Editing Rutherford County, Tennessee (section)

==History==
===Early history===
Rutherford County was formed in 1803 from parts of Davidson, Williamson and Wilson counties,<ref name="tehc" /> and named in honor of [[Griffith Rutherford]] (1721–1805).<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ |title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States |publisher=Government Printing Office |location=Washington, D.C. |series=Geological Survey Bulletin, no. 258 |edition=2nd |first=Henry |last=Gannett |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n267 268] |year=1905 |oclc=1156805}}</ref> Rutherford was a [[North Carolina]] colonial legislator and an [[American Revolutionary War]] general, who settled in [[Middle Tennessee]] after the Revolution. He was appointed President of the Council of the [[Southwest Territory]] (the upper chamber of the territorial legislature) in 1794.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i_MxAQAAMAAJ |title=History of Tennessee: Its People and Its Institutions |publisher=Brandon Printing |location=Nashville, TN |first1=William Robertson |last1=Garrett |first2=Albert Virgil |last2=Goodpasture |page=339 |year=1900 |isbn=978-0-7222-4847-8 |oclc=1986075}}</ref>

===Civil War===
Rutherford County strongly supported the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], having voted 2,392 to 73 in favor of Tennessee's [[Ordinance of Secession]] on June 8, 1861.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rutherfordtnhistory.org/PeoplePlacesandStories/MurfreesboroPost/20120529%20-%20Merry%20Month%20of%20May/20120529%20-%20Merry%20Month%20of%20May.htm |title=Merry Month of May |work=The Murfreesboro Post via Rutherford County Historical Society |first=Shirley Ferris |last=Jones |date=May 29, 2012 |access-date=June 17, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130708033440/http://rutherfordtnhistory.org/PeoplePlacesandStories/MurfreesboroPost/20120529%20-%20Merry%20Month%20of%20May/20120529%20-%20Merry%20Month%20of%20May.htm |archive-date=July 8, 2013 }}</ref>

Rutherford County's central location and proximity to Nashville during the Civil War made it a contested area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rutherfordtnhistory.org/HistoryOfRutherfordCounty.htm |title=A History of Rutherford County, Tennessee |publisher=Rutherford County Historical Society |access-date=June 17, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130708135531/http://rutherfordtnhistory.org/HistoryOfRutherfordCounty.htm |archive-date=July 8, 2013 }}</ref> The county was home to one of the bloodiest battles of the war, the [[Battle of Stones River]], which was fought between December 31, 1862, and January 2, 1863.

On July 13, 1862, Confederate General [[Nathan Bedford Forrest]] conducted a series of cavalry operations known locally as ''Forrest's Raid''. The raid successfully led to the surrender of all Union forces occupying the area.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/tn006.htm |title=CWSAC Battle Summaries: Murfreesboro |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=June 17, 2013}}</ref> Soon after his departure, Union troops returned to the area and held it until the end of the war.

===Reconstruction and latter 19th century===
[[File:Bradley-academy-murfreesboro-tn1.jpg|thumb|Opened in 1884, [[Bradley Academy]] was Rutherford County's first high school for African Americans]]

In August 1869, rampaging white men drove close to 100 African American farmers from their homes, and out of the county, to [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]].<ref name="tennessee_lawless_1869_08_31_nytimes_com">[https://www.nytimes.com/1869/08/31/archives/tennessee-lawless-proceedings-in-rutherford-countynegroes-driven.html "TENNESSEE.; Lawless Proceedings in Rutherford County&mdash;Negroes Driven from their Homes&mdash;Proclamation by Governor Senter,"] August 31, 1869, ''[[New York Times]]'' archive, retrieved October 15, 2021</ref>

In 1884, [[Bradley Academy]] in Murfreesboro became Rutherford County's first accredited high school for African Americans. The co-educational school was operated by the Murfreesboro City Schools system. Bradley Academy was placed on the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Rutherford County, Tennessee|National Register of Historic Places]] in 1990.<ref>{{cite news | last = West | first = Mike | date = October 26, 2017 | title = Bradley Academy Dates Back to 1811 | url = https://www.murfreesboropost.com/news/bradley-academy-dates-back-to-1811/article_e62d95e1-8cd1-5a0d-aca4-a477a6e030cb.html | work = Murfreesboro Post}}</ref>

===Modern history===
In the early 2000s, Muslim immigrants settled in the county, particularly in and around [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee|Murfreesboro]]. Their efforts to develop a [[mosque]], the [[Islamic Center of Murfreesboro]] (and its subsequent replacement) became the focus of intense local controversy and opposition from non-Muslims,<ref name="tennessee_mosque_2021_07_19_bbc">[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-18909744 "Tennessee mosque gets go-ahead after legal fight,"] July 19, 2012, ''[[British Broadcasting Corporation|BBC]],'' [[United Kingdom]], retrieved October 15, 2021</ref><ref name="feds_file_2010_10_19_ap_taiwannews">Hall, Kristin M. ([[Associated Press]]): [https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/1407772 "Feds file legal brief in support of Tenn. mosque,"] October 19, 2010, ''[[Taiwan News]],'' retrieved October 15, 2021</ref><ref name="us_judge_halts_mosque_2012_05_30_tribune_com_pk">[[Reuters News Service]]: [https://tribune.com.pk/story/386179/us-judge-halts-construction-of-tennessee-mosque "US judge halts construction of Tennessee mosque: Judge ruled that local government had failed to follow proper procedures before granting building permit,"] May 30, 2012, The ''[[Express Tribune]],'' [[Pakistan]], retrieved October 16, 2021</ref><ref name="vandals_apologize_2018_03_10_ap_globalnews_ca">[[Associated Press]]: [https://globalnews.ca/news/4075418/tennessee-mosque-islamic-center-mufreesboro-vandals/ "Tennessee mosque vandals apologize for ‘dumb, foolish’ actions,"] March 10, 2018, ''[[Global News]],'' [[Canada]], retrieved October 15, 2021</ref> and were stymied by political and legal battles,<ref name="feds_file_2010_10_19_ap_taiwannews" /><ref name="us_judge_halts_mosque_2012_05_30_tribune_com_pk" /><ref name="us_judge_halts_mosque_2012_08_10_ap_foxnews">[[Associated Press]]: [https://www.foxnews.com/us/embattled-tennessee-mosque-opens "Embattled Tennessee mosque opens,"] August 10, 2012, updated December 1, 2015, ''[[Fox News]],'' retrieved October 16, 2021</ref><ref name="a_fight_2014_02_13_theatlantic">Ohlheiser, Abby: [https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/02/fight-over-tennessee-mosque-has-cost-one-county-343276-so-far/358054/ "A Fight Over a Tennessee Mosque Has Cost One County $343,276 (so Far),"] February 13, 2014, ''[[The Atlantic]],'' retrieved October 15, 2021</ref> arson, bomb threats and vandalism.<ref name="vandals_apologize_2018_03_10_ap_globalnews_ca" /><ref name="faith_leaders_2012_08_10_washingtonpost">Markoe, Lauren: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/faith-leaders-urge-americans-to-combat-attacks-on-religious-minorities/2012/08/09/f7d6561a-e26e-11e1-89f7-76e23a982d06_story.html "Faith leaders urge Americans to combat attacks on religious minorities,"] August 10, 2012, ''[[Washington Post]],'' retrieved October 15, 2021</ref><ref name="arson_caused_fire_2012_09_04_ap_foxnews">[[Associated Press]]: [https://www.foxnews.com/us/arson-caused-fire-at-tennessee-mosque-site-police-say "Arson Caused Fire at Tennessee Mosque Site, Police Say,"] September 4, 2012, updated November 30, 2015, ''[[Fox News]],'' retrieved October 22, 2021</ref><ref name="a_fight_2014_02_13_theatlantic" /><ref name="a_fight_2012_07_18_nytimes">Severson, Kim: [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/19/us/judge-allows-muslims-to-use-murfreesboro-mosque.html "Judge Allows Muslims to Use Tennessee Mosque,"] July 18, 2012, ''[[New York Times]],'' retrieved October 15, 2021</ref> A federal court forced the local authorities to allow the mosque,<ref name="tennessee_mosque_2021_07_19_bbc" /><ref name="us_judge_halts_mosque_2012_08_10_ap_foxnews" /><ref name="a_fight_2012_07_18_nytimes" /> and opposition subsided, but sporadic incidents continued.<ref name="vandals_apologize_2018_03_10_ap_globalnews_ca" />