.
Ngabanikazi bezolimo abaxhomekeka kakhulu kwiinkonzo zabakhoboka, nangona kunjalo, isixeko sahlula.
Ngenxa yendawo yalo, i-Union kunye ne-Confederacy zombini zivakalise izimangalo kwisixeko. UMemphis wayesebenza njengomkhosi wezempi kwiCompederacy kwaze kwaba yilapho uMzantsi unqotywe ekulweni eShilo. UMemphis waba yikomkhulu leNyunyana ye-Union u-Ulysses S.
Isibonelelo. Kungenzeka ngenxa yendawo yayo eyimfuneko ukuba loo mzi awubhujiswa njengabanye abaninzi ngexesha leMfazwe yombutho. Esikhundleni salokho, iMemphis yayingama-55,000.
Kungekudala emva kwemfazwe, ke, isixeko sasihlwaywe ngumkhuhlane we-yellow fever owabulala abantu abangaphezu kwama-5,000. Omnye ama-25,000 abaleke kuloo ndawo kwaye ilizwe laseTennessee lisusa i-Memphis charter ngo-1879. Inkqubo entsha yokuthuthwa kwamanzi kunye nokufumanisa imithombo yobugcisa isetyenzisiwe ekupheliseni ukuphela kwesibhubhiso esasichitha ngokutshabalalisa isixeko. Kwiminyaka emininzi elandelayo, i-Memphians ethembekileyo neyezinikezele ichithe ixesha kunye nemali yabo ekubuyiselweni kwesi sixeko. Ngokuhlaziya uphuhliso lwekotoni kunye nokuphuhlisa ishishini, isixeko saba yinto ebaluleke kakhulu kwaye iphumelele kakhulu eMzantsi.
Ngama-1960, umzabalazo wamalungelo oluntu eMemphis weza entloko. Isigqeba sabasebenzi bezococwa kwezococwa senza umkhankaso wamalungelo alinganayo kunye nokulwa nendlala. Umzabalazo wabangela uDkt. Martin Luther King, uJr. ukutyelela esi sixeko, ezisa naye ingqalelo yelizwe kwiingxaki ezijongene nabancinci kunye nabampofu. Ngethuba lokutyelela kwakhe, uKumkani wabulawa kwi-balcony yaseLorraine Motel apho wayethetha nesihlwele.
I-motel sele ishintshiwe yaba yiMyuziyam yoLungelo loLuntu.
Ukongeza kwiMyuziyam, ezinye iinguqu ziyabonwa yonke iMemphis. Isi sixeko siyinxalenye yeziko lokusabalalisa isizwe esincinci kwaye likhaya kwelinye lezona zixhobo ezinkulu zonyango kunye nezona zixhotyiswe kakhulu. I-Downtown ifumene ukuphakanyiswa ubuso kwaye ngoku ibuyele ekhaya kwi-Beale Street, i-Mud Island, iForam ye-FedEx, kunye nezindlu eziphezulu, ii-galleries kunye ne-boutiques.
Kuyo yonke imbali yayo enezityebi, uMemphis ubone amaxesha okuchuma kunye namaxesha omzabalazo. Kukho konke, isixeko siphumelele kwaye ngokuqinisekileyo siya kwenza njalo kwikamva.