[53][55] Combined with the overcrowding and lack of annuities promised to both tribes, the Quapaw were unhappy and followed chief Saracen back to their homeland along the Arkansas River. The city gained unwelcome attention in 1957 when Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus used the Arkansas National Guard to thwart a court order to desegregate Central High School. [15] The party originally led by La Salle would depart the Post and continue north to Montreal, where interest was spurred in explorers who had the knowledge that the French had a holding in the region. ", "First Encounters, Hernando de Soto in the Mississippi Valley, 154142", "Louisiana Purchase through Early Statehood, 1803 through 1860", "Old Washington State Park Conserves Town's Heyday", http://history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs62x/arcwmb/webbbs_config.pl?md=read;id=23980, http://www.couchgenweb.com/civilwar/jackson.html, http://history-sites.com/cgi-bin/bbs53x/arcwmb/webbbs_config.pl?noframes;read=24907, http://history-sites.com/mb/cw/arcwmb/archive_index.cgi?noframes;read=6006, "Lee Wilson & Company, Yesterday and Today", "Life in Wilson: Robert E. Lee "Bob" Wilson, III", Historical Census Browser, 1900 US Census, University of Virginia, https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/elaine-massacre-of-1919-1102/, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture Japanese American Relocation Camps, "Desegregating the University of Arkansas School of Law: L. Clifford Davis and the Six Pioneers", "Before Little Rock: Successful Arkansas School Integration", "COVID-19 in Arkansas: Active cases continue to fall steadily", African Americans in Arkansas Further reading, "The Relocation of Arkansas Post to Ecores Rouges in 1779", Arkansas State Resource Guide, from the Library of Congress, Arkansas History Commission and State Archives, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_Arkansas&oldid=1164421363, History of the Southern United States by state, Articles with dead external links from July 2018, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0. Upon creation of the territory, President James Monroe appointed James Miller of New Hampshire, the hero of Lundy's Lane, as territorial governor, and young Robert Crittenden as secretary of the territory. In actuality, none of them did so. By March 2022, there had been 819,984 cumulative cases with 10,524 deaths.[172]. In addition, the City worked to expand citizen engagement through enhanced participation in neighborhood associations. In 1836, Arkansas was to be the recipient of funds from the Deposit and Distribution Act, rumored by some to be as much as $1 million ($26.65 million in today's dollars). Americans began moving west to Kentucky and Tennessee, and the United States wanted to guarantee these people that the Spanish possession of the Mississippi River would not disrupt commerce. Historical Byways, Bountiful, Utah, 2003. Some anti-war organizations formed in northwest Arkansas, such as Arkansas Peace Society, but members of these groups were arrested and charged with treason or forced to join the Confederate Army. [18] After the war ended, the post was again moved upriver out of the floodplain in 1779. The Little Rock Nine incident of 1957 centered around Little Rock Central High School brought Arkansas to national attention. The territorial history of Little Rock and Arkansas is interpreted at the Arkansas Territorial Restoration, where living history portrayals and displays depict the period. [44] Upon returning, the legislature passed a bill to move the capitol to Little Rock by three votes, increasing the value of many legislators' Little Rock lots significantly. [36] The northwest parts of the state did not have cotton plantations, and as little as 2% of the black population in northwest Arkansas was enslaved during the territorial era. ", "Origins: Ice Age Migrations 28,000 11,500 B.C. Donovan, Timothy Paul, Willard B. Gatewood, and Jeannie M. Whayne, eds. [106] Northwest Arkansas was mostly pro-Union and had a slight population majority, and the southeast primarily in favor of secession. The Arkansas Constitution was redrawn in 1864 with the provisions necessitated by the 10% plan. The strong anti-Unionist feelings in the state were evident when Arkansas voters refused to ratify the 14th amendment, guaranteeing citizenship, due process, and equal protection to freedmen, and in fact passed laws restricting freedmen. Little Rock's Courthouse and Post office was originally constructed in 1881 and served in that capacity until 1932. Blacks began using their own schools and churches for the first time. The city ofNorth Little Rockis located just across the river from Little Rock, but it is a separate city. The Grand Prairie diversified into rice agriculture during this period; and remains a major source of rice production. In In 1868, it was designated the Little Rock National Cemetery. The KKK began whitecapping throughout Arkansas, and Governor Clayton declared martial law in ten counties, later adding four more. Farmers in Arkansas were devastated following the war, and a combination of forces aligned to further depress the agriculture sector. Blair, Diane D. "The Big Three of Late Twentieth-Century Arkansas Politics: Dale Bumpers, Bill Clinton, and David Pryor. Davidsonville Historic State Park preserves one of early Arkansas's most important communities, including Arkansas's first post office and courthouse. [113] Many Arkansas troops would participate in the last Confederate offensive operation in the Trans-Mississippi Department when Price lead a large cavalry raid into Missouri in the fall of 1864. Wintory, Blake. Contemporary Arkansans also believed cultural and social change could come with this transition. Shelters became more permanent and pottery became more complex. [88] Since the deposits were going to a state bank, the cash-strapped banks couldn't simply borrow the money from the state of Arkansas. When Congress voted to approve Augustus Garland as governor a year after a corrupt 1874 election, Arkansas and other Southern states began to envision a revolution in which the old Confederate states could update their economies using Northern capital and industry to replace plantation agriculture. Eventually the bonds fell into the hands of London banker James Holford, and they would come to be known as the "Holford Bonds", valued at $1,239,526.82 ($41.924 million today) in 1858. Ord certified the results, as did Congress over the president's veto, and the new Arkansas assembly ratified the 14th amendment, allowing Arkansas to reenter the Union on June 22, 1868. The resulting constitution gave blacks full citizenship, due process, and the right to vote, as well as free public schools for all races and the establishment of the University of Arkansas. With the right to suffrage, freedmen began to participate vigorously in the political life of the state. History of Little Rock, Arkansas [57] Secretary Robert Crittenden was instrumental in acquiring the final removal. Though by 1824, the Quapaw were forced to give up all of their lands, the line continued to serve as an important marker. By 1825, the settlement known as Little Rock was little more than a loosely defined group of structures. The weekly Arkansas State Press newspaper was founded in Little Rock Railroads were also extended to rural areas, but these often charged higher rates that further reduced farmers' profits. Slaves were forced to live in cramped slave quarters in the densely forested swamps, surrounded by disease-carrying mosquitoes. As a result, the Wheel merged with the Northern Farmer's Alliance and eventually became the Populists in 1890. [93] Both banks would fail within a decade, with the bonds they had issued becoming entangled in legally questionable deals. [62][63] Rarely slaves who were desperate would resort to stealing food or clothes from their master though these things would also end in violence towards the slaves. [60] Though quite dangerous, some slaves would leave their plantations late at night to meet with slaves on other plantations to worship and comfort each other. After finding nothing he considered of value and encountering native resistance the entire way; he and his soldiers returned to the Mississippi River where de Soto fell ill. After Union Major-General Benjamin Butler decided to treat escaped slaves flocking to his lines as contraband of war, plantation owners began moving them away from Federal armies. The Story Behind the Famous Little Rock Nine Scream Image Rocks and Minerals - Encyclopedia of Arkansas Wilson was acquitted of murder but expelled from the legislature. Congress later affirmed the election, but the situation formed a divide between Miller's followers and the Crittenden faction. ", Ben Johnson, "Divergent Prosperity and the Arc of Reform, 19682022", Emma Bell, Scott Taylor, and Cathy Driscoll, "Varieties of organizational soul: The ethics of belief in organizations. The "New South" progressive ideals were especially evident in the era's business leaders such as Lee Wilson and Henry Grady. LITTLE ROCK (KATV) A high school student in central Arkansas was Confederate governor Harris Flanagin brought state documents back from Washington and retired after the war. Encyclopedia of Arkansas England declared war on France in 1803, and Napoleon sold his land in the new world to the United States, today known as the Louisiana Purchase. The Union began an offensive across Arkansas in early 1862 in which Brigadier-General Samuel Curtis led troops near Leetown, where the Battle of Pea Ridge occurred. This application also defined all land in the Missouri Territory south of the parallel 3630' north, except the Missouri Bootheel between the Mississippi River and the Saint Francis River north of the 36th parallel north, as the new Territory of Arkansaw. WebBenard de la Harpe, a Frenchman leading an exploration party up the Arkansas River on He recovered and was elected 42nd president in the 1992 election. He intended to knock Arkansas out of the war by capturing Little Rock until Confederate reinforcements arrived in Spring 1862 under Brigadier-General William Steele. Many tribes used Arkansas as their hunting lands but the main tribe was the Quapaw, who settled in the Arkansas River delta upon moving south from Illinois. When Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865, the hopes of a painless restoration of the Union died as well. [33] The following day, John Taylor proposed identical restrictions on slavery before authorizing the Arkansaw Enabling Act. De Soto had attempted to deceive the native population into thinking he was an immortal deity, sun of the sun, in order to forestall attack by outraged Native Americans on his by then weakened and bedraggled army. [7] This reliance on agriculture marks an entrance into Mississippian culture around 950 CE. As the 20th Century dawned, the town of Pulaski Heights was incorporated in 1903. [48], In an effort to prevent white settlers taking over their territory, the Quapaw signed an 1818 treaty relinquishing all their hunting lands in exchange for keeping 32,000,000 acres (13,000,000ha) of land along the Arkansas River in south Arkansas in their possession. Thomas Hindman, a lawyer from Helena and strong supporter of Southern rights, acquired the congressional seat in Arkansas's northern district with the support of the Family. The name was later changed to the St. Vincent Infirmary to honor St. Vincent de Paul, a French priest who had cared for the sick and poor. The post was moved back further from the Mississippi River in 1749 after the English with their Chickasaw allies attacked, it was moved downriver in 1756 to be closer to a Qua-paw defensive line that had been established, and to serve, as an repent, or trading post, during the Seven Years' War and prevent attacks from the Spanish along the Mississippi. Despite this, success was made in integrating higher education in the state of Arkansas,[153] Public schools in Fayetteville, Charleston and Hoxie public schools also saw integration by 1955.[154][155][156][153][157]. Also included is an IMAX theater with a screen that stand six stories high. They had to work in horrible conditions, with broken tools, even when they didn't understand instructions at the threat of violence. To make matters worse, many farmers took crop liens and were forced to plant cotton as the most valuable cash crop. Its leadershp has a strong religious bent which fits into the relgiosity of most residents. The little extra cash planters had was usually invested in slaves or land, leaving most plantations in the margins for long periods of time. The first Mayor was Dr. Matthew Cunningham who took office in January 1832. [115] At the time, the infantry was encamped in and around Marshall, Texas, as war-ravaged Arkansas was no longer able to provide adequate sustenance to the army. The Little Rock Fire Department was created in 1892. On November 7, 1831, Little Rock was officially chartered as a town. Streets were first paved with cobblestones in 1887, and the next year, the first sewer pipes were laid and first concrete sidewalks were installed. In 2004, another Little Rock resident, General Wesley Clark, U.S. Army Retired, made an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination. Following his defeat at the Battle of Westport in on October 23, 1864, most of the Arkansas cavalry units returned to the state and were furloughed for the remainder of the war. "African-American Legislators in the Arkansas General Assembly, 18681893". "Arkansas" in Aaron Sheehan-Dean, ed. Benard de la Harpe, a Frenchman leading an exploration party up the Arkansas River on April 9, 1722, noted the first outcropping of the rock he had seen along the banks since leaving New Orleans. [61] Often slaves were threatened if they didn't work fast enough. Archives Material" Arkansas in the Civil War Message Board, Posted 5/15/2011, Accessed 20 March 2013. [129] Many chose to plant cotton willingly, resisting calls from agricultural extension agents and university research recommending crop diversification or conservation methods. [149], In 1948, the University of Arkansas integrated its Schools of Law and Medicine, becoming the first school in any Southern U.S. state to accept black students. At that time, the capital was down river at Arkansas Post, but owing to the location of Little Rock, on the banks of the Arkansas River in the center of the new territory, the territorial capital was moved from Arkansas Post to Little Rock in 1821. [5], Further warming led to the beginnings of agriculture in Arkansas around 650 BCE. Eventually the government forced the Quapaw to a reservation in Louisiana with the Caddo. Starting at La Petite Roche and heading due south, this line formed the boundary between the Quapaw tribe lands and public lands available for settlement. [120][125] vThough railroads had expanded to 2,373 miles (3,819km) of track in Arkansas by 1895, farmers were often charged higher rates to serve rural areas. Ten years later, Little Rock was incorporated as a city. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, on the request of Little Rock's mayor, deployed the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock and federalized the Arkansas National Guard to protect the students and ensure their safe passed to school. Historically roads were handled by county government at very low cost. Fitzpatrick was never convicted and was nominated for the state legislature, but was defeated by Hiram McVeigh. From 1869 to 1893, more than 45 African American men were elected to seats in the state legislature. Woodward, Earl F. "The Brooks and Baxter War in Arkansas, 18721874". Richter, William L. "'A Dear Little Job': Second Lieutenant Hiram F. Willis, Freedmen's Bureau Agent in Southwestern Arkansas, 18661868". Governor John Ellis Martineau launched an ambitious state highway construction program, but the economic situation and drought of 1930-31 hindered its success. A partnership with the Union Labor Party for the 1888 elections did not provide results as many Wheelers were hesitant to "betray" the Democrats who had traditionally earned their vote. The application included a provision that would bring Missouri into the Union as a slave state, which would upset the delicate balance of slave and free states. He died the following day in what is believed to be the vicinity of modern-day McArthur in May 1542. [12] La Salle led three expeditions on foot searching for the Mississippi River, but his third party mutinied near Navasota, Texas, in 1687. de Tonti learned of La Salle's Texas expeditions and traveled south in an effort to locate him along the Mississippi River. These meetings were clandestine. After the session ended, William Russell, owner of hundreds of lots around Little Rock, began selling them to legislators and influential men like Crittenden, Robert Oden, William A. Trimble, and Andrew Scott. He agreed to surrender the command at Chalk Bluff on May 11, and to have his cavalrymen assemble at Wittsburg and Jacksonport to lay down their arms and receive their paroles. [134] Although open to all races, separate black and white Wheels were often formed. [4] Around 9500 BCE, forests also started to expand, enabling local peoples to engage in greater gathering. [123] The town incorporated in 1959, selling the houses to the renters living in them and gaining access to tax income it was previously excluded from as a company entity. That same year, the Citys Eighth Ward, located on the north side of the Arkansas River separated and formed North Little Rock. Shelby was eventually able to seriously threaten vital Union lines of communication along the Arkansas River between Helena and Little Rock, and for a while it appeared that Confederates would mount a serious attempt to retake Little Rock. He reportedly called it 'la petite roche' or 'the little rock,' to distinguish it from a larger cliff across the river. During the 20th century, different Arkansas political leaders would become nationally prominent, including the 42nd U.S. President Bill Clinton, who was Governor of Arkansas, 197981 and 198392. [65] Although slave marriages were illegal, many informal relationships were honored by plantation owners who thought a family would keep the slaves from rebelling. WebBenard de la Harpe, a Frenchman leading an exploration party up the Arkansas River on The southeast Arkansas planters tried several avenues to maintain cotton production despite emancipation. Following the war, the Southern economy was in shambles, including Arkansas. The Osage signed a treaty to leave Arkansas in 1825 and moved to Kansas briefly before buying their own reservation in Osage County, Oklahoma. During the latter part of the 1800s, the fate of would-be politicians would be made just blocks away at the city's "flrst class hotel" the Capital Hotel. The Brooks-Baxter War of 1874, fought between factions of the Republican Party, took place in Little Rock. Confederate loyalists quickly labeled Murphy as a traitor and compromised his effectiveness. From the 1960s through the 1980s, successive modern skyscrapers vied for the title of tallest building in Arkansas. Sometimes conditions were so horrific that slaves would run away at the risk of being tortured and/or murdered if caught. She won another term in 1938. In 2011, a series of tornadoes caused significant damage and killed 16 people. The expedition was a military campaign in south central Arkansas which involved Union forces stationed at Little Rock and Fort Smith under the command of Major-General Frederick Steele. In the 1980s, the Clintons' personal and business affairs became the basis of the Whitewater controversy, which he ultimately survived. That complex of buildings is the location of territorial government meetings before Arkansas became a state. Little Rock's four public high schools were closed in September 1958, only reopening a year later. Our History | FedEx "'A Harnessed Revolution': Reconstruction in Arkansas". [148] Based on the order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt given shortly after Imperial Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, nearly 16,000 Japanese Americans were forcibly removed from the West Coast of the United States and incarcerated in two internment camp located in the Arkansas Delta. Although farmers produced enough goods to sell, they were locked into the local market and were unable to transport their goods to other markets, keeping the region cash-poor. (2016). [128] Looking for a return on investment, the creditors usually insisted that farmers plant largely cotton, which remained the most valuable cash crop. Women's suffrage in Arkansas gained traction, with activists pushing for enfranchisement and succeeding in getting the right to vote in primary elections in 1917. Both parties dispersed but ran into each other south of town and shots were fired. In addition to affecting private citizens who were land speculating, the policy stymied state revenues since Arkansas had been relying on the tax revenue from each land purchase as its primary source of income.[85]. Walmart continues to be the major employer and economic force in Arkansas. The Southwest Trail and Butterfield Overland Mail were major roads in the state, and steamboats began using the state's rivers for commerce. As the City continued to grow westward, commercial and residential developments were created. During the Civil War, Little Rock was captured by Union forces in 1863 and was under military control until the end of the conflict. The area was largely wilderness, inhabited by the Quapaw or Arkansa Indians, and had been explored by Spanish gold hunters and by itinerant hunter-trappers. Clinton's wife, Hillary Clinton, chaired the Arkansas Education Standards Committee and proposed reforms that transformed the state's education system. John Roane, William Sebastian, Solon Borland, and Robert Johnson began rallying support for the Southern cause in Arkansas, including discussing secession. The Little Rock school episode drew international attention to the treatment of African Americans in the United States. [161] Arkansas was heavily affected by the Vietnam War, with thousands of its young men drafted into the military in an increasingly unpopular war. Following the Union victory at Antietam, the Emancipation Proclamation defined the impetus of further fighting to be slavery. Arkansas played a key role in aiding Texas in its war for independence with Mexico, sending troops and materials to Texas to help fight the war. Governor Thomas Drew issued a proclamation calling on the state to furnish one regiment of cavalry and one battalion of infantry to join the United States Army. In September 1957, the eyes of the world were on Little Rock as nine (9) African-American studentstried to integrate Little Rock Central High. A museum and visitor center on that site is listed in the National Register of Places. Freedmen began to participate in politics through organizations such as the Union League, including registering blacks for the upcoming election. Clinton was a death penalty opponent in his early years but oversaw the state's first executions since 1964 in his final term as governor. [169], On November 8, 2016, Arkansas voters approved Issue 6, the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment, to legalize the medical use of cannabis. This position was contrary to the Democrats and The Family, who feared that the taxation required to maintain state government would be onerous on the state's meager population. A water system was created in 1884, and two (2) years later, electric service was introduced. Steam and electric public transit were introduced by 1889. In response, the Democratic Party consolidated their power, reducing the number of African Americans and poor whites on the voter rolls by introducing a literacy test, poll tax, and residency requirements. [147] Cotton plantations ran short of unskilled labor to pick their crop, and were assisted by the US Department of Agriculture in finding workers. [105] A vote in February 1861 showed Arkansas in favor of a state convention to decide the issue of secession, but the delegates voted to remain in the Union. [127] By the Great Depression, most farmers in Arkansas did not own the land they worked. Unpopular Confederate conscription laws and high taxes became major political and social issues in addition to reports of tremendous loss of life at such far off places as Shiloh in April 1862. Across the street, the Mount Holly Cemetery, was established in 1884 solely for the remains of Confederate soldiers. Arkansas would only receive $45,583.83 of federal money, the amount of the first check which was ultimately settled by the Natchez banks. [23] Only the elites actually lived inside the defensive walls of the post, with the remaining people surrounding the fortification. The first local branch in Arkansas was established in Little Rock (Pulaski Although there have been many iterations since it was built in late 1890s, the Pfeifer Brothers Department Store Building remains standing. His term ended in January 2001; he then relocated to New York. People across the state thought victory over the Union Army would come swiftly. Improving transportation also helped the state's economy grow. [112] Several existing Arkansas units were converted to Mounted Infantry and dispatched to northeast Arkansas. [166], In 2013, the state enacted a major tax cut that reduced income tax rates for many high income residents and businesses. [84] These funds were quickly wasted, and since frontier Arkansas did not offer many services to its citizens, revenues from taxes and fees were incapable of supporting the state government. [99] Hindman would later side with Henry Rector against the Family, and both were successful in 1860. [136] Since they could not vote, they could not serve on juries, which were limited to voters. Slaves' churches often preached the message of Moses and the Exodus. In the 1990s, the City of Little Rock engaged community-wide goal-setting programs. The expedition promptly backtracked to Arkansas. Tempers flared between delegates from southeast Arkansas, who proposed representation include a three-fifths rule in order to count the numerous slaves held in the region. "The Constitution of 1868: Conqueror's Constitution or Constitutional Continuity?". If an entire household fell ill, a neighboring woman was responsible for nursing them back to health. Senators (J. William Fulbright and John L. McClellan) and all six of its U.S. Only Isaac Murphy cast a ballot against secession for the second vote, officially ending Arkansas's membership in the Union.[106]. The white deputy was wounded and the white detective killed. Five of Little Rock Nine on Arkansas attempt to erase Black Fitzpatrick complied, and the judge went across town to disperse a crowd of KKK members, led by former Confederate Captain Charles Bowen. Timeline of Little Rock, Arkansas - Wikipedia Various New Deal Programs did enhance Little Rocks landscape through construction of buildings such as the Museum of Fine Art, Robinson Auditorium and the Little Rock Zoo, as well as Boyle Park. After a calumet with friendly Quapaw, the group suspected the Spanish to be nearby and returned north. Our Historical City | City of Little Rock - Little Rock, The first steamboat to reach Little Rock was the Eagle, which arrived on March 16, 1822. During the late 1880s and 1890s, the Democrats worked to consolidate their power and prevent alliances among African Americans and poor whites in the years of agricultural depression. Little Rock Nine member Elizabeth Eckford said, "I think the attempts to The duty of supervising these contracts between newly freed slaves and planters was the responsibility of the federal Freedman's Bureau. The permanent settlement of Little Rock began in the spring of 1820, and the first building has been described as a cabin, or shanty, and was built on the bank of the river near La Petite Roche. The Mothers' League of Central High School and the Little Rock Desegregation Crisis of 1957". A spurt of growth occurred again in the 1850's and again after the Civil War during the 1870's when an influx of immigrants and former Union soldiers came to settle permanently. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. President Jackson's Specie Circular also hurt the state economy by forcing land purchases to be made with gold and silver rather than paper money. Upon arrival in the Pacaha village, the Casqui who had followed behind de Soto attacked and raided the village. [72] Childbirth also weighed on women as a risky proposition that often resulted in the death of the mother. The question of statehood was first raised by National Republican Benjamin Desha in 1831 in the Little Rock Arkansas Advocate. Those Confederate soldiers interred at the national cemetery were removed and reinterred there. Congress passed the Confiscation Act of 1862 that stated if their master was fighting for the South; a slave could gain freedom by crossing behind Union lines. On May 8, 1861, Arkansas seceded from the Union. Suderow, Bryce A. [82] After this compromise, the Arkansas Constitution was drafted and sent to Washington for approval.
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