T ERRITORY, S TATEHOOD AND S LAVERY

T HE L OUISIANA P URCHASE The French sell what becomes Arkansas to the United States for $15 million This was called the Louisiana Purchase and included all land west of the Mississippi River and all rivers that drained into the Mississippi President Thomas Jefferson sent out official exploring parties to map and report on the new territory

D UNBAR AND H UNTER E XPEDITION President Jefferson sends William Dunbar and George Hunter to explore the Ouachita River in Louisiana and Arkansas They traveled as far up the Ouachita River as the “hot springs” They reported on the plants and animals of the region They also met with many farmers, hunters, trappers and settlers that lived along the river Their report was the first published about the new territory that was acquired by the US

H ENRY S CHOOLCRAFT AND T HOMAS N UTTALL Henry Schoolcraft entered Arkansas in 1818 and traveled through the Spring, Black and White River Valleys in northeastern Arkansas He commented on the lack of education and untidy appearance of the settlers 1819 Thomas Nuttall traveled up the Arkansas River and described the plant and animal life of Arkansas He published a book about his travels and introduced the Arkansas to a wider audience

A R UGGED L AND In the early 1800s settlement was slow in Arkansas for several reasons: 1. Swampy lowlands in eastern Arkansas was a challenge for settlers coming from the east 2. Arkansas was not on any major trails that led to the far west 3. Arkansas bordered Spanish territory to the Southwest (Texas) and Indian Territory to the west (modern day Oklahoma) Overland travel was very difficult and the Arkansas River was the major avenue for travel into the state The remoteness of Arkansas made it a place where a person could “get lost” if they were in trouble with the law

E ARLY SETTLEMENTS 1810 there were just over 1000 people in Arkansas Most lived along the Arkansas River Valley Arkansas Post, Pine Bluff, Little Rock, Crystal Hill and Cadron Some lived along the Mississippi River St. Francis and Hopefield There were also settlements along the river valleys of the Red and Ouachita Rivers Blakely Town and Ecore a Fabri Early settlers were either hunters or farmers

E ARLY A GRICULTURE Farmers had long growing seasons and fertile soil and could grow a wide variety of crops Rivers provided an easy way to transport the crops to markets The crops that were grown the most in early Arkansas were corn and cotton Pigs were the most common form of livestock Arkansas was also known to have an unhealthy climate The main culprit was standing water that was a breeding ground for mosquitoes that carried malaria and yellow fever

T HE A RKANSAS T RAVELER

N EW M ADRID E ARTHQUAKE a series of major earthquakes occurred in Arkansas Happened along the New Madrid fault in northeast Arkansas Began in December 1811 and lasted through March of 1812 Made the Mississippi River run backwards Caused parts of northeastern Arkansas to sink and be covered by floodwaters, area now known as the “sunken lands” Earthquake occurred in a sparsely settled area and nobody was killed

F IRST S TATE G OVERNMENT Arkansas was a part of the Louisiana Territory and the Missouri Territory As the population grew Arkansas applied for territorial status 1819 Arkansas becomes a territory The status of slavery in Arkansas was controversial Slavery was legal in Arkansas Many wondered if the Louisiana Purchase Territory would be slave or free The invention of the cotton gin made cotton production very profitable and cotton grew well in Arkansas The debate over slavery continued across the nation for the next 40 years

F IRST S TATE G OVERNMENT First capital was Arkansas Post The capital was moved from Arkansas Post to Little Rock a more central location and a healthier climate First governor was James Miller who spent very little time in Arkansas 21 year old Robert Crittenden was appointed territorial secretary and he seized control in the governors absence He took responsibility for organizing the territory and called the first elections and the first General Assembly

F IRST S TATE G OVERNMENTS “The Family” was a group of men who opposed Crittenden It was Arkansas first political dynasty The Conways, Rectors, Seviers, Ashleys and Johnsons were all related by marriage or birth They were affiliated with the Democratic party in national politics Election of 1827 made the feud between Crittenden and the Family public Henry Conway won the election and Crittenden challenged him to a duel Crittenden shot and killed Conway After the duel Crittenden never regained his political influence in Arkansas The Family was dominant in Arkansas politics until the Civil War

T HE A RKANSAS G AZETTE 1819 the territory’s first newspaper The Arkansas Gazette was published by printer William Woodruff It was the first newspaper published in Arkansas The paper supported the Family in political matters It lasted until 1991 when it was purchased by the Arkansas Democrat

I NDIAN R EMOVAL The increase of white settlers led to Indian removal in Arkansas The US government moved them to reservations in Indian Territory (Oklahoma) beginning in the 1830s Tribes from the Southeastern US were moved to Indian Territory as well Many Cherokee moved to Arkansas on their own beginning in the 1820s In the 1830s the US government forcefully removed Creek, Cherokee, Seminole, Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians to reservations Many came through Arkansas along a route known as the Trail of Tears

T RAIL OF T EARS

I NDIAN R EMOVAL 1817 The US Army established Fort Smith on the Western edge of Arkansas to prevent fighting between Indians and whites, it also regulated trade between whites and Indians 1820 Dwight Mission near Russellville was established to convert Indians to Christianity There was also a school, hospital and a trading post

P ROGRESS T OWARD S TATEHOOD Arkansas’ population doubled between 1820 and 1830 Most settlers came from Tennessee, Missouri, and Mississippi Travel became easier, the national government started to build a road from Memphis to Little Rock known as the Military Road Regular mail service began in the mid-1820s Also during the 1820s steamboats service became a regular feature along major Arkansas rivers

P ROGRESS T OWARD S TATEHOOD Transportation developments allowed people and goods to be transported to, from and across Arkansas Mid-1830s the US was experiencing an economic boom and Arkansas was part of it the state built a new capitol building in Little Rock to house all of the functions of government

S TATEHOOD Arkansas voted to become a state in 1835 They needed a free state to enter the Union at the same time to keep the slave/free balance in the Senate Michigan entered as a free state June 15, 1836 Arkansas became the 25 th state

N EW S TATE G OVERNMENT 1836 elections-The Family won all state and federal offices James S. Conway became the first state governor Archibald Yell was sent to the U.S. House of Representatives U.S. Senators were William Fulton and Ambrose Sevier

N EW S TATE G OVERNMENT 1830s were economic boom years in Arkansas The state treasury had a surplus With this money they built a state prison at the current site of the state capital building 1836 The federal government built a military arsenal in Little Rock (now McArthur Park)

A G ROWING S TATE Obstacle for growth and economic development was the lack of capital (money) 1837 State legislature established two state banks Real Estate Bank and the State Bank The banks loaned large sums of money and the banks soon ran out of money They issued more money than they had gold or silver reserves to back it up 1837 The U.S. had a nationwide economic disaster and economic depression 1842 both banks went out of business The state outlawed banks and the state’s credit was ruined 1842 the General Assembly passed the Common School Law to provide funds for to build an operate public schools

L IFE AND S OCIETY Most Arkansans were yeoman farmers A typical farm was about 150 acres Some did not even buy the land they farmed People that took land this way were called squatters Many families held property for generations without ever having title to it. Some people bought huge tracts of land from the government, divided it up and sold it at a higher price These people were called land speculators Arkansas farmers were very productive 1840 Arkansas had more hogs and cattle per person than any other southern state Corn and pork were the basics of the Arkansas diet Many yeoman farmers also raised a small crop of tobacco or cotton to sell and earn money

L IFE AND S OCIETY Planter Class These were very wealthy plantation owners They were few in number They owned large amounts of land, slaves and produced cotton Most lived near rivers and in the Delta The soil was fertile and the rivers provided transportation to get the cotton crop to market 90% of the cotton was grown in 10 counties Frontier plantations were crude places but they did enjoy more luxuries than most other Arkansans

S LAVERY IN A RKANSAS Only six people in Arkansas owned more than 200 slaves Most slaves in Arkansas were owned in groups of 4 or fewer Often slaves worked side by side with their masters Most were involved in cotton production Some slaves had special skills and were more valued than those that just worked in the fields In towns slaves worked as servants, laborers and some skilled craftsmen

S LAVERY IN A RKANSAS Slaves were property of their masters and could be worked or sold as the owner saw fit Laws of society and state controlled slaves Were not allowed to leave owners land, not allowed to read or write and denied basic legal rights They did maintain home and family lives They married and raised children They kept customs from their African heritage Developed religion that blended Christian faith with African traditions, created “spirituals”

S LAVERY IN A RKANSAS Free blacks were rare in Arkansas, never more than a few hundred Seen as a threat to slavery 1860 the General Assembly passed a law that required free blacks to leave the state

Slave Owners Non Slave Owners 18% of the population82% of the population

D AILY L IFE Most Arkansans lived in rural areas Towns were linked by roads, rivers and some railroads Churches promoted the idea of behaving in a civil manner in a frontier society Formal churches were found in cities and towns In rural areas the camp meeting was a religious and social event Religion allowed people to form a common moral bond Church services were held, merchants sold their goods and politicians asked fro votes

E XPANSION 1836 was the year Arkansas became a state and the Texas Revolution occurred In this revolution Texas broke away from Mexico and became an independent republic Mid 1840’s the idea of Manifest Destiny swept across the country This was the idea that Americans should push west and take their government and culture and spread it across the country Led to the Mexican-American War in 1846 Many Arkansans participated in the War

L OOKING BACK AT PRE C IVIL W AR A RKANSAS State grew in population and wealth Cotton trade led to prosperity The state was emerging from the frontier era into as towns grew and transportation improved By the mid 1850’s the dispute between the north and the south over the issue of slavery began to tear the country apart Border states like Arkansas had to choose which side to support