Chapter 5 1819-1860

Apprentice: a person who lives with a master craftsman to learn a trade (pg. 93)

Rivalry: individuals or groups that compete against one another (pg. 95)

Antebellum: a Latin word meaning before the war (pg.101)

Squatter: someone who settles on property they did not buy or rent (pg. 105)

Arkansas Post

Crude log building

1st Territorial Governor of Arkansas

Did not want to be in Arkansas

Did not arrive in Arkansas for 6 months

1st Territorial secretary and dominant politician during Arkansas during first 10 years

Arrived before appointed governor and took control of the government

Dominant political party in Arkansas for many years

Made up of the Johnson, Rector, Sevier, Conway & Ashley families

All were related either by blood or marriage

Also known as the “Dynasty”

Established 1st Arkansas newspaper at Arkansas Post in 1819

Moved to Little Rock when Territorial government moves to Little Rock in 1821

Established the accepted version of the spelling of “Arkansas”

Became major figure in Arkansas

Newspaper lasted until 1991

Member of the “Family”

Elected as Arkansas’s delegate to U.S. congress in 1827

Replaced Henry Conway as the delegate to the U.S. Congress

Member of the “Family”

Capital moved to more “central” location

In 1833, construction begins on the Old State House

A fight between 2 men in response to an insult

to settle a matter of honor

Crittenden felt he had been insulted during the election of 1827

Challenged Henry Conway to duel

Met at Mississippi River

Exchanged pistol shots at 30 feet

Crittenden wounded Conway, who died three days later

Military Road -Memphis to Little Rock -Supposed to be cleared of trees -Sturdy bridges and 24 feet wide

However, stumps remained until they rotted away and bridges often washed out by floods

Postal service began in 1820’s (every 1 or 2 weeks)

Arrival of the steamboat

The Comet was the 1st steamboat to travel up the Mississippi and Arkansas Rivers from New Orleans

Steamer called the Arkansas-built by citizens living along the river

Many would build their homes on the river and watch the steamboats come up the rivers

24 states by 1835- half-free & half-slave

Missouri Compromise brought the new idea that the new states would become states in pairs (1 free & 1 slave)

Michigan had applied for statehood and would be free (MO Compromise). This was the chance for Arkansas to enter as a slave state.

Democratic Party needed help getting votes in the Presidential election to help Martin Van Buren.

Delegates met in January, 1836 to write a state constitution. The issue of slavery was present here also.

Southern counties had large plantations dependent upon slave labor.

Northwestern counties made up of small farms worked by families with few, if any, Slaves.

Slave counties got more representation in the Senate.

Free counties got more representation in the House of Representatives.

Was sent to Washington

Statehood was granted on June 15, 1836.

25th state

Michigan becomes a free state in January, 1837

Arkansas’ 3 electoral votes helped to elect Democrat Van Buren as President

“Family” (or Dynasty) still most powerful group in Arkansas politics

Made up of the Conway, Rector, Sevier, Ashley & Johnson families. All related to each other either through blood or marriage.

Associated with the “Family”

Supporters tended to be small farmers

Poorer class

Led by Absalom Fowler, Albert Pike, David Walker & James Woodson Bates

Supporters were planters, larger farmers & town merchants

Wealthier group

Won most elections for

statewide offices and for

President

James Sevier Conway became the first governor

Archibald Yell was sent to the U.S. House of Representatives

Yell was one of the most popular politicians in Arkansas history

Only white males over 21 could vote

Had to live in Arkansas for at least 6 months

Did not have a formal voter registration

Did not have to be a tax payer to vote

They voted at the county seat

Votes were taken by voice

Won all offices in 1836 election for new state government

Governor James Sevier Conway (brother of Henry W. Conway) was killed in a duel in 1837

U.S. House of Representatives- Archibald Yell, who was very popular

U.S. Senators were William S. Felton & Ambrose Sevier

Did well in 1830’s

Authorized 1st major building project, which was a prison in late 1830’s & 1840’s

The Arkansas capital sits on the site today

Legislature decided to establish 2 state banks

Established to solve the lack of capital problem & because President Jackson had destroyed the Bank of the U.S.

Real Estate Bank

Established in 1837

For planters and large farmers

State Bank

Primarily for merchants

Both banks were financed through a sale of bonds

Both had bad loans & too little security

They issued their own paper money, exceeding the value in gold & silver in the banks

Issued by President Jackson

Stated that the Federal Government would only accept “specie” (gold or silver) as payment for public land

This prompted the Panic of 1837- start of the economic recession

Both banks were forced to close the doors by 1842

State was responsible to pay huge debts

State outlawed banks

Defaulted on debts

We had no state banks and no credit

Indian Removal Act: passed by Congress and President Andrew Jackson

Legalized the forced removal of Indians from their native lands to make way for white settlers

Many tribes refused to leave their land

President Jackson ordered troops to forcibly remove all of the remaining tribes

Herded like cattle and forced to march thousands of miles into Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma)

Many forced to leave without belongings

Women were harassed by soldiers

Many got sick with measles and whooping cough

Most of the money set aside from the government for supplies was never used for the journey

Almost 4,000 Cherokees died along the “Trail of Tears”

Belief that Americans had the right to expand the county from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean

Most western lands still owned by Spain

U.S. Leaders realized that someday they might have to fight Mexico for these expansive western lands

Elected Governor in 1840

He called for public education, internal improvements, & financial reform

Passed by General Assembly in 1842

Set aside 16 sections of land in each township for school revenues

These were to be sold and income was to build & operate public schools

It was not a real public school system but did give the people hope & promise

Most schools were still private Parents had to pay tuition for their

children to attend Only the wealthy could afford an

education

Population more than doubled every 10 years

Many were slaves brought to work plantations

Roads were getting better but rivers were still important

Construction began on Little Rock-Memphis

Railroad link in 1850’s but only 2 routes

completed by 1860

Had 6-8 children

Diseases were very common

Only 4-5 might make it to adulthood

The women of Arkansas were having more children than any other state

Yeoman-farmer who owned small plot of land

150 acres average but only 1/3 in crops

Log cabin, often dogtrot style

Members of large families lived together in very close quarters

Major ordeal

Water had to be hauled from the spring or well & heated over the fire

Furniture had to be pushed aside in the crowded room to make space for the washtub

Everyone would use the same water

Out back, away from the well or creek that gave them drinking water, would be a “privy”

A privy is an outdoor toilet

Simply assumed ownership of a piece of land

No survey, no land office near by

Often did not have money to pay for the land

Might be forced to move years later or maybe able to keep the land for generation without having legal title

1840, raised enough corn to feed 2 states the size of AR for a year More cows and hogs than any

other southern state (4 hogs for every person)

Hogs & Hominy were staples of diet

Tobacco (cash crop) sold to buy flour, coffee, nails, and household goods that they couldn’t make themselves

Owned large amounts of land, many slaves, & produced large amounts of cotton

Most lived in river bottoms (very fertile land)

Rivers provide access to market No fancy houses Dominated state- 10% of population

owned about 70% of the wealth of the state

Held 78% of slaves & 63% of the land

90% of Arkansas cotton was grown in 10 Delta counties

Only about 18% of whites owned slaves

1,363 whites owned 20 or more slaves

Only 6 owned 300-400 One man had 500+ Plantations had 10-15 or more slaves

Worked cotton crop Overseer was plantation owner or a member of his family or hired help

Most common form of resistance was to run away

Most were field hands, worked dawn to dusk

Some were blacksmiths, mason, wheel-right (made wheels), or carpenters (worth more that field hands)

Others were servants, cooks, maids, or a nanny

Servants, coachmen, stable boys, laborers, and craftsmen

Owner was total master of the slaves-backed up by local & state customs and laws

Free African Americans were rare (never more than 100)

Religion gave comfort- blend of Christian faith & African traditions in music (spirituals)

Most Arkansans were farmers living in rural areas

Towns did grow as market and trade centers

Every town had hotels, boarding houses, mercantile, doctors, lawyers, dress shops, gun, furniture & shoe stores

Reading groups Debate clubs Concerts Civic groups

(Masons) Magazines Gambling

Most important holiday Except to slaves, who got Christmas off

Churches were the great civilizing force on the frontier

Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Christian, Episcopal, Missionary Baptist, & Catholic

Served as public gathering places for meetings

Founded in 1851 by Sisters of Mercy Oldest continuing school in Arkansas

Rural communities attended “camp meeting” (religious & social event)

Entire community turned out for 10 days to 3 weeks of preaching

Many stayed for entire time---lived in wagons or tents

Gave everyone the opportunity to meet and court (date)

Put everyone on equal footing regardless of age, wealth, gender, or color

Texas Revolution in 1836 (same year as Arkansas became a state)

Many Texas leaders had Arkansas ties

Stephen Austin: Little Rock speculator

James Black: Blacksmith who made Bowie knife

Became the Republic of Texas in 1836 Applied for statehood in 1836 and was

denied Congress annexed Texas in 1845 Mexico had never given up rights to

Texas War began in spring of 1846 with an

exchange of shots along the Rio Grande

James K. Polk asked AR to provide a regiment of mounted infantry to fight in Mexico

Archibald Yell elected colonel of his unit (Yell was a Congressman)

Solon Borland was a major

Arkansas major battle was at Buena Vista, deep in Northern Mexico on Feb. 22-23, 1847

Yell was killed & Borland was captured but escaped

Borland joined Gen. Winfield Scott’s assault on Mexico City

He becomes a hero and next AR senator

James Bowie was a skilled fighter, adventurer, and land speculator

He also became famous for his role in the Texas Revolution

Bowie asked James Black, a blacksmith in Washington (AR), to make him a knife based on a wooden model

Black made a two knives and Bowie chose the one with a long-curved blade

People began calling all big knives “Bowie Knives”

James Black kept making the knives for many years

Took over control when Yell was killed

Became the next Arkansas Governor

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As soon as war was over, gold was discovered in California—1849 Gold Rush

Forty-Niners: gold hunters who traveled to California in the Gold Rush of 1849

Arkansas grew quickly in population and wealth

Elias Nelson Conway (Governor from 1852-1860) put the state on sound fiscal footing

He got accurate accounting of Real Estate Bank

Left more than $300,000 in gold & silver in the treasury

Vetoed a bill to reduce taxes

Increasing over slavery issue between North and South

Status of slavery in lands obtained from Mexico

Arkansas was going to have to choose a side between North and South